iOS 7 Tips and Tricks
Shortcut
iPhone and iPad
Introduction
Advice
Caution
Process Summary
As of the end of 2013, there have been 8 hardware versions of the iPhone
and 6 hardware versions of the iPad. In addition, there have been 7
versions of the operating system that runs on the hardware. The latest
operating system is called iOS 7 and runs on the most recent generations
of the iPad and iPhone hardware. This document will focus on tips and
tricks found in iOS 7 and on the most recent devices.
Navigating in iOS 7
There are five different navigation swipes you can make. Swipe left and
swipe right to access different app screens. Swipe up from the bottom to
access Control Center. Swipe down from the very top of the screen to
access Notification Center and swipe down from the middle of the
screen to access Spotlight.
Introduction
Navigating in iOS 7
Key Features of iOS7
Control Center
System Side-Switch
Notification Center
Multitasking
Key Features of iOS 7
When the software was launched, Apple introduced key features that set the operating system apart from
previous versions. They include:
•
Control Center
•
AirDrop
•
Notification Center
•
Improved Safari
•
Multitasking
•
iTunes Radio
•
Improved Camera
•
Improved Siri
•
Improved Photos app
Control Center
Control Center allows quick access to controls and apps that are needed immediately and are also
accessible from the Lock Screen. Settings include the Music Controls, Airplane mode, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, Do
Not Disturb, Mute (or Rotation Lock), a Timer and the Camera. A flashlight and calculator are also
available on the iPhone.
1.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access Control Center.
2.
Select a setting to launch it.
If a keyboard is present on a screen (such as the iMessage app) you won’t be able to
swipe up to activate the Control Center as easily. You will need to swipe up slowly to
prevent accidental keyboard input.
Figure 1
OTS Publication: MAC27 • 2/17/2014 • [email protected] • Office of Technology Services
© 2014 Towson University
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License.
Details available at http://www.towson.edu/OTStraining
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
System side-switch
You can control what the side switch does. Go to Settings and select General. Under Use Side Switch
To you may change the setting from Rotation Lock to Mute (Fig 2, 1). The alternate choice can be found
on the Control Center by swiping up. So if you set the side-switch to Mute, then the Rotation Lock will
be found on the Control Center and vice-versa.
Figure 2
1
Notification Center
The Notification Center lets you know what you have missed. In addition, the Notification Center can
tell you all about your upcoming day. Swipe down from the top of any screen (including the Lock screen)
to activate the Notification Center.

Use the Today view (Fig 3, 1) for a complete snapshot of your appointments, the weather and
any reminder or task.

Use the All view (Fig 3, 2) for a list of every notification sent to your iOS device.

Use the Missed view (Fig 3, 3) for recent notifications since you last checked your device.
Figure 3
1
2
3
2
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Multitasking
Apps now run in the background and are updated intelligently (when you are plugged in, on wi-fi or at
specific times of the day). Double-tap the Home button twice to preview screens of the apps that are
open.
To close an app, swipe the app preview card up. You can close multiple apps if necessary.
Multitasking in iOS allows you to switch instantly between apps and to resume an app. When you return to
an app, you can pick up right where you left off. Multitasking doesn't slow down the performance of the
foreground app or drain battery life unnecessarily.
Follow these steps to switch quickly between apps:
1.
Double-tap the Home button to display recently used apps (Fig 4). 2.
Swipe left or right and locate the app you want use.
3.
Select the app to switch to it.
Figure 4
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to close individual apps after using them. In fact, this is
counter intuitive. The iOS operating system knows based on past history when you use apps and
manages battery life accordingly. The only exception: Facebook. It consumes significant battery life.
3
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Camera
The Camera in iOS7 has new features. All of the shooting formats are in one place (video, photo, square,
slo-mo). Filters are added to allow you to shoot using your own artistic license. You can apply filters
beforehand or after the shot has been taken.
The HDR feature takes three similar photos in short succession and layers them over each other
producing dynamic results. When shooting, tap the HDR Off command to toggle HDR on (Fig 5, 1). The
camera will save the original and the HDR version of the photo. You can change this in the Settings app.
Navigate to Settings then tap Photos and Camera and under HDR slide Keep Normal Photo to Off
(Fig 6, 1).
Figure 5
Figure 6
1
1
Photos App
Once a photo has been taken, it can be manipulated in the Photos app using newly added features such
as Enhance and Filters. Additionally, you can add albums, places and shared photo streams.
