iOS 13: Your New Favorite Features

Top Tips to Save Time & Reduce Stress

a pple's latest software update is here, and it's chock full of practical, performanceimproving features to make your iPhone experience more useful and convenient than ever before. Let's go over ten new ways iOS 13 can save time, reduce aggravation, and streamline your daily tasks.

1: Goodbye, Robocalls! Send Calls Directly to Voicemail

Spam calls have gotten out of control recently, and now Apple has a solution— you can send those calls directly to voicemail. This won't prevent you from getting spam calls altogether, but it will certainly help you tolerate them a little better. Basically, this update uses Siri to identify numbers not saved on your device and send them directly to voicemail. Any numbers that you have used in Messages, Mail, or Contacts will ring as usual.

To enable this feature, open the Settings app, tap Phone, and toggle on

Silence Unknown Callers. Pretty simple! Just remember that all unknown calls will be sent to voicemail with this setting enabled, so if you don't have the number for your doctor's office or your mechanic saved, then their calls will go straight to voicemail.

2: Sign In to Apps & Websites Securely

We already use our Apple IDs to sign in to Apple services; now we can do the same with apps and websites! Imagine the time you'll save using your Apple ID to create new accounts and sign in, rather than choosing a new username and password for each one or compromising our privacy by using Facebook to sign in. You can even enable Touch or Face ID with this feature, so you won't need to enter your Apple ID and password either. Different websites and apps are in varying stages of incorporating this feature; some already have Face and Touch ID enabled, some only require you to tap Sign in or Sign up with Apple ID, and others require that you type out your Apple ID and password. As time passes, more and more developers will incorporate this feature fully.

3: Reduce Stress by Blocking Unwanted Emails

If you receive emails on the regular from accounts that you wish would leave you alone, then you're in luck! Apple's update allows users to block specific addresses. The sender will never know that you've blocked them, of course, but their emails will be sent directly to the trash, which means you'll never have to see them.

To do this, first, make sure that the email address you want to block is linked to a contact in your phone and then block that contact by tapping on their name and selecting Block this Caller. Then open the Settings app and tap Mail. Under the Threading header, tap Blocked Sender Options, then tap Move to Trash.

4: Feel Zen! Mute Message Threads

If you want to mute a message thread so that you no longer receive notifications, you can do that too! To mute a message, go to Mail and then find the email thread that you would like to mute. Swipe left on the thread, tap More, and then tap Mute. You can also access the Mute option from Apple's extended Reply menu.

5: Find What You’re Looking for with Message Search

I know I'm not the only one who found the Search function in Messages nearly impossible to use with iOS 12. Sometimes I typed in a contact, and the thread with that person wouldn't even show up! Apple has dramatically improved this feature with its latest update, though. Now when you use Search, you'll see a list of results organized by date. Previously, if you searched for a term, you would get one result per message thread, which isn't very helpful if you are looking for a specific message. Now, Apple will show you individual results, including that term rather than the most recent, and if you tap on the result, you'll be taken directly to that point in your conversation! You'll also see any links sent in text threads that are related to the search term, as well as contact suggestions, photos, and other attachments.

6: Type Faster with QuickPath Keyboard

QuickPath may take a while to get used to, but it saves time and allows users to text silently and with one hand. You don't have to enable any settings to start using this new feature; it's now the default with iOS

13. To use QuickPath, just swipe your finger from one letter to the next, rather than tapping on each one. You'll see the path of your finger as it moves and, as before, word options will be offered it the predictive bar above the keyboard. Once you've finished swiping, raise your finger, and the text will appear on screen, with a space automatically added between words. You can still type with the old, tapping method as well, but do give QuickPath a try to see if you find it a quicker and more convenient way to message friends.

7: Add Your Favorite Locations to Apple Maps

You may be thinking that the Favorites feature in Apple Maps is nothing new. After all, we've been able to save locations as Favorites for quite a while; but the feature is now more useful than ever. Now, I can create a list of my favorite locations, and they will show up in a row in Maps.

Home and work are obvious options, but we can also add favorites such as a number one grocery store or coffee shop. Then, just open Maps and easily select from the list. I can even see at a glance how long it will take me to get to any of my saved Locations.

To add a Favorite, open the Maps app and tap the plus icon under Favorites. Next, enter the name of the location you want to save, tap Done, and the location will be listed under Favorites. To remove the location, tap See All, swipe left on the place you want to delete, and tap Remove. You can also select the location and tap Remove Favorite. 8: Create Maps Collections—A Must for Your Next Vacation!

One of the most useful additions to Maps is its new Collections feature.

I've wanted a way to save locations by theme for a long time—and now I can! That means I can save all my favorite restaurants in my hometown, or even plan trips ahead of time by saving all the locations I want to visit in a new city. Best of all, I can share my Collections with other people.

To create a Collection, tap New Collection listed under Collections. Now, choose a name for your Collection and tap Create. Select your Collection and tap Add a Place to begin adding locations. To add more addresses, select your Collection, then scroll down and tap the plus icon along the bottom. That's all there is to it! To share a Collection, select a Collection and tap the Share icon located along the bottom. 9: Get Organized with Revamped Reminders

Apple's Reminders app has long been a great way to stay on top of projects, errands, appointments, and events. Now, with iOS 13, the app is more integrated and useful than ever before.

The main screen of the Reminders app has been redesigned, and is now divided into Today, Scheduled, All, and Flagged. Your Today section is automatically updated so that you can view your daily reminders at a glance. Scheduled is where you'll find all your deadlines and appointments that have a date or deadline attached. All is a combined list of every reminder, and Flagged is for urgent and important entries that need special attention. You may also see an area for Siri Suggestions, where Siri suggests Reminders based on conversations in the Messages app. 10: Use the New Quick Toolbar in Reminders

When entering a reminder, you'll notice a new toolbar above the keyboard. You can tap one or more of the four options in this Quick Toolbar; they include time and date, location, flags, or photo attachments. If you choose photo attachments, as I did, you'll have the further option to take a photo, choose a picture from your Photo Library, or even scan a document that you need for your appointment or meeting!