Navigating the New iOS 7 for Apple (Part 2)

Last month we went over several tips for navigating iOS 7. Take a look at the remaining 15 helpful navigation tips here, originally published on Macworld.com by Karen Haslam and Ashleigh Allsopp.

Check data use

To manage your apps and to avoid getting updates that you’re approaching maximum data usage, go to Settings > Cellular and scroll down until you see Cellular Data Usage. iOS 7 provides a breakdown of what apps are using the most cellular data, which you can now switch to stop if certain ones are using too much.

Time Stamps in iMessage

When a text or iMessage comes in it is no longer automatically visible to see when it came in iOS 7 as it was in iOS 6. You can still see the timestamp, you just have to go looking for it. Swipe your finger from right to left over a message to see when each was sent.

Delete an iMessage

To delete texts and iMessages in iOS 7, which isn’t as obvious or easy as it was in iOS 6, press and hold the message you want to delete and select More. At that point, you can delete one or delete all, but only from your phone. Once you fire off that drunken text, there’s no going back—it’s sent.

Delete emails

Deleting emails in iOS 7 is also causing users to scratch their heads. To delete one email, swipe right to left until you see Trash or More. Tap Trash to delete and tap More to Reply, Forward, Mark Unread or to Move the email.

Delete a note

Swipe left over the note you want to delete and tap the red delete button that pops up, or you can tap the trash can icon in the bottom toolbar if you’re in a note you want to discard.

Adjust text sizes and properties

Some users complained of font size and weight when iOS 7 was previewed over the summer. Now you change the properties of fonts by going to Settings > General > Text Size. You can make the size bigger or smaller by dragging the slider. That way you can read Mail and Messages a little easier.

Block callers

If you want to block a certain person from calling you, go to the last time they called in Recents within your Phone app and select the “i” beside their last call. From there you’ll be able to select Block this Caller, eliminating pesky solicitors from your life. You can also go to Settings > Phone > Blocked in order to block contacts or review your list of those you’ve blocked. To unblock, tap Edit and then tap the red circle in your blocked list.

Place FaceTime audio calls

If you want to make a call in FaceTime to save your mobile contract minutes but don’t feel you’re looking your best to on-camera, select the telephone icon to the right of the FaceTime option when calling a contact.

Turn off badges in Notification Center

Do you find the bright red badges that appear on your app icons every time you have a new message or update annoying? Now you can turn them off. Go to Settings > Notification Center to turn them off, but then you will have to go into each individual app in order to turn badges off.

Access control panel

Accessing the control panel, or Control Center if we’re getting technical, has never been easier than with iOS 7. Slide up from the bottom of your display where you can access WiFi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, Do Not Disturb, brightness controls, music controls, timer, calculator, camera, and the new torch feature, regardless of whether your phone is locked or unlocked.

Turn off parallax effect to reduce motion sickness

Jonathan Ive, Apple’s chief designer, designed iOS 7’s parallax effect to give three-dimensional transitions in an attempt to create depth. Wallpapers move as you move your phone and apps fly into place once you unlock your phone or return to the home screen. However, those shifts, tilts and flying apps are also creating vertigo, dizziness and even vomiting.

To turn the effect off, go to Settings > General > Accessibility and choose Reduce Motion. Slide the toggle so it turns green which indicates parallax has been turned off. Turning the parallax effect will not only stop moving wallpapers and any other animations on your phone but it will also sustain battery life.

Turn off location services to preserve battery life

When you’re not using Maps or any other app that requires knowing your location, your best bet to get the most life out of your battery is to turn location services off. To do so, go to Settings > Privacy, tap Location Services and turn the feature off.

See more in-depth weather info

In the iOS 7 Weather app, backgrounds are animated with the current weather and you’ll see the current day and week’s weather forecast. To see RealFeel temperature, humidity, and chance of rain, tap the day’s temperature. To see how the weather will change throughout the day, slide the area around the current weather. To see other locations, slide anywhere else in the app.

Search

Performing a search on your iPhone or iPad just got easier with iOS 7. Now you can slide your finger down anywhere on your phone to populate the search bar. You no longer have to swipe at the top or the bottom. The swipe anywhere motion to search can also be done within apps like Notes and Mail.

Swipe to the next page in Safari

Swipe you finger to the left to view previously viewed pages in Safari, and to see the next page of the website you’re viewing, swipe your finger to the right.

Story by Megan McClure

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