Video: 5 underrated iPhone features in iOS 16 that more people should use

Check out some pretty cool — and underrated — iPhone features in iOS 16 that will surprise and delight you. Grab your iPhone and watch our video!

Video: 5 underrated iPhone features in iOS 16

We’re highlighting a few small but useful new features in iOS 16 that we think are being mistakenly underestimated. These aren’t tent features, but rather obscure ones that won’t catch your eye every time you unlock your phone. We think more people should be using these underrated features, which is why we asked our videographer Michael Billig (@michael_billig) to make a how-to video walkthrough.

The new way to use Spotlight in iOS 16

We would appreciate if you share this video with your friends and support people. One of the gems comes with the removal of the home screen pull-down gesture that was used in iOS 15 and earlier to invoke Spotlight search. However, in iOS 16, you must tap the dots at the bottom of the screen, which represent the home screen pages. Now you can easily invoke Spotlight search when using your phone in one-handed mode. Read: How to Fix Apps Not Showing in Spotlight Search on iPhone

Spotlight on Back Tap

But did you know that iOS 16 also turns Spotlight into one of the available actions for the Back Tap feature, which allows you to invoke the system-wide search feature by tapping the back of your iPhone? Me neither! This is one of several such features that Michael discusses in his video, so be sure to watch it quickly and learn something new. Read: macOS Spotlight Tips for Faster Searches

When will iOS 16 be released publicly?

iOS 16 and other major Apple OS updates are currently being tested. The updates will spend the entire summer in test mode before being released to the public in the fall. Apple is allowing early adopters and virtually everyone to test iOS 16 ahead of its release by signing up for the Apple Beta Program at beta.apple.com with their Apple ID (no developer ID required). You will need to enroll your device by downloading a dedicated configuration profile that will provide the iOS 16 beta and subsequent beta updates through Apple’s software update mechanism.