1.
Select the Photos app.
2.
Select the Shared Icon (Fig 7, 1).
3.
Select the + sign (Fig 7, 2) to create a new stream.
4.
Give the Stream a Name.
5.
Select the Next button.
6.
Send the Stream to others via email. Each person will receive an email with a link to view the shared
stream. Additionally, people receiving the stream can comment on individual photos.
Figure 7
2
1
4
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
System Screenshots
Press and hold down the Power (or sleep/wake) button at the top right of the iPad app (Fig 8, 1) and
simultaneously tap the Home button for just a quick second (Fig 8, 2). You’ll see the screen flash white
for a moment and you’ll hear the camera shutter sound. A photo screenshot will be added to the Camera
Roll and can be manipulated in the Photos app.
Figure 8
1
2
Save Images while Browsing the Web
Want to save an image that you find somewhere? Just tap and hold on an image on any web page. Select
Save Image from the pop up menu (Fig 9, 1). Your image will be saved to the Camera Roll.
Figure 9
1
5
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
AirDrop
AirDrop gives you the ability to quickly transfer a file from one person to another. AirDrop uses a
combination of Blutooth LE (Low Energy) and Peer to Peer wifi (known by Apple as Bonjour). Both
services have to be turned on to work.
1.
Tap the Share button from within an app (Fig 10)
Figure 10
2.
If another eligible user is nearby, their screen will appear in the Tap to share with AirDrop
box (Fig 11, 1). Select the contact by tapping their picture. They will receive a notification to accept
the file transfer.
3.
Once the other person accepts the file, the file will be transferred automatically to them.
Figure 11
1
6
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Safari
The following changes have been made in Safari.
Searching a Page
To search a word or a phrase on the page which you have loaded in Safari you can use the Google search
which is integrated in the address bar.
1.
From the Address Bar, type the word you want to search for (Fig 12, 1).
2.
Navigate to the On this Page group of the Search Results.
3.
Select the Find “word” option (where “word” is the term you are searching for) (Fig 12, 2).
4.
The webpage will appear and the term will be highlighted.
5.
Use the arrow keys on the bottom left of Safari to navigate through all instances of the word.
Figure 12
1
3
2
Navigation
If you are at the bottom of a web page you can jump to the top by touching the top of the navigation bar
where the clock is located (Fig 12, 3). Safari will automatically scroll your content back up to the top of
the page.
Autofill
Safari can remember Autofill information. Navigate to Settings then Safari and select Passwords &
Autofill to ensure your information is correct. Toggle each setting on to have Safari auto complete for
you. When browsing on a page with a fillable form field, tap the Autofill button to populate the fields
with your data.
7
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Enable the Bookmarks Bar in Safari
Safari doesn't display the Bookmarks Bar by default. You can enable it in just a few steps:
1.
Open the Settings app
2.
Select Safari on the left panel.
3.
Toggle Show Favorites bar to Green. This will display the Bookmarks bar. If you have an
additional Apple device, the bookmarks will be synced between all devices.
4.
You will then see the Bookmarks Bar shown right below the Address Bar in Safari (Fig 13, 1).
Read a Webpage with Safari Reader
While you read a web page in a browser, you can either double tap or unpinch a page to enlarge the size
for ease of reading. Safari browser takes a step further by taking the ads or other clutter out of a web
page. It automatically detects a web page with substantial text, such as online articles, and presents you
with a Reader button on the left side of the address bar (Fig 12, 2).
Tap the Reader button when it appears and you can read or even email the articles in a clean layout
without ads or other distractions, re-tap the button and you're back to the original page.
Figure 13
2
1
iTunes Radio
iTunes Radio allows you to customize free radio stations based on your likes. This service is ad driven but
allows you to bypass ads by purchasing the iTunes Match service.
1.
Launch the Music App and select Radio from the menu on the bottom of the screen (Fig 14, 1).
2.
Select a pre-set station from the Featured Stations list (Fig 14, 2).
3.
Alternatively, you can create your own station by tapping the Edit button beside the My Stations
section (Fig 14, 3) of the Music app and click New Station (Fig 15, 1).
