There are a lot of things your iPhone or iPad can do, and Apple does a great job of documenting everything on its website. But there are some features that won’t show up in any Apple guides or help pages.
We’ve rounded up some of the best secret features hidden in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 and it’s almost guaranteed that you haven’t heard of at least one of them. And no, the list does not include the “hidden”trackpad on the keyboard or in the Print Center app, nor the invisible delete tool in the calculator. Although they are commonly seen in hidden feature articles on the web, they are well documented by Apple.
Delete folder names on home screen
By looking at the tiny app icons visible in a folder on the home screen, you can pretty much tell the theme of that folder. So why do you keep all those names under folder icons? You can easily remove them by replacing the folder name with a single invisible character, but not every invisible character works, so check out our guide to invisible characters to find the ones that work.
Add untitled bookmarks and labels
With the same tip that creates untitled folders on the home screen, you can add webpage bookmarks from Safari and shortcuts to the home screen without titles. Nameless shortcuts help you replace all apps on your home screen with unnamed icons, and unnamed bookmarks can make websites less visible to others and contribute to your clean aesthetic.
Send full URLs in messages
When you normally send a URL in the Messages app, it turns into an expanded link preview that only shows part of the address. If you want recipients to see the full URL instead, just add dots before and after the URL. And that’s just the basics – check out our complete guide to sending full URLs in messages to see what happens when you add additional URLs, other text, and more.
Use URL schemes in various applications
Okay, Apple has a few help pages for using URL schemes for shortcuts, but they’re extremely limited in what they cover. There are sources on the web that provide entire lists of URL schemes for iOS and iPadOS settings, Apple apps and services, and even third-party apps that you can use in your shortcuts, and there are thousands of URL schemes available.
You are also not limited to using these schemes in the Shortcuts app. You can use them in text messages, emails, chats, etc. d.
For example, you can iMessage send someone a URL with a phone number or email address attached to help them start a call, compose a new SMS, and start an email. Heck, you can even give them a link to a URL scheme that will create an entire email draft with recipients, subject line, and body text. For more examples, see our guide on helping others with URL schemes.
View more technical details about the network
Most smartphones have a field test mode that RF engineers, network technicians, and field operators use to measure network performance and investigate problems, but it can also be useful. For example, you can see your iPhone’s cellular signal strength as a number instead of bars. Enter *3001#12345#* in the Phone app and press the call button to open the hidden Field Test app.
Use dialer codes to view data and take actions
The code that unlocks Field Test is the dial code, and there are other codes you can use to view certain data and perform actions. For example, *#06# will show you the iPhone’s IMEI number, and *#07# will show you legal and regulatory information. Head over to our extensive list of iPhone dialing codes for the full rundown. You can even use some dialer codes in URL schemes, as shown in Tip 4 above.
Switch between letters and numbers faster
Apple’s online docs briefly mention a shortcut for caps using the on-screen keyboard. Instead of pressing the Shift key, tap it, then swipe to the letter you want to capitalize and release. It can definitely speed up your typing skills, but it’s not the only on-screen keyboard trick.
What Apple doesn’t mention is that you can use the same 123 button trick to quickly select a number, punctuation mark, or special character.
However, you cannot use the tap and swipe gesture to enter multiple capital letters, numbers, punctuation, or special characters in a row before the keyboard returns to its previous state. To do this, touch and hold the Shift or 123 key, use your other finger to select the characters you want, then release Shift or 123.
Use trigger words/phrases for iMessage effects
My favorite hidden feature in iOS and iPadOS is iMessage effect triggers. Apple lists two or three examples of triggers in its online docs for most languages, but they are not the only ones.
We’ve accumulated a huge list of keyword and phrase triggers that you can use in 40 different languages to send full-screen animated effects in the Messages app. There are two triggers that unlock a top secret effect that you can’t even add through the regular iMessage effects menu!
Send detailed feedback to Apple
When you use the beta version of iOS or iPadOS, Apple automatically installs the Feedback Assistant app on your iPhone or iPad. With it, you can send detailed feedback or suggestions to Apple about its operating systems, apps, and other products, and you can even keep track of everything you submit.
But you don’t need an iOS beta or iPadOS beta on your device to access Feedback Assistant. You can open the hidden Feedback Assistant app using the applefeedback:// URL scheme in a shortcut or even just in your web browser. After you sign in with your Apple ID, you can submit and track issues, update submitted feedback, create drafts, and more.
The feedback assistant won’t appear in the app switcher, so if you leave the app you’ll have to use applefeedback:// again, but the app needs to remember where you left off if you were in the middle of a draft. If you don’t want to leave such feedback, you can use the Apple Support app to provide more general feedback.
Get real emoji character names
The Say Selection accessibility tool is useful when you want to know how a highlighted word or phrase sounds. What Apple doesn’t tell you, however, is that it can also give you the full name of any emoji you choose. This is fun to use if you’re just curious and don’t want to google anything, but it’s also useful to know what to say when trying to get voice control to add the right emoji.
Unlock hidden emoji keyboard
While you can install third-party keyboards on your iPhone or iPad from the App Store, Apple has its own catalog of on-screen keyboards that you can use. In the United States, US English and emoji keyboards are the biggest, but you can add a few Japanese keyboards – kana or romaji – to unlock an arsenal of emoji, emoji’s big brother.