Hidden IOS Tricks That Will Make Your Phone Feel New Again

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have created a lot of buzz since the announcement made last September 9, and that includes Apple's record breaking 4 million pre-orders within 24-hours. These new flagship handsets are now available to select countries and as expected, they are flying off the shelves. But, if you are one of the unfortunate individuals who at this point in time, can't get hold of these handsets, do not fret. You can install the latest iOS on your iPhone and make it feel new again.

Apple's iOS 8 is packed with a lot of amazing features all iOS fans will surely love. Apart from the many features that were advertised, such as third-party keyboard support, Health app, and iCloud Drive, there are hefty hidden features that you probably haven't heard or discovered yet.

Here are some of the hidden iOS 8 tricks and features that will make your phone feel new again:

Hidden iOS 8 Tricks That Will Make Your iPhone Feel New Again

1. Credit Card Scanning Within Safari

In iOS 8, you can use the Camera app to scan your credit card when shopping online from your Safari browser. There's no need to manually type your credit card number. Instead, scan your credit card using your iPhone camera, and it will automatically pull up the card number and paste them into the correct field to make checkout hassle free.

2. Hide Photos and Videos from the Photos App

With iOS 8, you can hide individual photos and videos from the Moments, Collections, and Years view in the Photos app. Simply tap and hold the photo or video, and then tap Hide from the pop-up. The photo will not be seen in the Moments, Collections, and Years albums, but can be viewed in the album named Hidden.

3. Quickly Access Your Favorite Contacts

You can quickly access your Favorite contacts by simply pressing the Home button twice. This cool feature will allow you to call or message your family and friends much faster.

4. Recover Accidentally Deleted Photos

Have you ever deleted a photo by accident? For sure this is not an uncommon occurrence. The problem with previous iOS, once a photo or video is deleted, there is no way to recover it unless you have created a backup. With iOS 8, you can now recover accidentally deleted photos.

In iOS 8, all deleted photos from the Photos app will go directly to the Recently Deleted album. When you open this album, it will display all deleted photos including the days each photo has until it is permanently deleted. To retrieve the photos, simply select them and tap Recover.

5. Grayscale Mode

iOS 8 features a new grayscale mode for those who aren't fans of color. To enable this setting, simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility. From there, toggle Grayscale to turn your screen to black and white.

6. Identify the Apps Using the Most Battery Life

iOS 8 has a new Battery Usage panel that allows you to view the battery usage of each app in used. It can monitor how much battery each app use, so you can close the apps that draw a lot of power when you aren't using them. To access the Battery Usage panel, just go to Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage. This will show you a list of all the apps draining your battery life.

7. Add Photos, Videos, and Animated GIFs to Notes

The Notes app in iOS 8 now supports rich texts, photos, and videos. It even supports animated GIFs for more fun notes. To add an animated GIF, just copy and paste a GIF or select photos from the Photo library to insert as animated GIF. Also, if you want to add a photo to a note, simply tap and hold the screen until the floating menu appears, then tap Insert Photo, and then select a photo from your Photo library.

8. Display 9-Day Weather Forecast

With iOS 8's Weather app, you can get a 9-day weather forecast, including sunrise, sunset, and UV index. You can even get an hourly forecast for a full 24 hours instead of the usual 12. You will also receive a short description of what's to come without having to go to the Notification Center.

9. New Zoom

The zoom option found in the Accessibility settings has been improved in iOS. You can now increase or decrease the size of the magnifier as well as toggle its settings. Simply drag the walls of the magnifier lens and set the order of Magnification according to your needs.

10. Automatically Delete Text and Picture Messages

One way to speed up your iPhone is by deleting old messages. In iOS 8, there is an option to control how long text and picture messages are stored on your phone. Simply go to your Messages app, and then tap Store Messages. From there, you can set your iPhone to automatically delete messages after 30 days or 1 year. If you do not want to automatically delete your old messages, you can leave the Forever option checked.

7 Ingenious iPhone Camera Tricks You Need to Try

My iPhone has always been my go to staple when I want to capture a photo-worthy moment. Not only is my iPhone always with me, but it has a lot of features that allows me to edit and share the photos I took instantly. That combined with the fact that my digicam weighs down my purse is good enough reason to use my iPhone as my primary camera.

Although the iPhone can be categorize as a point and shoot camera, there are some handy tips and tricks you can try to make the most out of it. Here are 7 ingenious iPhone camera tricks from photographer Lorenz Holder to help you snap great pictures.

1. Panorama Sequence

Photographer Lorenz Holder found an ingenious way to always appear multiple times in different positions throughout a picture taken in Panorama Mode. To do this, simply switch to Panorama Mode, and then start panning. Once the model is out of shot, he/she should run around the back of the photographer and back into the shot.

2. Pano Drive-By

If you get bored while you’re in a car, you can take a panoramic photo of the scenery outside. Simply, switch to Panorama Mode, and then rotate the iPhone 180 degrees. Now start panning.

3. Zoom Lens

When you zoom in to capture an image that is far away, you will notice that the photo taken is pixilated. To take a more close up image without sacrificing the pixel density, try using a pair of binoculars as a zoom lens for your iPhone.

4. Macro Lens

You can transform your iPhone's camera lens into a makeshift macro lens by only using a straw and a small drop of water. To do this, put a small drop of water using a straw on your iPhone's lens to improvise a macro lens for your camera. Don't worry though, a small drop of water will not run off into your phone.

5. Use Car Foil as Reflector

A car foil screen can be used as a reflector, which is great for taking portrait pictures.

6. Improvised Tripod and Shutter Cable

You can use a simple cardboard and your iPhone's headset as improvised tripod and shutter cable respectively. Simply use a cardboard and make some cut outs to create a DIY tripod. You can use that together with your phone's headset as shutter cable for steadier, hands-free selfies.

7. Underwater Housing

If you want to take underwater photos with your phone, you will need to use an underwater housing to prevent water from entering inside. However, if you do not have an underwater housing at hand, you can improvise using a glass. Simply place your iPhone inside a glass and submerge it halfway through to take a picture. Make sure you do not submerge the glass all throughout to prevent water from entering.