Tap Inspect is only as good as the device home inspectors run it on. If you’re troubleshooting with your iPhone, these tricks can help. From quick reboots to energy-saving strategies, here’s how to get the most out of your Apple device:
If Your Device or App Is Stuck
A speedy reboot might help. Holding down the home button and the power button at the same time can reset your device without a trip to the genius bar. This video from Iphonehacks.com shows you exactly how:
If You’re Running Out of Battery
One of the major criticisms of the iOS 7 operating system is it drains the phone battery like vampires to fresh blood. Luckily there are several easy peasy ways to nip that in the bud. The fastest and simplest way to retain more battery life longer is to disable the “Background App Refresh” function. Unlike older operating systems, iOS 7 keeps apps open so you can flip from one app to another with ease. The problem is that running multiple apps at one takes energy. To close extraneous apps, push the “Settings” button, then hit “General.” From there, tap the “Background App Refresh” button and slide the “On” bar to “Off.”
Another simple way to save your battery is by reducing the brightness of your screen. Head to “Settings” and click “Wallpapers & Brightness.” From there, you can turn off the “Auto-Brightness” function and slide the Brightness meter down a few notches to conserve power.
If Your Camera is Too Slow
Try using iOS 7’s “burst mode” wherein you can take rapidfire pics without lifting a finger. To activate burst mode, just open up your camera app, focus on your photo object, and hold down the white photo button. The camera will automatically start taking photo after photo of whatever you’re focusing on. This video from OfficialSoftModder will show you how:
An added bonus of iOS 7 is that you don’t have to unlock your phone to open your camera. Instead of punching in your password, tap the camera icon in the lower right hand corner of your screen and swipe up. The camera will pull up automatically.
If You Keep Running Out of Data
Hat tip to iOS Soft Modder for this one. Keep tabs on how much data each individual application is using by tapping “Settings,” then “Cellular.” Scroll down and you’ll see a list of your apps as well as info on how much data each app has used since you installed iOS 7. If you want to track how much data you’re using per app in a given time frame, hit the “Reset Statistics” button at the bottom of the page.