10 Life Hacks Every IOS User Should Know
If you have an iPhone 11 or newer (including the second-generation iPhone SE), you can expect to install iOS 27 this fall. Apple’s next major update will focus heavily on AI and stability improvements and will likely release sometime in September. However, iOS 27 has also been available in beta all summer . I’ve been using this update on my main iPhone for almost three months now, and during that time, I’ve discovered a ton of useful tips that I think every iOS 27 user should know. Whether you install the update today or next month, you should definitely try these helpful tips for your iPhone .
Take advantage of this new feature to personalize your liquid glass.
Apple introduced the “liquid glass” effect in iOS 26, and they didn’t skimp on design. While some people liked the changes, others criticized the effect for being more about style than substance. In response , Apple introduced new ways to customize and personalize transparency effects . This continues in iOS 27. There’s now a new slider that allows you to reduce or almost completely eliminate the “liquid glass” effect . It can be found under Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass in iOS 27. Move the slider to the right to improve readability.
Remove the voice message button to prevent accidental voice notes.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve accidentally sent people incomprehensible voice messages in iMessage. In my case, the culprit was the audio message button to the right of the text field in the Messages app. Luckily, in iOS 27, you can either change this button to dictation or remove it entirely . To change it, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and select “Show in Text Field.” You can choose from three options: “Record Audio,” “Start Dictation,” and “None.” The last option (“None”) removes the audio message button from the text field. Note that you can still access the “Audio” option from the (+) menu, and dictation will appear on your keyboard.
Use this setting to turn off notifications but still keep loud alarms.
In iOS 27, Apple introduces the ability to set different volume levels for ringtones, notifications, and alarms . If you want to mute app notifications and text messages but still hear ringtones and alarms, this feature is for you. To set it up, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and disable Match Ringtone Volume under Alarms & Timers. Now you can use the slider to set different volume levels for these two features. Similarly, you can disable Match Ringtone Volume under Notifications & System Sounds and adjust the slider to suit your needs.
Use this new feature to set timers directly from your lock screen.
iOS 27 introduces a handy new slider that lets you set timers using Dynamic Island on your iPhone. However, to use it directly from the Lock screen, you’ll need to remove one of the two existing controls. Pick up your iPhone and allow Face ID to unlock the device without leaving the Lock screen. Now, touch and hold the screen, then tap “Customize ” at the bottom of the display. Tap the “-” button next to the two controls in the lower-right and lower-left corners of the display. By default, these two controls are for the flashlight and camera, respectively. After removing one control, tap the “+” button that appears in its place and select “Timer” from the list of controls. Tap the “Done” button in the upper-right corner. Now, when you tap this button, you’ll see a slider on Dynamic Island at the top. Move the slider to set the timer, and tap “Start Timer” to begin it.
Use Dual Capture to start a live broadcast from FaceTime.
In iOS 27, you can now broadcast live from FaceTime to your contact. A new feature called “Dual Capture” lets you simultaneously record and broadcast video from both the front and rear cameras. This means you can show both your face and the surroundings during a FaceTime call, eliminating the need to choose one over the other.
To use this feature, start a FaceTime video call with another person and tap the “Flip” button that appears in your selfie video frame. This will start a dual-camera session. You can stop broadcasting from both cameras by tapping the “Flip” button in the lower left corner of the screen, which will return you to the regular selfie video. You can also turn off the front-facing camera during a FaceTime video call. While in dual-camera mode, tap the button that appears in the upper left corner of the front-facing camera image (the icon with a person through it). This will turn off the front-facing camera and display only the rear-facing camera. Please note that dual-camera is only available on iPhone Air, iPhone 17 series, and newer devices.
Use GymKit to directly connect your iPhone to treadmills and other cardio equipment.
If you or your gym has GymKit-compatible equipment, you can connect your Apple Watch to the machines to track your workouts. I use this feature all the time, but of course, if I forget to wear my Apple Watch or if it runs out of battery, my workouts won’t be recorded. Apple solves this problem by bringing GymKit compatibility to iPhone. With iOS 27, you can directly connect your iPhone to compatible treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, and other cardio equipment. Whether you have access to an Apple Watch or not, you can continue tracking your workouts with greater accuracy.
Setup is simple: as 9to5Mac explains , you simply touch your iPhone to a GymKit-enabled exercise device, such as a treadmill, and then follow the on-screen instructions to set up and track a workout, such as “Indoor Run” or “Indoor Walk.” All data is deleted from the device after the workout and saved directly to your iPhone. Note that this feature won’t necessarily track your heart rate. However, if you have AirPods Pro 3 , you can use the built-in heart rate sensor to track the workout.
Use dictation preview to reduce transcription errors.
If you’re frustrated by typos when dictating on your iPhone, take advantage of the Enhanced Dictation Preview feature in iOS 27. This new feature leverages Siri’s AI to improve dictation accuracy and automatically process text, similar to Google’s Rambler feature. Apple states that Siri dictation can now “automatically handle capitalization, punctuation, and formatting” as you speak, though this feature must be enabled manually. Enhanced Dictation Preview is only available on iPhones that support the most powerful Siri AI features, including the iPhone 17 Pro series and iPhone Air. You can enable it in Settings > General > Keyboard > Enhanced Dictation Preview .
Use hidden recovery mode to diagnose and fix iPhone software problems.
iOS 27 features a hidden recovery mode, similar to macOS , that allows you to diagnose and fix software issues without using a computer. After installing iOS 27 on your iPhone, you can access it using the following keystrokes:
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Press the Volume Up button and release it.
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Press the Volume Down button and release.
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Press and hold the Side (Power) button until you see “Loading recovery options…” appear on the screen.
Please note that recovery mode should only be used as a last resort to restore your iPhone, and you shouldn’t attempt it without understanding the risks. More than one recovery mode option will directly format your iPhone and erase all your data, so proceed with extreme caution.
Use the widget in full-screen mode to see your entire calendar at a glance.
iOS 27 introduces extra-large widgets that take up almost all of your device’s available screen space. This lets you view all your calendar events in a single widget. (Finally!) To try this in iOS 27, long-press an empty area of your iPhone’s Home screen and tap the brush icon in the upper-right corner. Find “Calendar” and swipe right until you see the largest widgets. At the time of writing, Calendar offers two such extra-large widgets: “Up Next” and “List.” Tap “Add Widget ” to add it to your Home screen. You can also try other extra-large widgets, such as Smart Stack, Music, and other apps that support this iOS 27 feature.
Use this feature to temporarily hide your location from other users in the Find My app.
Find My allows you to share your location with loved ones, but sometimes it can feel a bit intrusive. To temporarily stop sharing your location, you can disable GPS on your phone, but this will affect all other apps that use location sharing. iOS 27 offers a more elegant solution that allows you to temporarily stop sharing your location with others. To use it, open Find My, go to the People tab, and tap the three dots next to a contact’s name. Under My Location, select Hide Location , which will disable location sharing for one day.