50+ Unexpected, Clever Smartphone Functions You Probably Didn't Know

There is a lot you can do with your Android or iPhone if you just know how to access the features. Check your pulse, level a painting on the wall, use augmented reality to help navigate in your car, and so much more.

Are you ready to really unlock what your smartphone can do?

Check out these 55 ways to use your smartphone that you will not regret knowing.

Use Augmented Reality on You Car’s Windshield

If you find yourself driving in bad weather or in a strange location, the Hudway app can be a lifesaver. Set your destination, place the phone on the dashboard, and your smartphone will project a GPS-enabled map directly onto your windshield.

Find Out Why Your Car Isn’t Running

The Automatic Pro app word for both Android and iPhone. With an adaptor, you can plug it into your car’s ODB-II port and run a diagnostic without having to fork over hard-earned cash to a mechanic for the service.

Search Through Your Photos by Category

Do you have a hard time finding the photo you’re looking for in the hoard of photos on your phone? Don’t worry! There’s a search function at the top of your photo app that includes categories. Try it. You might be surprised how simple a photo search is.

Read Barcodes, Not Just QR Codes

We all know smartphones can read QR codes, but what about barcodes? You can scan barcodes from most shipping companies or download an app such as RedLaser to compare item prices at other stores while you’re shopping.

Have Custom Vibrations for Your Contacts

Are you worried about missing a call from someone important but need to keep your phone on silent? Give them their own unique vibration so you can still tell when they are calling. If you have an iPhone, go into settings, then sounds and haptics, ringtone or text tone, and then click the vibration option to find the custom option.

Use Your Mobile Device with a Telescope

Do you see the perfect image through a telescope or binoculars and want to take a picture? You can. Just place your mobile device’s camera where your eye would go and snap a few shots. You may be amazed by the results.

Check Your Blood Pressure and Heart Beat

There are dozens of heart rate monitor apps available for Androids and iPhones. By placing your finger in front of the camera, you allow the app to see your blood circulation and heartbeat. It’s actually kind of cool, and really useful if you need to do a quick health check.

Check Your Remote Batteries Quickly

Is your remote low on batteries? You can quickly check to find out by pointing your remote at your phone’s front-facing camera and pressing any button on the remote. If there is an infrared light showing on your screen, then your remote batteries are still alive.

Move Shows on Your iPhone onto Your TV

Use screen mirroring and an Apple TV to access AirPlay. Soon you will be watching your favorite shows on the big screen instead of squinting to see what your favorite actors are looking at. It’s only a few button clicks to get there.

Scan and Digitize Negatives

While it’s not professional quality, you can scan negatives with your smartphone. Use an Android app such as HELMUT film scanner or try playing with the negative effect on your camera.

Recognize Fonts, Objects, and More

Using apps such as Amazon’s Flow your phone can recognize objects, text, and places with ease. There are also apps available, such as WhatTheFont for identifying a particular font.

Stay Safe While Out on the Town

Use the bSafe app on your iPhone or Android. It lets you send invitations to friends or family to track your location as well as setting a timer to trigger a distress call if you do not arrive home in the amount of time you schedule. It even schedules fake calls so it can look like you are talking to someone while you walk home.

Fix Siri’s Pronunciation

Is Siri annoying you by mispronouncing some of the words she uses frequently? Tell Siri to pronounce the word and then tell her “You’re pronounce (the word) wrong.” She will invite you to give the proper pronunciation. Problem solved!

Take Photos While You’re Recording Video

Do you want to take photos but you’re recording a video? If you have an iPhone, you can press the shutter button that is next to the video recording button while you’re recording the video. That’s all there is to it.

Turn on the Lights in Your Home or Office

Use Amazon Alexa to turn any wifi-enabled lightbulbs on and off. Turn lights on before entering a room, set them to turn off at a certain time, turn all the lights in your home off all at once, or have them turn on randomly when you are gone to make it look like someone is still at home.

Turn Your Phone into a Ruler

Free apps such as the Ruler App are a perfect solution for measuring objects that are smaller than your smartphone screen or even for measuring larger objects in a photo such as furniture.

Make Shortcuts for Text and Emojis

Do you have texts of emojis that you use regularly? If you have an iPhone, you can go to settings, select keyboard, go to text replacement, and plus the plus symbol. Just follow the instructions from there. You’ll be able to customize the shortcuts you use to access those emojis and texts.

