A modern smartphone has so many functions that users have no idea about many of them. Some features that are enabled by default are used very rarely or never at all. Some iOS features may run in the background, causing your iPhone to run slower or drain your battery faster. In this article, we'll cover some iOS features you may not be using and how to disable them.
Video:
What features on iPhone can be disabled for most users?
When you swipe down on the home screen, you'll see the Spotlight search screen. Under the usual search bar there are numerous offers that some people do not use at all.
To disable them, just follow the path Settings → Siri and Search and disable three items Siri Suggestions: In search, In "Find", On the lock screen.
Siri
How often do you communicate with the virtual assistant Siri? If your answer is: “a couple of times a year” or “very rarely,” then feel free to turn it off (you can turn it on at any time if necessary). To disable Apple's voice assistant, follow the path Settings → Siri and Search and disable all three options: Listen to "Hey Siri", Call Siri with the side button And Siri with screen lock.
Widgets
To go to the widgets screen in iOS, slide the first page of the home screen to the right. If you rarely look here, we recommend getting rid of this clutter altogether. This is quite simple to do: open the widgets screen and press the button Change at the bottom. On the page that opens, click the icon «-» opposite each item, confirming the deletion with the button Delete.
When finished, click Ready.
Raise to activate
A feature that turns on your iPhone's screen whenever you pick it up. This will work even if you just took the smartphone from the table to put it in your pocket. Disabled along the way: Settings → Screen and brightness → Raise to activate.
By default, iPhone is set to automatically play videos on app and game pages in the App Store. But this system behavior can be annoying. It is quite unpleasant when a video suddenly starts playing with a loud, ear-piercing sound. And automatic video playback simply loads the processor and consumes traffic. For the mobile Internet, this can be a very unpleasant event.
You can disable this system behavior in the menu Settings → iTunes Store and App Store → Autoplay videos. Here you can set the option to automatically play videos only when connected to a Wi-Fi network, or completely refuse to display videos in this way.
Keyboard Clicks and Lock Sound
If you often find yourself typing on your iPhone in front of people, you might be annoying them with your keyboard clicks. In order not to draw attention to yourself, disable them along the way: Settings → Sound, tactile signals → Keyboard clicks. Here you can also disable Lock sound.
System tactile signals
In our subjective opinion, system tactile signals in iOS are also an unnecessary source that consumes iPhone battery power. If the lack of slight vibration when working with iOS elements is not critical for you, disable this function along the following path: Settings → Sound, tactile signals → System tactile.
Handoff
Let us remind you that this function allows you to start using the application on one Apple device and continue on another. For example, open a video on YouTube on iPhone and return to what you started on iPad or Mac and vice versa.
This feature can only be very useful if you have multiple Apple devices. If you only have an iPhone from apples, then feel free to disable Handoff along the way: Settings → Basic → AirPlay and Handoff.
Although Apple claims to collect virtually no data from its users, this process still occurs. For example, a company collects information from a smartphone to improve its mapping service.
But in Russia, Apple maps are significantly inferior to similar services from Google and Yandex. However, most iPhones have options enabled by default that allow you to enhance Apple Maps in the background.
If you don't use Apple's mapping service, you shouldn't improve it yourself. Follow the path: Settings → Privacy → Location Services → System Services and disable the options: "iPhone Analytics", "Routing and Traffic", "Popular nearby", "Improving Maps".
One of the most important points that affects the user’s productivity during the working day, as well as the battery consumption of the smartphone. When installing a new application, do not rush to give permission to send notifications, otherwise the iPhone screen may turn on very often, for example, when receiving messages from instant messengers.
If there are already too many incoming notifications, open Settings → Notifications, go to noisy app options and set the switch Allowing notifications to position Turned off.
This option has several negative aspects, the main one of which is clogging the cloud storage with unnecessary backups. This is most relevant if you have multiple Apple devices and a free iCloud plan that is constantly running out of space.
When you disable iCloud backup no need to worry about your contacts, notes, reminders, calendars, etc., as well as files stored in iCloud Drive, they won't be lost and all this very easy to restore on a new iPhone or iPad. The backup copy has nothing to do with it.
Disabling backup creation in iCloud is done along the following path: Settings → Apple ID (Your name) → iCloud → iCloud backup.
We talked in more detail about the difference between an iCloud backup and synchronization with iCloud (iCloud Drive).
Fitness Tracking
If you don't track your steps or calories burned and don't use your iPhone as an activity tracking device, turn off the option Fitness Tracking located along the path: Settings → Confidentiality → Movement and Fitness.
Screen time
Starting with iOS 12, the iPhone introduced a feature that monitors the activity of applications and how often they are used. It is called " Screen time" The purpose of this feature is clear - it allows users to find out which applications they use most often or abuse.
