iOS 8: Top 10 Hidden Features, Tips, and Tricks

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi recently unveiled iOS 8 during his keynote address at Apple's 25^th Worldwide Development Conference (WWDC).

The company revealed a number of significant features on iOS 8 such as Health Kit, Home Kit, interactive notifications, predictive keyboard, and upgraded Group Messaging. However, there are hidden features that were not explained during the keynote address. Here are top 10 features, tips, and tricks on iOS that are worth exploring.

Customize/Rearrange iOS 8 share sheets

According to a YouTube video posted by Macmixing, the icons located at the iOS share sheet can be dragged to any preferred location within a row. The icons can also be customized based on the user's preference. On the "more" tab, the icons can be turned on or off and can be rearranged depending on the user's choice. The same goes true for the third party icons at the bottom row but these icons cannot be dragged to the top row.

Self-timer in Camera app

The video also explained that the tiny timer icon above the camera app on iOS 8 can be set to self-timer by tapping the number of seconds found at the options. Once done, one can go ahead and pose, then the camera will count the number of seconds indicated and snap a series of photos. In the case of the video, 11 photos were snapped in series.

Time-Lapse videos

According to Gizmodo, the camera on iOS 8 also has the ability to shoot time-lapse videos. One just needs to press the red button and start taking videos in front of the camera. Once done, just press again the red button to stop. The video will play in superfast time-lapse motion.

Independent Exposure and Focus Control in Camera App

The above-mentioned YouTube video also pointed out that the camera app on iOS 8 also has the capability to manually set the exposure after setting the focus control. The user just needs to tap up or down on their screen after the focus has been set to set the exposure.

Grayscale

The same YouTube video mentioned above also explained that on the settings app in iOS 8, there is an Accessibility setting found at the General setting. Under the Accessibility setting, there is a Grayscale option which will allow the user to put the entire user interface (UI) in grayscale. This option can be helpful for users who wanted to see the options and icons better. Once disabled, the entire UI can be immediately turned back to colored.

New Accessibility Zoom Features

Also on the settings app in iOS 8, there is a new accessibility zoom feature that when turned on will show a magnifying glass. It can be repositioned anywhere within the screen and its settings and magnification can also be adjusted. When placed on a certain portion of the screen, the texts underneath it will be enlarged. The magnifying glass can also be resized to fit any portion of the screen that the user wants to magnify.

Battery Usage (Percentage) Per App

Many users have been previously suffering from battery drain in their iPhone devices in the past. Good thing that iOS 8 already has a new option in the Settings menu which provides data about the apps that are responsible for draining the battery faster. This feature has been with Android devices all along which is quite helpful that Apple has already put it on iOS.

Request Desktop Site in Safari

According to an article from Wonder How To, Apple has added request desktop site to Safari in iOS 8. The feature has been present into the Google Chrome web browser for a long time. To do it on iOS 8, just tap the URL of the desired website, swipe the Safari homepage down, then tap the Request Desktop Site icon. The user will be directed back to the current website which will already show in desktop fashion.

Siri With Shazam Integration

Gizmodo also mentioned that the all-knowing digital assistant Siri is already capable of remembering every single app that are meant to be downloaded at a later time. Also, Siri will already be able to track songs and provide previews for suggestions on iTunes Ratio and Music Store just in case the user forgot to buy a music piece.

Auto-Delete Messages

According to the same YouTube video cited above, the Messages portion on iOS 8 has a Store Messages option at the bottom portion. The user will be able to specify how long does he or she wants to store the messages in his or her inbox. Users can choose between forever, 30 days, or 1 year and the iOS 8 will automatically delete the messages that are already beyond the selected option.

Watch top 10 hidden features, tips, and tricks in iOS from YouTube.