Quiz: How iPhone Savvy Are You?

Anjelika Temple
May 13, 2013

You probably think you know your iPhone pretty darn well at this point, but we’re here to bring you two just a little bit closer. There are all kinds of tricky ways you can get more use out of your phone, and we’re betting you might not know them all. Take a look at the list below and let us know how many hacks you knew before reading it. And if you score a perfect 30 out of 30, then send this post to your parents because it’s likely they won’t ;)

From taking a screenshot to using your volume key as a shutter button, here are 30 clever iPhone hacks that you might not know about, but should! (PS: If you’re an Android user, we’re working on a list of clever hacks for you too, so stay tuned!)

1. Use Your Volume Key as a Shutter Button: Did you know that your volume keys on your phone also act as shutter buttons when you’re in camera mode? This is great for all those selfies you love to take ;)

2. Do Not Disturb: This lets you put your phone to sleep, except if you get a text or call from one of the people on your list of Favorites. You can also set a time range so that you don’t have to worry about forgetting to turn it back off. To customize Do Not Disturb, go to Settings and then Notifications.

3. Tweet or Facebook Post Directly from Your Camera Roll: Why open up a whole app when you just want to share a photo? Thanks to the latest version of iOS, it’s easy to tweet or post to Facebook right from your camera roll.

4. Turn an E-Book into an Audiobook: This is definitely on the extremely hacky end of the spectrum. Go to Settings on your phone, then choose Accessibility. Turn Speak Selection on. Then, open your book and select all the copy you want to hear. You’ll see a menu bar that has options like Copy and Highlight. Scroll to the right and you’ll see Speak. Amazing!

5. Make Your Phone a Hotspot: What is a hotspot? It’s wifi, powered by your phone! It costs around $10 a month to be able to do this, and lets you connect to the data network on your phone via Bluetooth. It’s great if you’re traveling and need to use your computer or iPad to look at or send something, especially when airport wifi fails. Warning: This uses up a TON of battery power, so be sure to charge it up.

6. Spotify Offline Listening: More of an app hack than an iPhone one, Spotify makes it easy for your online library to live offline. Just make sure you’ve got enough space to save all those playlists!

Drop a Pin to Share Your Location

You may have caught this one for the first time while watching Girls. Open up Google Maps, zoom in to your location and hold down to drop a pin. Then you can share that location via text or email!

Emoji Keyboard

At this point, emoji’s an oldie but a goodie. Sometimes words just can’t convey the same thing as a teeny tiny illustrated icon. Related: Popular Songs in Emoji Form.

Change Siri’s Accent and Gender

Wait, what?! It’s sort of a hack because technically you are changing Siri’s language. If you’re sick of the English-speaking Siri your phone came with, change her to a British dude by choosing English (United Kingdom) as your language.

10. Update Your Twitter Status via MMS: This one is good when you have limited connectivity but still want to share all of your thoughts and activities via Twitter. Head to the Twitter website, login, and then to Settings. Select mobile and you can connect your phone number to your Twitter account. Then all you have to do is text 404-04 to send words, images, and even videos to Twitter!

Google Now

Technically this is an app, but it’s one you need to download now. It syncs with your calendar and email and other Google Apps to serve up helpful information right when you need it – things like flight delays, the weather, driving directions, etc. You can also speak to it to look things up.

12. Touch the Top Bar to Scroll to the Top: If you’ve been scrolling through your camera roll for 10 minutes just to get to the top, we’ve got news for you. If you tap the top bar (where the time and battery life icons are), you will be automatically scrolled to the top of whatever you’re looking at. This also works for websites, apps, and pretty much anything that involves scrolling on your phone.

13. Create an “App” out of a Website: Think of it as “save to desktop” for your phone. When you’re on a website in Safari, press the icon that looks like a share (an arrow in a box) button and you can choose to save that website to your home screen.

14. Tap to Focus Camera: It’s not exactly a DSLR, but the iPhone camera is getting fancier by the day. In a recent update, you can now tap to focus if you want the camera to focus on a specific item.

15. Attaching Photos to Emails: Sure, you know how to send a photo directly from your camera roll, but what if you want to add a photo to an email you’ve already written? Or one that is in an existing thread? Turns out, if you hold your finger down while writing your email, a menu will pop up. Click on the arrow on the right, and you’ll have the option to insert a photo or video. Woot!