Turn Your Phone into a Thermal Camera

SeekThermal lets you turn your smartphone into a thermal camera. It’s an app as well as a camera that is attached to your mobile phone. Soon, you too could be using advanced technology created especially for the military.

Use Your Smartphone as a Microscope

Take the lens off the tip of a laser pointer and attach it over your phone’s camera lens. This hack will allow you to see and photograph a magnified and microscopic world that would be hard to see without technology.

Scan QR Codes Without Needing an App

Use your iPhone or Android to scan QR codes without needing to download an app first. In your iPhone, just open the camera app, focus on the QR code and click the notification that pops up. If you have an Android, you just have to enable screen search first.

Use Your Smartphone as a Level

Do you need to level a painting on the wall or are really starting to wonder if one part of the floor is lower than the rest? Get the Bubble Level app for your iPhone or Android and find out for sure. It’s incredibly easy to use, just place your phone on the surface in question and the app will do the rest.

Enable Grayscale for Better Sleep

Do you need to make your phone less appealing and also less likely to wake you up so that you can finally get a full night’s rest? Go to your phone’s setting, find accessibility, click display accommodations, and choose color filters to find the option for grayscale.

Check Your Blood Alcohol Content

With a small device and the BACtrack app you can quickly find out if you’re safe to drive or better off calling a cab. This app is a genuine lifesaver and may be worth the investment.

Shake the Smartphone to Undo Mistakes

If you have an iPhone and make a mistake, just shake your phone and an option will appear to delete it. If you have an Android, you’ll need to download the Shake to Undo module before you can get this feature to work.

Use Your Android’s Spacebar to Move the Cursor

Are big fingers making life complicated when it comes to moving your cursor? Just swipe the spacebar if you are using the Android GBoard or use 3D Touch on your iPhone keyboard.

Use Your Android to Schedule Messages

When you are creating a message, there is a pull-down menu on the top near the call button. Within it, you will find an option to schedule the message. This is great if an idea suddenly pops into your head at three in the morning, but you want to wait until a reasonable hour to actually send the message.

Use Your Android as a Radio – Without the Internet

Your Android can access FM radio without the internet. So, if the apocalypse ever comes and there is no wifi or mobile signal to be found, you can still listen to the radio for updates on where the zombie army is currently moving. Hey, it could happen…

Close Multiple Apps at the Same Time

Use several fingers to swipe up on an iPhone and you can close all of your apps at once. If you have an Android, you can do the same thing, but you will need to install something like KillApps first before the magic can happen.

Identify the Flights Overhead

Are you curious about the flights going over your head? There is no need to wonder any longer. Simply ask Siri what planes are overhead and you will quickly learn what flights they are, as well as the angle and altitude of the planes.

Schedule Your Bedtime with Your iPhone

iPhone has a bedtime option that is a convenient combination of an alarm and do not disturb mode. You will find it in your clock app between the stopwatch and alarm. Now, that’s convenient.

Use Your Phone to Start Your Car

Use Viper SmartKey to lock, unlock, and start your car from a distance. It also has an option to diagnose car problems. What else could you ask for?

Turn Your Android’s Flashlight On and Off with a Few Words

Are you tired of fumbling around to turn the Android flashlight on and off? Just say, “Okay, Google, lumos” to turn the light on and “Okay, Google, nox” to turn it off. It makes life a whole lot easier.

Split Screen Your Apps on an Android

Hold down the tab button to turn your Android into a split screen to fit more than one app on the screen. This is useful if you’re trying to do more than one thing and are tired of having to tab through to get to each one. Convenient!

Find your iPhone with Siri

Did you forget where you put your iPhone down? Fear not! Just say, “Hey, Siri, where’s my phone?” She will answer with “Follow the sound of my voice.” Just follow her voice and your phone will be reunited with you again.

Cast Your Android’s Screen

Use Chromecast to broadcast your Android’s display onto a television screen for easy viewing. Use it to mirror your phone or watch television and movies. The mirroring option can be found in Quick Settings. The sky is the limit.

Make Text Easier to Read on Your Android

If you need to make text and objects smaller or larger for easier viewing, you can zoom in and out in the majority of apps. You can also change the setting for size in Settings. Just go to the Display menu, click Font Size, and change the size to the one that works best for you.

Take Photos with Ease

If you’re trying to take a photo from a slightly awkward angle, try using the volume buttons to snap a shot rather than clicking a button on the screen. It will make life, and the photo, a while lot easier.

Source: Shareably.net