This option seems useful at first glance, but this is only in theory. Surveys of iOS users consistently show that they rarely use this feature. But it remains turned on on many iPhones, putting a lot of strain on the battery. In many cases it is "Screen Time" should be blamed for the rapid discharge of the smartphone. To disable this feature, go to Settings → Screen Time.
Auto-correction
Tired of the crooked automatic word corrections when typing on the iOS keyboard, disable the option Auto-correction along the way: Settings → Basic → Keyboard.
Transparency (background blur effect in iOS)
This is the same background blur effect that gives a special shine to the “Apple” software shell. Thanks to transparency, iOS elements stand out against the “retouched” background, which really “refreshes” the interface design. The effect is present everywhere from the Control Center to the status bar with a clock.
Disabling the transparency effect in iOS has a positive effect on device performance and battery life.
If you are willing to sacrifice beauty for the sake of performance and increased battery life of your iPhone, enable the option Reducing transparency along the way: Settings → Accessibility → Display and text size.
Reduced motion (parallax effect)
You've probably noticed the presence of a three-dimensional effect on the iOS home screen, in which application icons seem to float against the background of the wallpaper. This is called the parallax effect.
If the lack of proprietary iOS visual effects is not critical for you, enable the option Reduce movement on the way Settings → Universal access → Movement.
This action will reduce the load on the processor and therefore extend the battery life of the iPhone.
Every Apple smartphone collects some data by default, which is sent to the manufacturer for analysis. But don't worry - Apple does not collect personal data from its users. And this information is transmitted in encrypted form.
However, the data collection and subsequent encryption that occurs on your iPhone requires certain resources. It's good that this feature can be disabled. To do this, go to the menu Settings → Privacy → Analytics and improvements and disable the functions: "Share iPhone Analytics", "Improve Siri and Dictation", "Share iCloud Analytics".
Every iPhone comes with a standard feature that tracks the owner's most frequently visited places every day. These points are determined quite accurately. You can then see on the map the places you visit most often.
This feature is designed to improve various iPhone functions, for example, Maps or the Siri voice assistant. But this improvement has virtually no direct impact on the operation of the smartphone. But this function of tracking the most frequently visited places eats up the battery considerably. To disable this feature follow the path: Settings → Privacy → Location Services → System Services → Important Locations.
Shake to cancel
Function "Shake to Cancel", which allows you to shake the iPhone in order to undo the last action when typing in applications, has been around for quite some time. But the fact is that active users who often quickly move the gadget in space could be quite annoyed by the offer "Do not use "Enter"".
To disable this annoying feature, go to Settings → Universal access → Touch → Shake to cancel and move the slider to position Turned off.
Many users iOS 8 were dissatisfied with the new operating system. In addition to a huge number of bugs and shortcomings, the developer has installed many functions that simply have no use in everyday life. The community's outrage was so strong that many media outlets did not miss the opportunity to write about the excessive functionality of the operating system.
The popular magazine “Popular Mechanics” has compiled a list of the top 10 unnecessary iOS functions that, according to statistics, are disabled by almost every user. If you also have a desire to get rid of such features of iOS 8, then we will describe in detail how to do this.
Predictive input.
On the one hand, this is an excellent feature for entering long texts in English, which is ideal for the updated keyboard of devices. Many users are looking forward to the release of the Russian version, but not everything is as rosy as we would like. If you often enter your secret passwords using the predictive keyboard, then after some time it will provide them in clear text.
Thus, it significantly reduces security level classified materials and information. To refuse this function, you need to go to the “Settings” menu, select “General”, then “Keyboard” and turn off predictive dialing. In the same menu you can eliminate other unnecessary functions that relate to the keyboard.
Airdrop
Registration on social networks has led to the fact that every day we are faced with the exchange of photographs and other information. As it turned out, very few users use Airdrop, so it is not surprising that many have indicated a desire to disable this application.
You can disable the function in the “Control Center” section: swipe your finger in the bottom-to-top direction and stop at Airdrop and then just turn it off. By disabling unnecessary features of the device, you can save battery power for a longer time.
Background updates
Applications App Store, which update automatically will please many, but sometimes the update occurs at the most inopportune moment.
Often we ourselves do not want to update the application we like, and sometimes updates cause problems with the device’s battery life. In order to manually carry out all the necessary updates, you need to make changes in the “iTunes Store, App Store” section.
Voice messages
Great feature iOS 8 are voice messages iMessage. Now users can send not only text messages, but also delight the interlocutor with their voice.
In order not to occupy a large amount of memory, messages of this kind are subject to automatic deletion. If you want to save voice data, then go to the settings section called “Messages” and make adjustments to the specified deletion time.
Parallax
A lot of time and productivity during battery life is taken away by the amazing property of icons and wallpapers on screens to move when the angle of inclination changes.
This function can also be seen on devices running iOS 7, but what exactly the developer wanted to show with his innovation is still unclear.