16. Custom Vibrate Alerts: Silent customization? Okay okay, vibrate mode has never been silent but this is still pretty cool. You can design your own vibrate pattern or choose from a bunch of options already on your phone.

17. Taking a Screenshot: This might be the hack we use most often – in fact, every single screenshot in this post was created using this hack. Simply hold your home button and your power button to take a screenshot of whatever is currently on your screen. Head to your camera roll to find it!

18. On-Screen Home Button: Is your button acting up? You can’t justify getting a new phone just because the button isn’t working, but you kind of need that button. Well, you can add one to your screen! Head to Settings and then Accessibility, and activate Assistive Touch. You can move the button to anywhere on your screen.

19. Private Browsing:If you are worried about Apple having all of your browsing information on file in some secret database, simply activate private browsing. To do this, go to Settings, then choose Safari, and turn Private Browsing on.

20. Save Pages for Offline Reading: If you know you’re going to be offline in the near future, go to all of your favorite blogs and save them for offline reading! In Safari, click the arrow button on the bottom of your screen and select “Add to Reading List.” The small book icon that appears on your browser is that very reading list!

Turn On Auto-Brightness

When it’s pitch black in your room at 6am when you wake up, you definitely don’t need the brightness on your phone turned up all the way. Turn on auto-brightness to save your eyes and save battery power all at the same time.

22. Double Tap Home Button for Music Controls When Locked: If you’re rocking out to Passion Pit and need to press the pause button real quick, simply double click your home button and your music controls will pop up.

23. Lock Screen Orientation: Sick of your screen auto-rotating every time you turn even just a little bit? Lock that vertical screen right up! Double click your home button and scroll to the left. The button that looks like a rotate icon is how you lock your screen orientation. (If you scroll to the right, you’ll see all the apps you are currently using.)

24. iMessage Overseas without Fees: The best thing about iMessage is not just the blue chat bubbles. You can actually send texts over Wifi, even if you’re overseas and in airplane mode. Simply turn on airplane mode and then connect to a wifi network. This will only work when sending texts to other iPhones.

25. Save Web Images to Your Camera Roll: How often have you done the same Google Image search of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra to get that makeup just right? Stop that! You can save any image that you see on the web to your camera roll. Simply press the screen where the image is, and you should a menu that allows you to save it.

26. Turn Off Wifi and Bluetooth to Save Battery: Another way to save battery – your phone definitely doesn’t need to be searching for nearby Jamboxes or other Bluetooth devices throughout the day. This is a really good move if you’re traveling and know that you won’t be automatically connecting to known Wifi networks.

27. Create Custom Typing Shortcuts: Okay, this is the coolest thing we learned in our research of iPhone hacks. You can create typing shortcuts for things you type all the time. This is great for your email address, your home address, and things you say all the dang time.

Save Path Photos to Your Camera Roll

We had to include a little Easter egg from our friends over at Path. You can actually save (or repath) any of your friends’ photos to your camera roll! Click into a photo and press the photo and a menu will pop up letting you save it.

29. Double Tap the Home Key to Browse (and Close) Open Apps: If you don’t want to scroll through pages of apps, you can double click your home button to browse just the open ones.

30. Hold Down an App to Delete or Move It: This should be a pretty obvious one but if you don’t know about it, we want to make sure you do! If you hold down any app, your apps will start bouncing and will each have a tiny X in the upper left corner. The X lets you delete the app and the bouncing lets you move apps around on your phone.

6 Crazy "Outer Banks" Opinions That Would Totally Change The Show

I'll admit out of the many teen dramas I've consumed, Outer Banks is one of the most ridiculous. But the insanity surrounding the plot is half the reason it's enjoyable! John B. wrestling an alligator with his bare hands? Kiara getting kidnapped then making a daring escape in her PJ's? John B. and Sarah getting married (kind of) by the power of "the sky, the stars, and the sea" after escaping the SBI?

Considering my favorite fan theory for the future is that Madelyn Cline's Sarah and Rudy Pankow's JJ learn they're secret siblings, I know the crazy train isn't slowing down anytime soon. I took to Reddit to find the wildest Outer Bankshot takes and I was not disappointed. Keep reading to see if you agree with any!

