That classic tech headline touches on a fun reality: modern smartphones are packed with clever, under-the-radar shortcuts, accessibility hacks, and built-in tools that most users never stumble across. Manufacturers bury these features deep in the settings menus, but once you learn them, they can genuinely streamline your daily routine.
Here are 5 genuinely useful hidden smartphone tricks (spanning both iOS and Android) that you probably didn’t know you could use:
1. Turn the Back of Your iPhone into a Hidden Button (Back Tap)
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What it does: Allows you to trigger an action—like taking a screenshot, opening your flashlight, or launching your favorite app—just by double- or triple-tapping the Apple logo on the back of your phone.
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How to set it up (iOS): Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap, choose either Double Tap or Triple Tap, and assign it to whatever shortcut you use most.
2. Turn Your Keyboard into a Precise Trackpad Instantly
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What it does: Ever get frustrated trying to tap precisely between two letters in a typo-heavy text message? Instead of stabbing at the screen with your finger, you can turn your software keyboard into a trackpad to glide the cursor effortlessly.
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How to use it:
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On iPhone: Press and hold down the Spacebar until the keys go blank, then slide your finger around the keyboard to move the cursor.
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On Android (Gboard): Simply press and hold your finger on the Spacebar and drag left or right to glide across the text.
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3. Instantly Share Wi-Fi Without Giving Out Your Password
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What it does: When guests come over and ask for your home Wi-Fi, you no longer have to hunt down a sticky note or read out a complex password letter by letter.
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How to use it:
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On Android: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, tap your connected network, and tap Share. It will generate a QR code that your friend’s phone can just scan with its camera.
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On iPhone: Simply bring an unlocked iPhone or iPad running a recent iOS version close to the guest’s Apple device while you are connected to Wi-Fi, and a prompt will pop up asking if you want to share your password with them.
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4. Hide Sensitive Photos in a Locked Folder (Without Third-Party Apps)
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What it does: Keeps private or sensitive photos secure and hidden from plain sight when you hand your phone to someone to show them a picture.
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How to use it:
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On iPhone: Select the photos you want to hide, tap the three dots (or share menu), and select Hide. They will move to a “Hidden” album locked behind Face ID / Touch ID.
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On Android: Use Google Photos Locked Folder or the Secure Folder (on Samsung devices) to move private files into a heavily encrypted space that requires a biometric scan to open.
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5. Instantly Measure Objects Using Augmented Reality
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What it does: Need to know if a piece of furniture will fit in a specific corner, or how long a shelf is, and you don’t have a tape measure handy? Your phone can do it using built-in camera sensors and augmented reality.
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How to use it:
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On iPhone: Open the pre-installed Measure app, pan your camera around to calibrate, and tap the plus (+) icon to drop start and end points for measurements.
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On Android: Open the pre-installed Measure app (by Google) or use Samsung AR Zone / Quick Measure to scan objects and surfaces in your room.
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Do you usually lean toward iPhone or Android for your daily driver, or are you hunting for a specific shortcut to solve a tech annoyance?
