Since the very first iPhone launched in 2007, smartphones have evolved from a headline-grabbing gadget to an incredible multifunctional device that we simply can’t leave the house without.
Whether you prefer Apple or Android, the latest devices offer an incredible amount to help make your screentime more productive or fun.
Here are five useful tips to help get even more from your phone:
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Time to focus
With nearly two million apps available to download on both iOS and the Google Play store, potential distractions are almost endless.
Carving out time to be genuinely productive on your phone is tricky, particularly when you consider the average smartphone user checks their device 58 times a day. But did you know there’s a setting to help reduce the noise and get on with specific tasks more quicky? Step forward Focus Mode, which is in the main settings mode on both iPhone and Android.
Focus Mode allows you to pause any apps you deem a distraction with a single click, hiding their notifications until you are ready for them to return.
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Mirror your screen wirelessly
Whether you have a Smart TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick or Apple TV, there’s a range of tools available that help mirror (or cast) your phone screen onto a larger device without reaching for additional plugs or cables. But you do need a compatible screen for this.
This is particularly useful when it comes to watching content or doing justice to sharing the fantastic photos your iPhone or Android device is capable of capturing. To mirror wirelessly with iPhone, you’ll need Apple TV or an AirPlay-2 compatible TV. From there, you select Screen Mirroring on the iPhone control centre.
It’s also simple to mirror on Android by selecting ‘Cast Screen’ from the main drop-down menu on your device. Again, you’ll need a compatible screen.
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Split screen for double the fun
The average smartphone user has 67 apps downloaded on their device. This often results in a frustrating few seconds flicking between two apps for different pieces of information. It can be much simpler to check the price of the same item in two places, or update a WhatsApp group on the date and time of a meeting without going up and down menus.
Going into split-screen mode is particularly slick on Android. You simply visit the carousel where your open applications are available to scroll through, click the first app you’d like to use from the top of the screen and select ‘split top’. You’ll then be able to scroll through the rest of your open apps on the bottom half of the screen and pick a second app to view at the same time.
iPhone don’t have a true split screen function built in – possibly because they want you to use the excellent split screen on the iPad for that. There is the Picture in Picture mode where you can look at other apps whilst you are in a video call, or there are a variety of apps in the app store with different functionality depending on what you want to do. “Split web browser screen view” lets you see two websites side by side for example.
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Check your remote control batteries
Smartphone cameras are genuinely remarkable, but did you know they can check whether the batteries on your remote control need to be replaced?
They do this in a very simple way, too. You just open the camera app on your device, point your remote at the camera lens and press any button on the remote. If you see a light emitted from the end of your remote through your phone’s camera, then the remote is working. If not, the batteries need to be replaced. It takes less than 30 seconds too.
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Metal Detector
Both iPhone and Android operating systems have supporting apps which give you the ability to detect metal and electromagnetic waves in the palm of your hand. The vast majority of smartphones have an internal chip that effectively turns them into a compass and makes this possible.
It’s a niche addition and a fun one too. The helpfully named Metal Detector app is available on iOS and Google Play and unlocks the ability to detect metals and alloys. Bear in mind, it just detects magnetic metal such as iron and steel, so no good for gold! Happy searching.
