1. NameDrop: Easily share contacts

NameDrop, which lets you touch two iPhones together to exchange contacts, is a great example of Apple’s seamless and intelligent integration between hardware and software, and it’s something that few other phone makers could pull off.

Just bring the top ends of two iPhones running iOS 17 or later close to each other and hold them there until you see a bubble-like animation show on their displays. Once that happens, NameDrop will be shared between the two users like magic, and you can then choose the fields you want to share before exchanging your details or tap Receive Only to get their info without sending your own.

And here’s a bonus: The feature also works when sending Apple Cash to another iPhone user.

2. Back Tap: Add a button to the back of your iPhone

Some iPhone features feel so natural that you wonder why you didn’t know about them before, and Back Tap certainly qualifies. With a quick double or triple tap on the back of your phone, you can open your camera app, turn on the flashlight, switch apps, and more.

To get started, open the Settings app on your iPhone and head to Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. Select either Double Tap or Triple Tap, then pick an option from the extensive list. You can run system functions, activate accessibility controls, and even launch a shortcut, which is a clever way to kickstart a powerful workflow with minimal effort.

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3. Visual Look Up: Use the camera to learn about nature

How many times have you seen an animal or plant and found yourself scratching your head over what it was? With your iPhone, there’s no need to be left wondering what you saw – just use Visual Look Up.

Simply snap a photo of the animal or plant in question, open the image in the Photos app, then swipe up. You’ll see an option to Look Up Plant or Look Up Animal, which will show likely matches and similar images.

If you have an iPhone with Camera Control, you can use the visual intelligence feature to tap into Apple Intelligence or ChatGPT to get similar assistance. Tap and hold the Camera Control for a couple of seconds until a new camera window bursts onto your screen. Point your camera at the object in question, and an animal or plant name will appear at the top. (If it says “Maybe,” tap the name to see a few options of what it could be. If ChatGPT is more certain, it will show the name of what it thinks it is, and you can tap it to get some information.)

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4. Song Recognition: Identify music that you hear

Shazam is a fantastic way to discover a new song or identify those earworm songs that you can’t quite remember the names of—but with your iPhone, you don’t need to open the Shazam app itself every time. You can put a handy Shazam button right into the Control Center for quick access instead.

Open the Control Center by swiping down from your iPhone’s top-right corner. From here, tap the + in the top-left corner, tap Add a Control, type “recognize music” in the search bar, and then tap the result. The next time you hear a song you can’t identify, open the Control Center and tap the Shazam button, and it’ll identify the song within seconds.

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5. Timer Control: Start a countdown in no time

There’s another handy hidden feature that can be found in the Control Center that lets you swiftly set up a timer without hunting for the Clock app.

You probably know that you can jump to the Timer section in the Clock app by tapping the dedicated Control Center button, but you might not know there’s an even shorter shortcut. Tap and hold the Timer button in the Control Center, and a slider will appear on your screen. Move your finger up or down the slider to increase or decrease the duration in one-minute increments and tap Start to begin.