I’m sure you have already downloaded the new iOS 10 based solely upon the fact that you can now send and receive text messages accompanied with confetti dumps and exploding fireworks. But if you’re one of the rebellious ones who hasn’t allowed yourself the time away from your phone that it takes to download the update, you’re missing out on lots of other features and cool details that will truly make your iPhone an even more convenient tool to have around. I’m all about efficiency, so here are some of the highlights of iOS 10.
Collaborate in Notes to make better use of group lists
I personally fee “Notes” is one of the most useful native apps in iOS, and the latest update makes it even better. Now you have the ability to share and collaborate on individual notes, thus making it easier than ever to share project notes, to-do lists, etc. with multiple people in real time. To utilize this feature, make sure you’ve enabled Notes in your iCloud settings, then tap the collaboration icon-the outline of a person with a plus sign-on an individual note, and share through Messages, email, Facebook, etc.
Allow chosen contacts to bypass “Do Not Disturb” mode
Being able to silence and hide distractions at those times when you just can’t have them, like during meetings or presentations, makes Do Not Disturb an extremely valuable, and sometimes necessary tool. However, it can pose a problem when someone important needs to get in touch during an emergency. Now you can allow certain contacts to get through even when Do Not Disturb is activated. To do it, go to the contact you want to be able to reach you no matter what, tap “Edit,” scroll down, tap “Ringtone,” and enable “Emergency Bypass.”
Clear all of your notifications at once (iPhone 6s or 7 only)
You no longer have to swipe and tap to dismiss them individually. iOS 10 makes notifications look much more sleek than previously, but they can still quickly cause your log to feel disorganized. You can access your Notifications Log by simply swiping down from the top of your screen. So long as you have a 3D Touch-enabled device (iPhone 6s or newer), press and hold the “X” in the top right corner of the notifications screen and tap “Clear all notifications.”
Enable and disable read receipts for specific contacts
Before I tell you how to enable read receipts, let me tell you, don’t enable read receipts. You are setting yourself up for accusatory questions and awkward responses by doing so, but since some people like conflict, here it is. Click on an existing text exchange with the contact, tap the “i” icon in the upper-righthand corner, and use the toggle to either enable or disable “Send Read Receipts.”
Mark up photos or files within a text message
Sometimes you’re trying to communicate something very specific when sending a photo in a message. Now you can doodle and add custom text over the photo, magnify a specific section, and send a Snapchat-style photo that shows exactly what you mean to convey. Once you’ve selected the image and it’s sitting in the window, tap it to enlarge and select “markup” from the bottom-left corner.
Read transcriptions of your incoming voicemails
Whenever I get the rare voicemail on my personal line not immediately followed by a text message, my first thought is, “Oh well, I guess I’ll never know what they wanted.” It’s interesting how voicemails have become inconvenient to us in this age of text messages and emails but now, thanks to iOS 10, your phone automatically transcribes the message so you can quickly scan through it to determine whether or not it’s important. Navigate to the “Voicemail tab, tap the new message, and you’ll see the entire transcription.
Change the brightness of the flashlight and other Control Center features (iPhone 6s or 7 only)
This update seems like it could have come along a lot sooner, but it’s a welcome change nonetheless. iPhone’s flashlight feature comes in handy in many instances, but given the situation it can be almost too bright sometimes. With iOS 10 you now have the ability to dim it. When you hard-press the flashlight icon on a 3D Touch-enabled device, it gives you the options of a low, medium, or bright light. Additionally, the alarm icon on the Control Center screen can be long-pressed to quickly allow you to set a timer for pre-set intervals. Long-press the camera icon and options pop-up to allow you to choose between taking a photo, selfie or video. Calculator lets you copy the last result.
Quickly access your media player
After updating to iOS 10, you may initially think that the media player buttons-play, pause, fast-forward, rewind-are no longer part of the Control Center. The Control Center is the quick-access menu that pops up when you swipe up from the bottom of the screen. To easily access the media-player buttons, swipe up to reveal the Control Center screen, then swipe left.