Figure 14
2
Figure 15
1
3
1
8
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Siri
Siri is now easier to use. Siri in iOS 7 gets a new look, a new sound, and new capabilities. Siri features a
redesigned interface that fades into view — on top of whatever’s on your screen. A clearer, more naturalsounding female or male voice makes Siri even easier to understand. It’s faster at answering questions
and it checks more sources, such as Bing, Wikipedia, and Twitter. And Siri takes on extra tasks, like
returning calls, playing voicemail, controlling iTunes Radio, and more.
Siri can also perform the following tricks:
1.
Launch Siri and ask “Turn on Blutooth” to activate blutooth on the device.
2.
Launch Siri and ask “Pronounce” and provide a name. Siri will ask you for correct pronounciations.
3.
Launch Siri and ask “What is Trending on Twitter” or “Search Twitter for” and add a hashtag.
4.
Launch Siri and ask “Search Google for” to change the search provider from Bing
5.
Launch Siri and ask “Roll the Dice” or “Provide a Random Number” for fun results.
6.
Launch Siri and ask “Ask Wolfram” for more precise specific results.
7.
Launch Siri and ask “Read my last email”
8.
Launch Siri and ask “Play iTunes Radio” and provide the station for Siri to play.
9.
Launch Siri and ask “Who won the game last night” and Siri will provide the results.
Dictation
Siri can also dictate from any keyboard.
1.
Launch an app that requires the keyboard.
2.
Tap the Microphone button (Fig 16, 1) and begin talking. Siri will transcribe your speech to text.
Figure 16
1
9
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Keyboard shortcuts
At the end of a sentence you can tap the SPACEBAR twice in a row and the iPad will output a period, a
space and turn the CAPS key on so that you are ready for the next sentence.
You can type "Im" for "I'm" and "cant" for "can't" and let the iPad do the extra work for you.
Tap and hold the question mark/period key on the normal layout for double quotes. For single quotes,
tap and hold the exclamation/comma key.
You can get special accent marks for specific language support by tapping and holding the corresponding
letter key.
Rather than tapping the ".?123" key to switch the numbers, hold your finger on the key and then slide
your finger to the key you need. When you release your finger, the iPad will product your character and
automatically flip back to the original keyboard layout.
Multitasking gestures
Enable multitasking gestures by navigating to Settings then General then Multitasking and slide the
toggle to On.
Four-finger and five-finger flick: Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar. Swipe left to scroll through all
open apps. Scroll right to cycle through the app you began with.
Pinch-to-close: Pinch the screen with five fingers to close an app and return to the home screen.
10
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Guided Access
If you have children that do not stay in one app, you can restrict their access by using Guided Access.
This service prevents the app from being closed or from any notifications popping up during a session.
1.
Launch the Settings app and select the General category.
2.
Navigate to Accessibility
3.
Under the Learning Group, switch Guided Access to On. You will be asked to provide a passcode.
4.
Close the Settings app and launch the app you desire.
5.
Triple-tap the home button and the Guided Access screen will appear (Fig 17).
Figure 17
6.
Circle areas on the screen you do not wish children to touch (such as App purchase screens etc.)
7.
Touch Start to begin Guided Access
8.
To close out of Guided Access, triple-tap the Home Button. You will be asked to provide your
passcode to remove Guided Access.
11
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Maps
Designed by Apple from the ground up, Maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D
views, and the stunning Flyover feature. All in a beautiful vector-based interface that scales and zooms
with ease.
1.
Launch Maps on your iPad.
2.
Type an address or place in the Search box (Fig 18, 1).
3.
Once the pin drops, tap the information button for more details (Fig 18, 2).
4.
Tap the Start button to use the GPS feature to navigate to that location (needs a cellular data
connection).
5.
Tap the 3D button for a 3D version of the map.
6.
Tap the Information button (Fig 18, 3) to toggle between Standard, Hybrid and Satellite views.
7.
In large cities, in Satellite view, tap the Buildings icon (Fig 18, 4) to activate Flyover view, which
shows you a photographic wireframe version of the city.
Figure 18
1
2
3
4
12
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Emoji Characters
Emoji is a special set of images or emoticons that you can insert into messages, emails, and more. iOS
offers several hundred emoji that you can access from the emoji keyboard.
You can enable emoji from the keyboard settings in iOS:
1.
Tap Settings then General and select Keyboard.
2.
Tap International Keyboards.
3.
Tap Add New Keyboard.
4.
Locate and tap Emoji.
Once emoji is enabled, you can access the emoji keyboard by tapping the globe icon to the right of the
space bar.
