Here are some genuinely useful hidden smartphone tricks that many people overlook. Exact features vary between iPhone and Android models.
📱 10 useful tricks
Search your phone from almost anywhere
Use Spotlight on iPhone or the search function on Android to quickly find apps, contacts, settings, files, and more.
Scan documents without a scanner
Your phone’s camera or Notes/Files app can often scan a document and turn it into a PDF.
Copy text from a photo
On many phones, you can point the camera at printed text—or open a photo containing text—and select, copy, translate, or search it.
Use your phone as a level
iPhones have a Level feature inside the Measure app. Many Android phones offer a similar tool through built-in utilities or apps.
Take a screenshot of an entire webpage
On supported phones and browsers, you can capture a full page rather than just what’s visible on screen.
Turn on Do Not Disturb automatically
You can schedule it for bedtime, meetings, driving, or other situations so notifications don’t constantly interrupt you.
Find a lost phone
Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find Hub/Find My Device features can help locate, lock, or secure a misplaced phone.
Use voice commands for quick tasks
Siri or Google Assistant can set timers, create reminders, send messages, make calls, and answer simple questions without opening an app.
Share Wi-Fi without typing the password
iPhones and many Android phones can share Wi-Fi credentials through nearby-device or QR-code features.
Use your phone as a magnifying glass 🔍
Accessibility settings on both major platforms can enlarge small print, labels, menus, and other hard-to-read details.
⭐ One particularly useful trick
If you frequently take screenshots, search your photo library for words or objects inside those screenshots. Modern phones can often recognize text in images, making it much easier to find an old receipt, address, phone number, or message.
If you tell me whether you have an iPhone or Android (and the model), I can give you a list of 20 hidden tricks specifically for your phone, including the exact steps.
