Dig even deeper
Learn how to speed up, focus and connect
>>> We covered iOS 12’s headline features in issue 147 of Mac|Life, but behind them are some very cool extras, tricks and options…
Peek at hyperlinks
In many apps, you can press and hold on a website link to preview its destination. Then, swipe up slightly to find four useful options. Open in Background sends the link to Safari without leaving your current app, so it’s ready when you go there.
Add to Reading List makes the page available to catch up on later through that browser feature and, if Settings > Safari > Automatically Save Offline is turned on, even if you find yourself without an internet connection. Copy, perhaps unsurprisingly, puts the link on the Clipboard ready for you to paste, while the final option, Share, opens the Share sheet, from which you can send it directly to an app, a service, or a nearby device of your choosing.
One–handed keyboard
Can’t reach all the keys comfortably with one hand on a larger iPhone’s keyboard? Why not try the handy mini–keyboard? Hold a finger on the emoji/globe icon at the foot of the keyboard. In the pop–up that appears, tap one of the keyboard icons to switch to a narrower keyboard that’s docked to the left or right. To revert to the full–size keyboard, tap the arrow on the opposite side.
If you don’t have multiple keyboards set up in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, the globe/emoji icon isn’t available. In that case, you can turn on the mini–keyboard simply by going to Settings > General > Keyboard > One– Handed Keyboard.
Alternative characters
On keyboards where an alternative character is shown on some keys — the exclamation mark above the comma, for example, or numbers above the top row of letters — you can type the upper character by flicking downwards on the key instead of holding a finger on it.
This takes a bit of practice, but can really speed up your typing — in particular, by saving you tapping .?123 so often to access symbols.
Bypass Do Not Disturb
Tucked away in Contacts is a potentially very useful option. Open a contact’s card and tap Edit, then Ringtone. In addition to assigning a custom ringtone
to that contact, you’ll find an Emergency Bypass option. Turn this on and you’ll receive calls from that individual even when iOS’s Do Not Disturb feature is turned on.
It’s worth nothing that you’ll need to configure this separately for text messages if you want those to get through as well. These settings are in addition to the override in Settings > Do Not Disturb > Allow Calls From, which exempt groups of contacts.
Pass words over AirDrop
Want to share a password with friends or family (to provide access to a streaming service, say)? Go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > App & Website Passwords and tap an entry to view the password. Hold a finger on the password for an option to send it to a nearby device using AirDrop. The recipient is asked whether to save the password as a new keychain entry or update the item if there already.
Easier Wi–Fi connections
Even better is the new way to help friends join a Wi–Fi network you’re connected to already, with no need to laboriously type in a cryptic code. As long as they have your Apple ID in their Contacts app, they can try joining the network in Settings > Wi–Fi, then place their iOS 12 device next to yours to request the password.
Auto–join exceptions
As a rule of thumb, it’s useful to let your iPhone auto–join known networks (though wise to turn off Settings > Wi–Fi > Ask to Join Networks), so you don’t have to go to Settings to connect all the time. But, sometimes you don’t want to auto–join a network, such as a coffee shop chain’s public one, every time you walk past it, especially if it pops up an intrusive confirmation. To avoid this, tap the ‘i’ next to a network in Settings > Wi–Fi and switch off Auto–Join for just that one.
Undo autocorrections
Speaking of typing, if autocorrect has changed something accidentally, you can simply tap the backspace key and you’ll see a pop–up showing what you originally typed. Tap that to restore it.
Notification privacy
iOS 12 introduces shortcuts to tweak notifications without going to Settings > Notifications, but you’ll still want to do so for the full range. You may have decided previews are too useful to turn them off universally, but consi der doing so for sensitive apps individually. Tap an app in the list lower down, then Show Previews.