Welcome back to the series Making Your iPhone Work For You, from this point forward referred to as MYiW4Y.(Kinda like “my way”.)
The first and second articles in this series were simplified tutorials for those who identify as, maybe, a bit “technologically challenged.” Now that all our readers can confidently say that they know how to customize their shortcuts menu, I have more tips and tricks for making your iPhone work for you.
Did you know that the word “technology” originally was only used in the applied arts. The first instance of “technology” has been found in a dictionary published in 1755, but not in the later editions until the mid 19th century.([destination content has been removed at other end :~( ]) In the early 20th century, it was still considered a specialists term and was only first mentioned in the Encyclopedia Brittanica in 1980… a decade post man-on-the-moon.
The reason the word technology was used so infrequently is that most people preferred the German term Technics to refer to…
the totality of tools and machine systems and processes which are used in the practical arts and engineering.
Nowadays, the Encyclopedia Britannica defines technology as
the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life or as it is sometimes phrased to the change and manipulation of the human environment.
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My point is technology is a tool intended to make our human lives easier. It’s unfortunate that so many iPhone operators are in the dark on what all your iPhone has to offer you. And that is why I’m here to give you the inside scoop on using your iPhone as a tool to make your life easier. No one should have to waste three hours and a subsequent trip to the Verizon store to ask the salesperson how to turn your ringer back on. (If you don’t know it’s the switch on the top left hand side of your phone it shows orange that means you’re in silent mode…)
If you’re the type of person who likes to have their ringer turned off, but find that you frequently are missing important calls or texts. This tip is for you. Did you know that you can make the flash on the back of your iPhone strobe to signal that you have an incoming notification? To turn on this iPhone feature, first go to settings. Find the General tab. (if you have an iPhone 13 and up you may not have a General tab.) Head straight for “Accessibility” from there you’ll want to go to “Audio/Visual” and select “LED Flash for Alerts”. Once toggled to the green position, you can customize the flash feature. I recommend selecting “Flash on Silent” as well.
End result, You will be notified of incoming texts, calls, and other notifications without feeling it buzz or listening for it. You now have the ability to see all incoming notifications. A word of caution: it’s quite bright…
Say you’re tired of playing phone tag but don’t like the strobe-light notification trick, I have other tips to try. Your iPhone can announce notifications and you get to select which notifications it announces. In Settings, find Notifications. Under the Siri category there should be the option to announce notifications. Once this option is toggled-on, the apps supported by this feature will display below for you to pick and choose.
If you’re still worried about missing an important call, I recommend letting your iPhone answer itself. Seriously! It’s one of the wonderful accessibility features that can be found in the Physical and Motor category of the Accessibility Settings. From there, select “Touch” and “Call Audio Routing” to find “Auto-Answer Calls” and select how long to wait before your iPhone will answer itself. This may seem like a silly idea but I highly recommend it when you’re anxiously awaiting an interview or maybe the telehealth call from your doctor that you’ve already had to reschedule… twice. And while you’re there, if you ever accidentally hang up on someone by clicking the side-button, you can turn that off too in the “Touch” menu.
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