Charge your iPhone 6 faster, make it more secure & install a better keyboard
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets ship with iOS 8 and include a raft of
options allowing you to tinker with display, security, privacy and input
settings.
Turning off the annoying keyboard clicks via Settings > Sounds > Keyboard Clicks will probably be the first thing you do. But there are a raft of optimisations to be made. It’s worth spending a few minutes configuring your device as you'll benefit with a more personalised experience and potentially improve battery life.
1. Setup Touch ID and a strong password
Everyone wants their device to be as secure as possible. When you’re setting up the iPhone 6 it will ask you if you want to enable Touch ID - we recommend doing this - as it’s simple and effective.
You’ll also be prompted to set up a 4-digit passcode as default but you should take steps to beef this up.
Let’s put it into context. Say you’re on a train and the person looking over your shoulder sees you tap in your 4-digit pin. Now if this unscrupulous so-and-so happens to be a thief, you’ll have a problem as they'll know the passcode to access your device once they pinch it.
To make it harder for people to access your device Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and then switch off ‘Simple Passcode’. You’ll be prompted to enter a longer password with the ability to use alphanumeric characters. We recommend using three memorable words as a long password is a strong password (Click here for more tips on a secure password).
Using a long password may seem like a drag but, with Touch ID
enabled, most of the time you'll be unlocking the device or paying for
apps via a thumb print. The strong password is there to give you peace
of mind if the device ever goes missing.
There’s also another option for users who carry around sensitive information on the device. You can set the device to wipe all data if the passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times. This is a nice failsafe and can be activated via Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Erase Data.
2) Get a new keyboard
Apple introduced its own ‘QuickType’ predictive text keyboard, but this takes time to adjust to your usage pattern. It’s possible to download a third-party keyboard and my personal favourite is Swype (99p). This lets you drag your finger across the screen to type out words and has a great prediction feature.
SwiftKey is also a popular keyboard on Android, but so far it’s reviews aren’t quite as good as Swype on iOS 8.
If you want to use a third-party keyboard as your primary form of input you need to go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Edit and then drag it to the top of the list.
3) Charge your iPhone 6/6 Plus faster
Both iLounge and MacRumours have corroborated that it's possible to charge the latest iPhones faster with an iPad adaptor. The iPhones ship with 1 Amp chargers whereas the iPads double the capacity (2.1 Amps).
This doesn't appear to cause any damage (unlike the false report last week that microwaving an iPhone 6 would rapidly return it to full charge), but just make sure you don't do any intensive tasks while charging as you'll generate a lot of heat.
According to estimates the iPhone 6 can get to full charge in approximately 2 hours with the iPad adaptor.
4) Minimise email message
It’s possible to minimise an email you’re composing by swiping down from the top of the message. This allows you to check other emails for any important information or to copy an address. Once you’re ready to continue with your message just tap on the “New Message” tab at the bottom of the screen.
5) Setup emails/notifications
Adding accounts on the iPhone is simple, with all the popular services from Gmail to Exchange accepted. Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars to configure them.
Don't forget to fine-tune alerts. It's possible to choose how many lines of a message are previewed in notifications - personally I like 4 lines - but you can play around and see what suits you. It’s also useful to enabled the ‘Show To/Cc label’ if you’re used to sending emails to multiple recipients.
Going to Settings > Notifications > Mail allows
you to choose how you are alerted about messages. You can choose none,
banners or alerts and also whether you want messages to appear on your
lockscreen.
6) Email thread alert
Keeping on top of emails can be a headache at the best of times especially when you’re on the move.
The Mail app has a handy ‘Notify Me’ feature to help make sure you don't miss the most important emails. This is particularly useful when you’re collaborating on a project to deadline or trying to organise meetings.
To activate this go into the email, click on the Flag at the bottom then Notify Me. The email thread will then have an orange blob next to it and a little bell. Everytime someone responds to the thread you get a notification.
If you want to be absolutely sure you never miss a notification from ‘Notify Me’ threads go to Settings > Notifications > Mail > Thread Notifications and change the notification type to ‘Alerts’. This way the message will remain on screen until you dismiss it so you won’t overlook it accidentally.
7) Change vibration settings
The vibration on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is so forceful, it verges on the annoying.
It’s possible to change the vibration alert or even create a customized version. Go to Settings > Sounds > Ringtone > Vibration. From here you can choose another alert or tap out your own, less aggressive tone.
8) Reply to texts from any app
It’s possible to respond to text messages from any app when you get a banner notification. If you swipe down from the top it’s possible to tap out a reply and send it.
You have to be quick though because the ability to send a quick reply disappears along with the banner notification.
9) Keep on top of Location settings
iOS 8 makes it easier to keep track of your privacy/location settings. When you open an app like weather or maps for the first time, it will ask permission to “use your location” in the background. It's best to click 'not allow' as you don't want apps sucking up battery life unnecessarily.
To check which apps are able to access your whereabouts - go to Settings > Privacy. From here it's possible to see which apps have access to information Contacts, Calendar info, photos etc.
The best thing about the Location settings is the ability to switch it off
- and that’s what I'd recommend. This will save battery and you can
always turn on GPS for the times when you need turn-by-turn directions.
