Five Lesser-Known iPhone iOS5 Features You Should Be Using
Apple’s latest mobile operating system has been revolutionary on the technological landscape. Wireless syncing, local integration of Twitter and iCloud were all headliners at the October 12th release. We threw together a handful of concealed uses that we’ve found to make our lives a little more efficient and a lot less boring.
1. Thank You For Flying With Us
We’ve all had that stifling flight attendant that critiques each and every aspect of your passenger etiquette. They only give you one package of Biscoff cookies and will not leave you alone. But now you can fight back. Assuming the flight has wi-fi available, you can now iMessage (iOS5’s new instant messaging option) to talk to your compatriots in the air. Nancy from Delta will think you’re texting, you’ll explain the situation and she’ll feel stupid, resulting in a warm, satisfying sensation.
2. Late Fees
The Reminders app is replacing to-do lists around the world, but it’s even more than that. If you go into the settings for a given reminder, you can chose to be reminded not at a time, but at a place. Reminders uses the GPS on your phone to notify you at a specific location. Don’t use this to remind you to text your self-centered friend if a party is fun or not, but rather to remind you to return the library books you checked out a good eleven months ago.
3. Spelling Bee
The iPhone’s autocorrect system has been subject to hoards of criticism over the years, but now you can take control. If you no longer want your favorite swear word to autocorrect to “flock,” you can change that in your Shortcuts settings. If you’re feeling clever, make a common word such as “the” a shortcut for, well, any word your little mind can think of.
4. Quick Draw
It’s Saturday night. Your best friend, bless her little heart, is putting on quite a performance at the local nightclub. The dance moves get less and less coordinated, but before you take her home, this needs to be documented. No time to waste these precious seconds. Whip out your phone, double-click the home button from the lock screen, and all of a sudden you’ve got instant memories.
5. SAT Prep
This one will take some getting used to, but the native dictionary function is extremely valuable. When time is of the essence and the vocabulary in your constitutional law reading is getting rather - ahem, surreptitious - double-tap the word and click ‘Define’ for a quick definition. We would also encourage reading long neo-federalist dissertations on your computer or tablet but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.
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