Got a tip for us?

The Complete Guide to Every iOS 27 Feature

How to connect iPhone to a display with a cable

by Dave Johnson

With the appropriate cable or adapter, you can connect your iPhone to a secondary display, like a computer monitor, TV, or projector. The adapter you need depends on your iPhone model. The adapter works with an HDMI or VGA cable to reach the monitor, TV, or projector.

  1. Depending on your iPhone model, plug a Lightning Digital AV Adapter, Lightning to VGA Adapter, USB-C Display AV Adapter, or USB-C VGA Multi-port Adapter into the charging port on the bottom of iPhone.
  2. Connect an HDMI or VGA cable to the adapter.
  3. Connect the other end of the HDMI or VGA cable to the monitor, TV, or projector.
  4. If necessary, switch to the correct video source on the monitor, TV, or projector. If you need help, use the display’s manual.

Because the adapters have an extra port, you can also connect the charging cable to charge your iPhone while it’s connected to a monitor, TV, or projector.

Tag: iPhone
Show Full Article

How to dictate text while using Magic Keyboard with iPhone

by Moses Johnson

You can dictate text instead of typing it on Magic Keyboard. As you speak, iPhone automatically inserts punctuation for you, and you can insert emoji by saying their names, like “happy emoji.” Dictation may not be available in all languages or regions, though.

Note: Dictation may not be available in all languages or in all countries or regions, and features may vary. Cellular data charges may apply.

  1. Open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, turn on Enable Dictation, and then choose a dictation shortcut.
  2. To insert text by dictating, tap to place the insertion point and then press the dictation shortcut key twice.
  3. To use Magic Keyboard again, quickly press the dictation shortcut key twice.

iPhone adds punctuation automatically while you speak to insert text, and you can insert emoji by name. Saying “happy emoji” or “mind blown emoji” inserts those emoji, for example.

Tag: Keyboard
Show Full Article

How to save stories in News on iPhone

by Chris Smith

You can save news stories to read later. Apple News+ subscribers can read saved stories in Offline Mode. You can save a story when reading a story, and read a saved story later in the News app on your iPhone.

Save a story

  1. Start the News app on your iPhone.
  2. When reading a story, tap the More button, then tap Save Story.

Read a saved story

  1. Start the News app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Following and tap Saved Stories. Tap the story.

Delete a saved story

  1. Start the News app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Following, tap Saved Stories, and do one of the following:
    • Delete one story: Swipe the story left.
    • Remove all saved stories: Tap Clear and then tap Clear Saved Stories.
Tag: News
Show Full Article

How to reply to an email with a PDF attachment in Preview on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

You can reply to an email with a PDF attachment in Preview on iPhone. You just fill out or annotate the PDF attachment in the Preview app and attach the updated PDF to your reply in the Mail app. You can optionally add text to the reply, too.

  1. Start the Mail app on your iPhone.
  2. Open an email with a PDF attached, then tap the attachment to view it.
  3. Tap Preview in the toolbar to open it in the Preview app.
  4. Fill out or annotate the PDF.
  5. Go back to the Mail app and open the original email.
  6. Tap the Reply button, tap the Attachment button, and tap Attach File.

    A reply to the sender appears in your inbox in the Mail app, with the updated PDF attached.

  7. Locate the updated PDF, then tap to select it.
  8. Optionally, add text to the reply.
  9. Tap the Send button.
Tag: Mail
Show Full Article

How to collaborate on projects with Messages on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

In the Messages app, you can send a text message to invite people to collaborate on a project, and everyone in the conversation is added to the document, spreadsheet, or other shared file.

You can also start from another app, like Notes or Freeform, and then discuss your content in Messages. Files can come from Reminders, Safari, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and more, but you first need to save the content somewhere others can access it, such as iCloud Drive.

Note: Before you can collaborate on a project with Messages, you and your recipients need to be using iMessage on iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, watchOS 9, or visionOS 1 or later. You also need to save the content somewhere others can access it first, such as iCloud Drive. And for iPhone apps, you may need to turn on iCloud before you can use their collaboration features.

Invite people to collaborate

Starting from another app, you can invite people to collaborate on a project, then discuss your content in Messages. The files you share can come from Notes, Freeform, Reminders, Safari, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and more, but first you’ll need to turn on their collaboration features in iCloud settings, then save the content in a place others can access, such as iCloud Drive.

