These ten iPhone features are the ones most worth knowing. Three can help in an emergency or behind the wheel, and the rest take a step out of things you do every day. Each one comes with the exact settings path, plus the iOS version or iPhone model where a limit applies.
Updated October 25, 2026.
Years of daily iPhone use teach you that most people never change the default settings. The best features are rarely the flashy ones. They’re the small settings that save a tap on something you do dozens of times a day, or the ones you hope you never need. Those are the ones below. Whether you’ve had an iPhone for years or just took your first one out of the box, there’s a good chance at least one of these is new to you. Most of us have a phone full of tricks we never found, and the fun part is finding them.
Text Replacement
Text Replacement turns a short code into a long phrase, such as your email address or a full home address. Anyone who has typed their email address for the hundredth time knows how fast that gets old. To set it up, open Settings, tap General, then Keyboard, then Text Replacement. Tap the plus button, enter the phrase and the shortcut, and tap Save. To remove one, tap Edit, tap the remove button and tap Delete, per Apple Support.
Medical ID
Medical ID puts allergies, medications, conditions and emergency contacts where a first responder can read them. It takes a couple of minutes to set up, and it’s the kind of thing you hope you never need. Open the Health app, tap Summary, tap your profile picture, then tap Medical ID. Turn on Show When Locked so responders can view it from the Lock screen without your passcode, and Share During Emergency Call to send it when you call or text emergency services. Apple states it cannot read the information shared with responders. If you’ve ever wished you could set one thing up and then forget about it, this is a good one to pick.
Emergency SOS
Press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear and the Emergency SOS countdown ends, then release. You can also enable five quick presses of the side button under Settings, Emergency SOS, by turning on Call with 5 Button Presses. In India the shortcut is three presses. After the call ends, the iPhone texts your emergency contacts your location unless you cancel. The call needs cellular service.
Guided Access
Guided Access locks the iPhone to one app. Most of us have handed our phone to a kid or a friend and then hovered over their shoulder, hoping they didn’t tap something they shouldn’t. This takes care of that. It also helps when you want to stay on task. Go to Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access, and switch it on. Open the app, triple-click the side button, and tap Guided Access if the shortcut panel appears. You can circle screen areas to disable touch, or open Session Settings to limit buttons, motion, the keyboard and time. Tap Start. To end a session, triple-click the side button, enter your passcode and tap End.
Driving Focus
Driving Focus replaced the older Do Not Disturb While Driving setting. It helps with that urge to peek at a buzzing phone at a red light, which most of us have felt. Open Settings, tap Focus, tap Add, then Driving, and tap Customize Focus. Under Turn on Automatically you can choose Automatically, When Connected to Car Bluetooth, Manually or Activate With CarPlay. Calls come through only when the iPhone is connected to CarPlay, car Bluetooth or a hands-free accessory. Under Auto-Reply you can pick No One, Recents, Favorites or All Contacts, and a sender can write urgent to get through.
Custom Vibrations
This one is a fun way to make your phone feel like yours. You can build your own vibration pattern so you feel who is calling without looking. Open Settings, tap Sounds & Haptics, choose an alert such as Ringtone or Text Tone, and tap Vibration. Scroll to the custom section and tap Create New Vibration. Tap for short pulses, hold for long ones, then tap Play to test and Save to name it.
Screenshot Markup
Marking up a screenshot is handy when you need to circle something or sign a form while you’re out and about. On a Face ID iPhone, press the side button and volume up button together and release quickly. On a model with a Home button, press the side and Home buttons. In iOS 26 the screenshot opens with quick tools that let you draw with Markup, crop or send it. In iOS 18 and earlier, a thumbnail appears in the lower-left corner, and tapping it opens the editor. Saved screenshots land in Photos under Collections, Media Types, Screenshots.
Handoff
Handoff lets you start a task on the iPhone and finish it on a Mac, so you don’t have to start over. It’s a big help if you use more than one Apple device. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi must be on, and each device must be signed in with the same Apple Account. It is on by default. To check, go to Settings, General, then AirPlay & Continuity (labeled AirPlay & Handoff on some versions) and turn on Handoff. On the Mac, click the app’s Handoff icon in the Dock or press Command-Tab. The iPhone must be unlocked, nearby and still showing the task.
Live Text
Live Text reads the words in a photo, a paused video or the Camera view. Think of copying a phone number or an address off a sign, a flyer or a package. Typing it by hand is a pain. In Photos, touch and hold a word, drag the grab points, and tap Copy or Select All. In Camera, point at the text and tap the Live Text button. Tap Translate to convert it to another language. If it is missing, turn it on under Settings, General, Language & Region. Apple lists iPhone XS, XR or later with iOS 15 or later, and iOS 16 for video.
Back Tap
Back Tap runs an action when you double-tap or triple-tap the back of the phone. It feels a little like a secret button. It needs iOS 14 or later on an iPhone 8 or newer. Open Settings, Accessibility, Touch, then Back Tap. Pick Double Tap or Triple Tap and choose an action, such as opening Control Center, taking a screenshot or starting an Accessibility Shortcut like Magnifier.
That’s the list. Some of these you’ll use every day, and others you’ll only be glad you set up on a rare bad day. Once your phone is set up the way you like it, you can use it to figure out what to stream next or find one of the best couch co-op games to play with friends.
Which iPhone features are worth turning on?
Which iPhone features help in an emergency?
Medical ID and Emergency SOS. Medical ID shows allergies, medications and emergency contacts on the Lock screen when Show When Locked is on. Emergency SOS calls emergency services after you press and hold the side and a volume button, or press the side button five times if you enable that. It needs cellular service, and it texts your emergency contacts afterward.
Do these iPhone features work on older models?
Mostly, with limits. Back Tap needs an iPhone 8 or newer on iOS 14 or later. Live Text needs an iPhone XS, XR or later on iOS 15 or later. Apple’s screenshot tools differ by version: iOS 26 shows quick tools, while iOS 18 and earlier show a thumbnail you tap to edit.
Which iPhone features help with safe driving?
Driving Focus silences or limits notifications while you drive and can turn on automatically, when connected to car Bluetooth or CarPlay, or manually. Calls come through only on CarPlay, car Bluetooth or a hands-free accessory. Auto-Reply can tell senders you are driving, and they can mark a message urgent to get through.
How do I find iPhone features like these?
Start with Settings, then Accessibility, which holds Guided Access and Back Tap. Settings, General holds Keyboard and AirPlay & Continuity. Apple Support’s iPhone User Guide has a search field, and searching the feature name gives the current steps for your iOS version.