JJ and Kiara Never Should Have Happened

Image via Netflix

While JJ and Kiara is one of the most popular ships on the show, a lot of Outer Banks fans think the "no Pogue-on-Pogue macking" rule from the pilot should have stayed in effect. The individual romances between Kiara and JJ, John B., and Pope make the story really messy, and the fact the show writes Kiara to be with all three of them in the span of three years gives a lot of viewers the ick.

I'll be team #Jiara forever (and literally screamed when The Backseat Lovers' "Kilby Girl" started playing during the motorcycle ride in season 3), but I'll say it would incredibly compelling to see a friend group take care of each other as much as the Pogues do without ever crossing over into romantic territory. That's found family, after all!

Pope Should Have Ditched The Treasure Hunt

Image via Netflix

One Reddit user is convinced that "Pope should’ve focused on his future in school instead of giving everything up to search for treasure." And TBH, I totally agree.

In season 1, Pope has a breakthrough about the hidden treasure in the middle of his scholarship interview. He ditches the scholarship committee to tell the rest of the Pogues, throwing away a crazy educational opportunity. Pope beats himself up for it, and his parents definitely aren't pleased, but at least it meant he got to stay in the show instead of leaving for college, which leads me to...

Outer Banks Should Have Started With The Pogues In Their 20s

Image via Netflix

As one of the only people alive who loves the post-time jump One Tree Hill, I would have loved to see OBX start off with the characters in their 20s (although it looks like that's where Outer Banks season 4 will pick up!). This would eliminate SO MANY problems from the jump because the Pogues wouldn't have to worry about missing school, they'd be more self-sufficient, and instead of being the same old high school drama, it could have provided a commentary on figuring out life in your 20s the same way Friends did.

Rafe Shouldn't Have Any Kind Of Redemption Arc In Outer Banks Season 4

Image via Netflix

Drew Starkey the man that you are. According to one Reddit user, "Rafe should not have a love interest or a redemption arc" like we see in season 3. We spent all of season 1 and season 2 establishing that Rafe (played by Drew) would do anything it took to get what he wanted (including one successful murder and two other attempts?!). He shows next to no remorse for his actions, and exploring his literal psychopathic tendencies would take the show to a whole new level.

Big John Should Never Have Returned

Image via Netflix

John B.'s dad's disappearance is the catalyst for the Pogues' journey at the beginning of Outer Banks, and Big John's return means the story feels somewhat repetitive in the third season, and it undoes a lot of the growth we've seen from John B. Plus, Big John is just SO chaotic, selfish, and dramatic. If he had truly died in season 1, we could have seen John B. wrestle with that finality, and how to cope with loss in the face of finding the treasure and falling in love with Sarah.

And Finally, Outer Banks Should Have Ended After Season 1

Image via Netflix

Outer Banks season 1 was exactly what we needed at the height of the pandemic. It was escapist — both in terms of the beach vacation vibes, but also because the '00s aesthetic took us right back to simpler times — and it had such a wonderfully resolved finale that some fans think nothing has matched it.

Do you agree with any of these Outer Banks opinions? I'm such a romance fan, I don't know what I'd do if the show didn't have JJ and Kiara get together! Check out all the best New TV Shows coming this year for more.

Lead image via Netflix

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Mariska Hargitay’s Powerful “Me Too” Message Proves She’s Olivia Benson IRL

Mariska Hargitay is the woman of the hour anywhere she goes, with her iconic Law & Order: SVUrole as Olivia Benson under her belt for the last 25 years. The character is an absolute advocate to women — and assault victims of any gender — through her words, actions, and powerful convictions of each perpetrator on the show. She takes great care with her victims and pursues perpetrators with fervor, and slowly as you watch the show..the line blurs between Olivia and Mariska.

This isn't anything new — just recently Mariska literally stopped production on the show to help a child (who mistook her for an actual police officer) find her mom. It's just who Mariska is. She walks the walk and talks the talk — including during her speech at Variety's Power of Women's Power of Women event.