The process for inviting someone to collaborate depends on the app. Here’s one way you might start a collaboration in a supported app:

  1. Select the file you want to share and tap the Share button, or tap Collaborate.
  2. Make sure Share a Link (rather than Send a Copy) is selected. Then tap the group or individual you want to collaborate with.

    If you don’t see the group or person listed, tap the Messages app icon.

    The suggested icons may correspond with groups or individuals with active FaceTime calls or recent Messages conversations. A Messages conversation opens with the invitation ready to send.

  3. Add a note (optional) and then tap the Send button.

    A collaboration invitation to a recipe in Notes, showing Share a Link for the share option and “People you choose can edit” as the access and permission setting. Below that, four different ways to share the note are presented: AirDrop, Messages, Mail, and Reminders.

After you invite participants in Messages, you can work on the project in the other app and return to the Messages conversation by tapping the collaboration button in that app. When someone edits the file, you see updates at the top of the Messages thread. To return to the shared project and see changes, tap an update.

Note: Before they can interact with the shared item or see any updates, your participants may need to accept your invitation or join it.

Collaborate on a project in Messages

Whenever someone makes an edit to your shared project, activity updates appear at the top of the Messages conversation.

  1. Start the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Go to the conversation that contains the invitation to the project you’ve started collaborating on and then do any of the following to return to the project:
    • Tap the file in your conversation to open it.
    • If you see an update at the top of the conversation, tap Show.
    • Tap the icon of the participant or group at the top of the screen, scroll to Collaboration, then tap the shared project.

Your participants also get updates in the conversation when you make any changes or edits to the project.

Note: Adding a new person to a group conversation doesn’t give them access to the projects you’re collaborating on, so you have to grant it. For someone added recently, tap the notification at the top of the screen to add them, or you can invite them to collaborate.

Manage the collaboration and group

In a Messages conversation with two or more people, you can add or remove participants from a project you’ve shared.

  1. Start the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Go to the conversation you want to manage. Tap the group icon at the top of the conversation to open details about the group’s conversation.
  3. Do any of the following:

    • Add new participants: Tap Add Access, then add contacts. (You may need to scroll down to see Add.)

      If you started collaborating with just one other person, you must start a new conversation to add people to the collaboration.

      Note: You must add new participants to any files that were shared in the conversation before they joined. As you add participants, a notification appears at the top of the conversation. Tap Show in the notification to review the previously shared files you can add new participants to.

    • Remove a participant from the conversation: Touch and hold their icon. Then tap Remove from Group.

Important: The apps where the collaboration happens usually control access to the project. Check participant access in the app itself to remove viewing or editing privileges completely.

The group of people in the Messages collaboration may not match the group collaborating on the file. You might invite people to collaborate on the file outside of Messages, for example, or set up two separate groups in Messages, each with its own collaboration conversation. If you add someone to a document you’ve already shared with others, you can add them to an existing conversation or keep the conversations separate. But people added to a conversation can’t read messages sent before they joined.

Stop collaborating on a project in Messages

Usually, the app where the collaboration happens controls access to the project. If you’re collaborating on a document in the Pages app, for example, the Pages settings take precedence over the Messages settings. You can still unsend or delete the invitation from the conversation, though, just as you would any other message.

Important: When you delete an invitation from a thread, that conversation is no longer associated with the collaboration, but it doesn’t remove participants from the file. Check participant access in the app to remove viewing or editing privileges completely.

Tag: Messages
Show Full Article

How to download a PDF from Safari to your iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

You can save a PDF from Safari to your iPhone to read later or share with others. The PDF goes to the Files app, and you can enter a name for the file before you save it, so it’s easy to find later.

In Safari, the Share button on a PDF has been tapped, revealing a list of options including Save to Files near the bottom of the screen.

  1. Start the Safari app on your iPhone.
  2. Go to the PDF.
  3. Tap the Page Menu button and tap Share. If your Tabs layout is Bottom or Top, tap the Share button.
  4. Tap Save to Files.
  5. Enter a name for the file, then tap Save.
Tag: Safari
Show Full Article

How to set up Screen Time for yourself on iPhone

by Dave Johnson

With Screen Time, you can get information about how much time you spend on your devices—including which apps and websites you use and for how long.

Time Allowances help you balance time across entertainment, games, and social media apps, and schedules manage when those apps are available. Content restrictions manage what can be accessed, and you can use Screen Time across all your devices and view your Screen Time summaries. You can also quickly check your device use with a Screen Time widget on your Home Screen.