10) Find your iPhone
You can check whether this is activated by going to Settings > iCloud > Find my iPhone. The beautiful (and slightly worrying) thing is that even if your Location setting is ‘Off’ you can override the setting through 'Lost Mode' from iCloud.com.
Activating this automatically switches on Location tracking and also allows you to lock the phone and display a message on screen along with a contact number.
It’s also worth turning on the ‘Send Last Location’ setting, as this will tell you the last known whereabouts of the device before the battery died.
Turning off the annoying keyboard clicks via Settings > Sounds > Keyboard Clicks will probably be the first thing you do. But there are a raft of optimisations to be made. It’s worth spending a few minutes configuring your device as you'll benefit with a more personalised experience and potentially improve battery life.
1. Setup Touch ID and a strong password
Everyone wants their device to be as secure as possible. When you’re setting up the iPhone 6 it will ask you if you want to enable Touch ID - we recommend doing this - as it’s simple and effective.
You’ll also be prompted to set up a 4-digit passcode as default but you should take steps to beef this up.
Let’s put it into context. Say you’re on a train and the person looking over your shoulder sees you tap in your 4-digit pin. Now if this unscrupulous so-and-so happens to be a thief, you’ll have a problem as they'll know the passcode to access your device once they pinch it.
To make it harder for people to access your device Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and then switch off ‘Simple Passcode’. You’ll be prompted to enter a longer password with the ability to use alphanumeric characters. We recommend using three memorable words as a long password is a strong password (Click here for more tips on a secure password).
There’s also another option for users who carry around sensitive information on the device. You can set the device to wipe all data if the passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times. This is a nice failsafe and can be activated via Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Erase Data.
2) Get a new keyboard
Apple introduced its own ‘QuickType’ predictive text keyboard, but this takes time to adjust to your usage pattern. It’s possible to download a third-party keyboard and my personal favourite is Swype (99p). This lets you drag your finger across the screen to type out words and has a great prediction feature.
If you want to use a third-party keyboard as your primary form of input you need to go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Edit and then drag it to the top of the list.
3) Charge your iPhone 6/6 Plus faster
Both iLounge and MacRumours have corroborated that it's possible to charge the latest iPhones faster with an iPad adaptor. The iPhones ship with 1 Amp chargers whereas the iPads double the capacity (2.1 Amps).
This doesn't appear to cause any damage (unlike the false report last week that microwaving an iPhone 6 would rapidly return it to full charge), but just make sure you don't do any intensive tasks while charging as you'll generate a lot of heat.
According to estimates the iPhone 6 can get to full charge in approximately 2 hours with the iPad adaptor.
4) Minimise email message
It’s possible to minimise an email you’re composing by swiping down from the top of the message. This allows you to check other emails for any important information or to copy an address. Once you’re ready to continue with your message just tap on the “New Message” tab at the bottom of the screen.
Adding accounts on the iPhone is simple, with all the popular services from Gmail to Exchange accepted. Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars to configure them.
Don't forget to fine-tune alerts. It's possible to choose how many lines of a message are previewed in notifications - personally I like 4 lines - but you can play around and see what suits you. It’s also useful to enabled the ‘Show To/Cc label’ if you’re used to sending emails to multiple recipients.
6) Email thread alert
Keeping on top of emails can be a headache at the best of times especially when you’re on the move.
The Mail app has a handy ‘Notify Me’ feature to help make sure you don't miss the most important emails. This is particularly useful when you’re collaborating on a project to deadline or trying to organise meetings.
To activate this go into the email, click on the Flag at the bottom then Notify Me. The email thread will then have an orange blob next to it and a little bell. Everytime someone responds to the thread you get a notification.
If you want to be absolutely sure you never miss a notification from ‘Notify Me’ threads go to Settings > Notifications > Mail > Thread Notifications and change the notification type to ‘Alerts’. This way the message will remain on screen until you dismiss it so you won’t overlook it accidentally.
7) Change vibration settings
The vibration on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is so forceful, it verges on the annoying.
It’s possible to change the vibration alert or even create a customized version. Go to Settings > Sounds > Ringtone > Vibration. From here you can choose another alert or tap out your own, less aggressive tone.
8) Reply to texts from any app
It’s possible to respond to text messages from any app when you get a banner notification. If you swipe down from the top it’s possible to tap out a reply and send it.
You have to be quick though because the ability to send a quick reply disappears along with the banner notification.
9) Keep on top of Location settings
iOS 8 makes it easier to keep track of your privacy/location settings. When you open an app like weather or maps for the first time, it will ask permission to “use your location” in the background. It's best to click 'not allow' as you don't want apps sucking up battery life unnecessarily.
To check which apps are able to access your whereabouts - go to Settings > Privacy. From here it's possible to see which apps have access to information Contacts, Calendar info, photos etc.
10) Find your iPhone
You can check whether this is activated by going to Settings > iCloud > Find my iPhone. The beautiful (and slightly worrying) thing is that even if your Location setting is ‘Off’ you can override the setting through 'Lost Mode' from iCloud.com.
Activating this automatically switches on Location tracking and also allows you to lock the phone and display a message on screen along with a contact number.
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