To disable a meaningless property, just go to the “Accessibility” menu, go to the “General” section and select “Reduce Motion”.
Location services
Every iOS 8 user must have encountered constant requests from applications asking to indicate your location. Determining geolocation may not take much time, but the battery power is consumed very quickly.
Content Update
To increase your device's battery life, you should stop updating content in the background. Disable the function in the “Basic” settings and immediately notice how much longer your iPhone. Social networks are considered especially energy-consuming.
Handoff
A function has been developed for users of the Apple device ecosystem Handoff, which is designed to run a program on one device and continue working on another.
However, if you own only one device from a branded company, then this function is absolutely useless. You can disable it in the “General” settings in the “Handoff” section.
Spotlight
iOS 8 developers have improved search Spotlight, which allowed the system to provide more of the requested information. If you do not use all the data in Spotlight, then leave the necessary parameters and cancel everything unnecessary. Search and its parameters can be configured in the “General” section.
Notifications
Often notifications from applications do not contain any important information, so they begin to cause irritation. Disable notifications can be found in the “Notifications” section. Widgets are configured in the Notification Center, where you just need to click “Edit” without leaving the section.
0Confirmation that iOS has become less user-friendly. Let's say what they did with spotlight.
@iGeek, spotlight has not changed anything in terms of functionality and the way it is used, when compared with the old experience
Everything that was in the “user-friendly times” is all at the same level and remains, has not gone away, there is no need to relearn, the entry threshold has not changed
@Shannon, Spotlight functionality does not change the essence. This means that before it was easier for a beginner to find it. Logically, he was on the left.
It is logical that iOS is growing and it is becoming more complex. It is clear that it will take a new user longer to master iOS 7 than iOS 2. But many things have become incomprehensible, the same unlock slide has become less clear. It’s not clear how to turn on music from a closed screen (control). Previously there were 2 times home. The button labels are also confusing.
Of course, the application has a right to exist. But it’s better to install it from the app store. And this is not in the spirit of Apple.
@dimsonclear, and even earlier (ios5) home opened the camera 2 times. Yes, you certainly know better that it’s in the spirit of Apple
Everything you listed can be found by newcomers to iOS instantly or in a minute, verified. Now everything is just more intuitive.
Reasoning in the style of “the grass was greener before”
@Shannon, you don’t need to be a person with an Apple brain, but consciously understand what and how. Jobs always strived to make everything super simple. Even complex professional programs Apertur and Logic Pro, despite their complexity, are very clear and intuitive. And the imitation of real objects, toggle switches, switches and light bulbs plays a huge role in understanding. In one sitting you could understand what sustain, arpeggio, and so on are. There aren't even instructions for the Mac itself. Just sat down and let's go.
I think that spotlighting from a top-down swipe is stupid.
In the list, when it's hidden, it's fine. You have a list of contacts, but the search doesn’t take up space; if anything happens, here it is nearby. But on the main page, this is still unusual.
The functionality is top notch and continues to amaze. But the design, I consider Forstal a genius, is not because of the textures. But because of how he made the system itself. Let it be flat.
And regarding the grass - the Music application. It’s a quiet horror when rewind, buttons and volume are all in a heap, and your finger keeps ending up in the wrong place. The music player was more elaborate. There is a lot of empty space on the screen, and it is not used rationally. Either instead of switching the song >> I go to maximum volume, then vice versa.
@dimsonclear, wow, how messed up everything is... Unusual and inconvenient are two different things
I switched with great success to ios7 (and now to ios8) - because now I started doing all the actions that I did before in a simpler and faster way, less fiddling with the device, more results. It feels like we have different ios7
@Shannon, why are you all so angry?
Functionality - ok. Design - no. There are many elements that break the rules in design. It would be more correct to say that the rules of industrial design are applied in the world of computer graphics. The same grid that is needed for shape fillets and shape slices is used in icon fillets. Yes, the pixel transition has become more rounded, good. This grid is complete crap, which does not carry any functionality.
The same helvetica was stuck into Yosemite when it was not suitable for small sizes.
Even the designer (I don't remember the name) who developed this font said that it was not suitable for small sizes. Deposits yes.
Everyone loves Jobs and Forstall, but ordinary users are not aware of why they love them. Everyone loves it and so do I. Something like this…
>Unusual and uncomfortable
It’s you who are already finding fault with words. Ok, let's talk objectively.
Let me give you an example:
Please note right away that lists are actually tables. Horizontal or vertical.
Here we have a list of contacts, scrolling down and up. Search is a continuation of the list (if you look from bottom to top).
Below I have shown the iOS 6 screens. The “list” of screens is horizontal.
Even lower is the iOS 7 screen. The scroll arrows intersect. It seems like you need to scroll left and right, but there is an intersection. And not just an intersection, but with Notifications and the Control Panel.