Note: All the latest Screen Time features need iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later on every one of your Apple devices. If you’re setting them up in a Family Sharing group, each device in the group needs iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later as well.

An image of Screen Time in Settings with options to set up Screen Time Schedules, Time Allowances, and more.

Turn on Screen Time

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Screen Time and then do any of the following:
    • Tap Screen Time Schedule, then tap Turn On App & Website Activity.
    • Tap Time Allowances, then tap Turn On App & Website Activity.
    • Tap Manage Screen Time, then tap Turn On App & Website Activity.

Note: You can quickly check your device use if you add a Screen Time widget to your Home Screen.

Use Screen Time across your devices

On your Mac, iPad, and iPhone where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account, you can sync your Screen Time settings and reports. Your screen time schedules, time allowances, and usage data are then shared across your devices, and you can see your combined Screen Time activity across them, too.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Screen Time, tap Manage Screen Time, and then turn on Share Across Devices.

When Share Across Devices is on, the Screen Time limits or schedules you set apply to your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. If you turn it off, each device keeps its own Screen Time settings.

Note: Share Across Devices needs iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later on each of your Apple devices. If you’re setting it up in a Family Sharing group, every device has to be upgraded to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or visionOS 27 or later.

View Screen Time summaries

Once Screen Time is on, you can get a weekly report that covers how often you pick up your iPhone and other devices, your most used apps, the time you spend on your devices, and more.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Screen Time, then tap Daily Average.
  3. Tap Week to show a summary of weekly use, or tap Day to show a summary of daily use.

Scroll down, and you can also view a report of your Pickups and Notifications, showing how many notifications you received and how many times you picked up your devices.

You can swipe left and right on your summaries to view your history.

A Screen Time Daily Average chart, showing the total amount of time spent on device.

Turn off Screen Time

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Screen Time and then do any of the following:
    • Turn off Screen Time: Tap Manage Screen Time and then tap Turn Off App & Website Activity.
    • Turn off your Screen Time schedule: Tap Screen Time Schedule and then turn off Schedule.
    • Turn off your Time Allowances for apps: Tap Time Allowances, tap Manage Categories, select a category, then select Delete (your category name) Category.

You can also view your summary by tapping a Screen Time Weekly Report notification when one appears on your screen. (If the notification disappears, you can find it in Notification Center.)

Tag: Screen Time
Show Full Article

iPhone tips from Apple Support advisors: passcode, lost iPhone, photos, and battery

by Stacey Butler

Apple Support advisors help iPhone customers with all sorts of questions, from forgotten passwords to lost photos. Below are a few pieces of advice that Apple Support advisors wish all iPhone owners knew.

Follow these simple steps now to keep your iPhone, and the important information you keep on it, safe. They cover what to do if your iPhone is lost or stolen, how to recover deleted photos, and how to maximize the life of your battery. The first, though, is simply not forgetting your passcode.

The Add Recovery Contact screen.

Just in case you forget

Once your iPhone is set up, your iPhone passcode and your Apple Account information are two things you really don’t want to forget. To unlock your iPhone, you use your iPhone passcode, which is a four- or six-digit numerical code. Your Apple Account is what you use to make purchases in the App Store, sign in to Apple services, and more, and it’s typically your primary email address or phone number plus the unique password you create to use with it.

If you think you might forget these things, you can designate a trusted person as your account recovery contact. Your recovery contact doesn’t have access to your iPhone or Apple Account, but they can give you a code to reset your passcode or access your account if you get locked out. Go to the Settings app , tap your name, then tap Sign-In & Security. Tap Recovery Contacts, then tap a suggested contact or tap Choose Someone Else.

The Find My app showing the location of an iPad on a map.

How to find your iPhone if it’s lost or stolen

It’s easy to find your iPhone if it ever gets lost or stolen—as long as you turn on Find My iPhone before that happens. First, make sure you’re signed in to your Apple Account, go to the Settings app , tap your name, tap Find My, then turn on Find My iPhone.

After you turn on Find My iPhone, you can use the Find My app on another Apple device to see the location of your iPhone; you can even play a sound on your lost iPhone to help you find it. (Make sure you’re signed in to the same Apple Account on the other Apple device.) If you don’t have another Apple device, go to the Find Devices website on any web browser and sign in to the same Apple Account.

The Recently Deleted folder in the Photos app. Recently deleted photos appear in a grid on the screen.