You can switch between different emoji themes by tapping the icons along the bottom of the keyboard. In
each theme, you can swipe left or right to view additional emoji characters.
The clock icon next to the globe icon displays emoji you've recently used.
Figure 19
1
13
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Folders and Apps
How to Re-arrange Icons
When you install new apps to your iPad, the system stacks up the icons automatically without asking you
to select a home screen. But you can subsequently re-arrange the icons on the home screens and on the
Dock.
1.
Touch and hold any icon on your screen until the icons start wiggling.
2.
Drag an icon to a different spot on the screen, or even to or from the Dock.
3.
Drag an icon to the left or right edge of the screen until it starts sliding, then drop the icon to
another screen.
4.
Tap the Home button to finish.
How to Create, Rename and Remove Folders
Other than the apps on the dock, sometimes it's difficult to quickly look for an app to open if you have
many icons spreading across a few screens. Why not create a folder to group similar apps together? It's
much easier than you might think.
1.
Touch and hold any icon until the icons start wiggling.
2.
Drag an icon over the top of another. The system then automatically makes a named folder, with
the two icons put under it (Fig 20). Drag more similar apps to the folder when needed.
3.
Tap the Home button to finish.
You can rename a folder at any time—touch and hold the folder icon to make it wiggle, tap it to expand,
then edit the folder name after selecting it.
While the system auto creates a folder for you, it does the same when removing a folder.
1.
Touch and hold any icon inside the folder until the icons start wiggling.
2.
Drag the icons from the folder and back on the screen.
3.
The empty folder will automatically delete.
Figure 20
14
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
Other Tips and Tricks
How to Remove an App
Installing apps from the App Store to your iPad is convenient, likewise removing them is pretty
straightforward.
1.
Touch and hold an icon on your screen until the icon starts wiggling.
2.
Tap the X sign on the icon of the app you want to remove.
3.
Select the Delete button to confirm.
4.
Repeat the same for others and tap the Home button to finish.
How to Cut, Copy and Paste
1.
Press and hold the cursor over the word or words you want to cut or copy.
2.
A contextual menu will appear (Fig 21). Tap Select (Fig 21, 1).
3.
A second contextual menu will appear (Fig 22). Select the action (Cut or Copy) to cut or copy the word
(Fig 22, 1).
4.
Place the cursor where you want to past the text.
5.
Press and hold the cursor until the contextual menu appears.
6.
Select Paste (Fig 22, 2).
1
1
Figure 21
2
Figure 22
How to Split, Merge, Dock and Undock a Keyboard
If you're holding your iPad with both hands and you know how hard it is to thumb type either in a portrait
or landscape view. The good news is now the iOS 5 and above gives you an option to split and undock a
keyboard.
1.
Touch and hold the keyboard key (Fig 23, 1). Choose an option to split or undock a keyboard, and do
the same to merge or dock it.
2.
You may also use two fingers to unpinch the keyboard to split it, and pinch to merge it.
Figure 23
1
15
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
How to Use a Built-in Dictionary
iOS 7 has a built in dictionary. To use it:
1.
Place your cursor over a word.
2.
Touch and hold the cursor to select a word.
3.
Tap Define (or Dictionary in some apps like iBooks).
The dictionary slides up and the word is defined. This however does not apply to proper names or words
which have not been defined or recognized in the built-in dictionary.
Reveal Timestamps in iMessage
1.
Launch the Messages app.
2.
Tap and hold a message and pull to the left. You will then see when a text or message was sent or
received.
Figure 24
1
16
Shortcut
iOS 7: Tips and Tricks
Advice
Caution
How to Change a Mail Signature
Each time you send out an email using the Mail app, it adds a signature "Sent from my iPad". If you
dislike this signature, clear or replace it with your own.
1.
Open Settings.
2.
Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars (Fig 25, 1), and tap Signature on the right panel.
3.
Each account can have a separate signature. Select Per Account to activate (Fig 25, 2).
4.
A signature box for each account will appear. In the signature box, add the signature to each account
you desire (Fig 25, 3).
Figure 25
2
3
1
How to Reboot the System
In the event your iPad apps freeze or the system becomes unresponsive, you can try to reboot the system
as follows:
1.
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the top of the iOS device and Home button at the same
time.
2.
Keep the buttons pressed until the screen goes blank. Remain holding the buttons.
3.
When the Apple logo appears, release the buttons. Your device has just performed a system reboot.
17