That is, a person already needs to master:
1. if he pulls from top to bottom of the screen, this is a search
2. if he pulls down from the edge of the screen - these are notifications
3. if he pulls up from the bottom of the screen - this is the control center
There are, of course, advantages: the search is available from any home screen, “no need to go to the -1st floor.” But nevertheless, in iOS 7 the modular table is already much more complicated than it was. And since it’s more complicated, it needs instructions on how to use it.
With the arrival of iOS 11.3 it is very simple.
Apple, as promised, released final version of iOS 11.3 until the end of March. The key innovation of the update is the new settings section “Battery Status”, which allows you to determine the current state of the battery without third-party utilities. In the same section, users of iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPhone 6s/6s Plus, iPhone SE and iPhone 7/7 Plus with depleted batteries have the opportunity to disable the intentional slowdown of their smartphones, which is turned on in order to prevent sudden shutdowns. This guide showed you how to check your iPhone's battery status and disable intentional slowdown if necessary.
In order to determine the status of the iPhone battery, you need to go to the “ Settings» → « Basic» → « Battery» → « Battery Status (Beta)" In field " Maximum capacity» will indicate the remaining battery capacity of your iPhone.
You can find out whether your iPhone is slowing down due to a weak battery or not by paying attention to the line under the “ Peak Performance».
If your iPhone isn't slowing down
If the iPhone is running at maximum peak performance, you will see a message:
“The battery is now maintaining normal peak performance.”
It is important to note that this message may also appear on iPhones that have low remaining battery capacity (below 80%). The fact is that after installing iOS 11.3, a feature that deliberately slows down iPhones with old batteries disabled by default. It is automatically activated only if the iPhone suddenly turns off due to lack of battery power.
If your iPhone is slow
In the event that the iPhone is artificially slowed down, a message under the Peak Performance field reads:
“This iPhone turned off unexpectedly because the battery could not provide the required peak power. To help prevent such shutdowns in the future, a performance management feature has been enabled. Disable..."
You can disable intentional slowdown by clicking on the word “ Disable" in this message. Immediately after this, the iPhone will stop slowing down, but again there is a risk of random shutdown due to lack of battery power.
Please note that it is not possible to enable the performance adjustment feature manually. It activates itself after the next sudden shutdown of the iPhone.
There are unnecessary functions on the iPhone - it's time to turn them off.
There are dozens of different features active on millions of iPhones around the world that users don't even know about. Many of these features are useful and are simply waiting for the time when the iPhone owner finally notices them. However, there are also “pest functions” that almost no one needs when turned on. This article talked about four such functions of the iPhone.
Stop apps from pestering you
Apps and games on iPhone and iPad quite often send messages to users asking them to rate them in the App Store. Not long ago, Apple responded to numerous customer complaints and severely limited the number of possible notifications from each specific application. Despite this, they are still just as annoying, and if there are dozens of different applications on the user’s device, they are downright annoying, since there are so many of them.
iOS itself helps you get rid of annoying notifications once and for all. On the menu " Settings» → « iTunes Store and App Store» switch available « Ratings and reviews" Disable it and you will no longer receive a single notification asking you to rate it.
Don't let the App Store decide for you
After a major update to the App Store in 2017, videos began to play automatically on app pages. And everything would be fine, but many videos, in particular game trailers, start very abruptly and loudly, which few people find pleasant. However, the very fact that videos on application pages are automatically played without a user request also does not please everyone.
Turning off automatic video playback on app pages in the App Store is easy. Go to menu " Settings» → « iTunes Store and App Store» → « Autoplay video" and check the box " Off" After this, videos from the App Store will not bother you.
Stop iPhone from sending data to Apple
To improve iOS, Apple continually collects data from users' iPhones and iPads. And users would be happy to share such data if it were not for the situation with iOS autonomy, which, despite all the efforts of developers and complaints from Apple customers, is still far from being in the best condition. In this regard, the question is: why share any data with Apple, especially to the detriment of the autonomy of the iPhone or iPad?
You can disable the function that sends various data for analysis to Apple in the menu " Settings» → « Confidentiality» → « Analysis", where you need to uncheck the item " Share iPhone Analysis».
Stop improving useless "Maps"
Few people use Apple's Maps application in the CIS countries. And this is not surprising. Apple's mapping service is being improved and refined, focusing mainly on the US, China and some European countries. For us, Apple’s Maps are a “broken” version of services from Google or Yandex.
In its default state, the iPhone improves these same “Maps” by sending various information useful to developers to Apple. You can disable the sending of this data, at the same time preventing your smartphone from wasting valuable resources on such tasks, in the menu “ Settings» → « Confidentiality» → « Location services» → « System Services", where you want to disable the switches " iPhone analysis», « Routing and Traffic», « Popular nearby" And " Upgrading Maps».