Recover deleted photos or videos

Photos or videos you delete from the Photos app are automatically saved in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. So if you accidentally delete one, you can recover it and restore it to your Photos library.

To recover deleted items, open the Photos app , then tap Collections. Tap the Recently Deleted collection (below Utilities), then tap View Album. Unlock the album using your iPhone passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID. Tap a photo or video, tap Recover, then tap Recover Photo or Recover Video.

An iPhone screen showing battery usage, and the battery charged 90%.

Maximize the life of your iPhone battery

There are a few easy steps you can take to preserve the life of your iPhone battery. First, make sure your iPhone is updated to the latest version of iOS. To check if a software update is available, go to the Settings app , tap General, then tap Software Update.

Next, connect to Wi-Fi whenever it’s available, since a cellular connection uses more battery power than Wi-Fi.

Finally, turn down your screen brightness: Open Control Center, then slide Brightness down. To automatically dim your screen based on the surrounding light, go to the Settings app , tap Accessibility, tap Display & Text Size, then turn on Auto-Brightness.

To learn more about your iPhone battery health, go to the Settings app , then tap Battery.

The Add Phone Number screen in Settings.

If you get a new phone number

Your Apple Account has a phone number associated with it, known as your trusted phone number, which often helps verify your identity and authenticate that your iPhone is really yours. If you get a new phone number, update your trusted phone number to match. Otherwise, you could lose access to your account if you move to a new iPhone or forget your Apple Account password.

To update your trusted phone number, go to the Settings app , tap your name, tap Sign-In & Security, then tap Add Email or Phone Number. Tap Phone Number, then enter your new phone number and follow the onscreen instructions to verify your new number.

An iPhone screen showing an illustration of the globe. At the top of the globe is a radio signal and an airplane flies around the globe.

All about eSIM

A digital version of the physical SIM card inside your iPhone, an eSIM connects you to your cellular carrier. With eSIM, there’s no SIM card to swap out when you get a new iPhone, and connecting to new cellular carriers at home or while traveling is easy.

Your iPhone may lose its cellular connection if you erase it. The same can happen if you restore your iPhone from a backup and accidentally delete your eSIM. You’d then need to contact your cellular provider to restore the connection.

Step-by-Step Help: Get guided and personalized support troubleshooting issues on your iPhone. Open Step-by-Step Help.

If you’d like to dig deeper, start with these related guides:

  • Keep your Apple Account secure on iPhone
  • Locate a device in Find My on iPhone
  • Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone
  • Understand your iPhone battery usage and health
  • Set up an eSIM

Per Apple, not all features are available for all iPhone models.

Tag: iPhone
Show Full Article

How to transition songs in Music on iPhone

by Emily Long

Use AutoMix or Crossfade to transition songs smoothly.

AutoMix transitions between songs like a DJ when you’re listening to music from the Apple Music catalog, and it selects the best transition, depending on the music. Crossfade fades in each song while the previous song is fading out. AutoMix is on by default, but you can turn it off, and albums and some genres skip transitions. Neither is available while Hi-Res Lossless is turned on, though.

Change how music transitions

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Music.
  3. Tap Song Transitions, then choose an option.

Note: While Hi-Res Lossless is turned on, Automix and Crossfade aren’t available. To use them, select Lossless or another audio quality setting.

About AutoMix

With iOS 26 or later, AutoMix moves seamlessly between songs like a DJ when you listen to music from the Apple Music catalog. It automatically picks the best transition for the music. When it makes sense, AutoMix might trim silence at the beginning and end of a track, for example, or use a simple crossfade instead of a more complex transition.

Note: You won’t hear transitions with albums and some genres. AutoMix is on by default, though you can turn it off in the queue or in Settings.

Turn on Crossfade

You can set the Music app to fade in each song (gradually increase its volume) while the previous song is fading out—this is called crossfading.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Music.
  3. Tap Song Transitions, then turn it on.
  4. Tap Crossfade. Drag the slider to choose the length of the crossfade.
Tag: Music
Show Full Article

How to share and send apps in the App Store on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

When you find something special in the App Store, you can share a link to it or send it as a gift. Both start on the app’s details page, where the Share button lets you pick a sharing option or Gift App.

Note: Not all apps are available to send as gifts.

  1. Start the App Store app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the app you want to share or give to see its details.
  3. Tap the Share button and choose a sharing option or tap Gift App.
Tag: App Store
Show Full Article