Image via NBC Universal

As a Power of Women honoree, Mariska was recognized in regards to her work as an advocate for sexual assault survivors. She took the stage and used her platform to discuss rape and assault conviction reversals, shining a light on the recent overturned ruling in Harvey Weinstein's landmark NYC case. Here's what she said:

Today I want to talk about reversing convictions, and more specifically I want to talk to you about how impossible it is to reverse mine. It’s impossible to reverse my conviction that survivors matter. It is impossible to reverse my conviction that what happens to us matters, and that our society must respond to survivors with a more a compassionate, holistically, deeper, and more nuanced understanding of what healing means.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that after a trauma, survivors can reclaim lives of hope, of possibility, of audacious risk, beautiful intimacy, and glorious, glorious abundant joy. And I stand before you as evidence of that statement.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that we must listen to survivors as experts on what justice means. It is extraordinary how little their voices are consulted, let alone incorporated, in the process of deciding how to repair harm. Justice is not a one-size-fits-all journey.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that patriarchal impunity has to end. Patriarchal impunity is when a male-dominated system exempts perpetrators from punishment. Studies show that only 20% of all rape cases in the U.S. are reported to the police, and that between 5 and 0% of all rapes result in a guilty plea or a conviction. So why do 80% of victims not report? Because they're met with a system that grants impunity to perpetrators; a system that blames victims; a system that accepts only those victims who are experienced as "real" rape; a system that completely misunderstands the neurobiology of trauma, which causes behavior in women that doesn't fit the picture of how a "real victim" would act.

Is that change needed that victims should just pull themselves together? Just buck up and report anyway? No. No, it's the system that receives them that needs to change

It is impossible to reverse my conviction — and the conviction of my extraordinary team, The Joyful Heart — that the backlog of untested rape kits can be brought to zero; that the testing of all new kits must be mandated; that we need a statewide kit tracking system; and that survivors have the right to access the status of their kits.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that grammar — yes, grammar — that we use when we speak about rape must change. In the sentence, "A woman is raped," there's a crime and there's a victim, but there's no perpetrator. Where's the perpetrator? Where is he? Statistically, as we know, most likely he's walking free. He's so free that he doesn't even appear in the language about the crime that he committed. Is that not extraordinary? It's extraordinary that in the very grammar, the perpetrator goes free. Reintroducing perpetrators in the language of rape will make some very unwieldy grammar, but that's the nature of change. It's unwieldy, it's messy, it's uncomfortable, but it's necessary.

Image via NBC Universal

Hargitay continued on in her prolific speech to describe that rape shouldn't be considered a "crime of passion" because it's "not simply the next step in the trajectory of his passion" when a man takes a consensual hookup too far and assaults a woman against her will. She stated that it's "an exercise of power," doubling down that the language we use is important.

The speech went on to address that rape is both about power and control, as a "construct" that was "built, and assembled, and reinforced over time." She noted that there are people with these positions of power — and she specifically called out those in the entertainment industry — that could make a difference and aligned themselves to victims and survivors.

After this and some other remarks, Hargitay specifically called out the Weinstein conviction reversal. She said:

I do want to say something about the Harvey Weinstein conviction, specifically about the reason that it was overturned: too many women's voices. Too many women's voices were allowed to speak. Hallelujah! Amen! I can't imagine anything more beautiful than that. The Daily podcast episode talked about how it was so risky for the prosecution to have that many women testify. Risky to let women speak? You're damn right it is!

Too many women speaking brings change. Too many women speaking shakes the establishment. Too many women means we get listened to more, and people might actually hear what we have to say. Look what happened when women started saying just two words, right? Me too — just as an example — a tidal wave of change. Me too.

And then of course, there was the response: the Me Too Movement. The backlash. The examination of whether the changes that have come are lasting, or are even positive. Of course there's a backlash! What did they expect? For women to speak repeatedly, loudly, together, with a purpose — for there to be no backlash? The backlash is evidence of how powerful those voices were, how powerful those voices ARE.

Watch Mariska Hargitay's Full Speech Here

www.youtube.com

Mariska Hargitay's Gets Emotional as She Thanks Her Support System and the Women Around Her

Turns out that your TV heroes really can be your IRL heroes after all. Long live Olivia Benson! Long live Mariska Hargitay!

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Header image via NBC Universal

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Here’s When You Can Watch “Emily in Paris” Season 4

After Emily in Paris season 3 dropped on Netflix in December of 2022, we were hoping to get the fourth installment of the hit show in 2023. But production halted when the WGA writers' strike, then the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike went to affect, and our beloved cast and crew campaigned for better wages and industry protection. But with the end of the writers' strike, and new SAG negotiations, Emily in Paris season 4 finally began production in February 2024 — and I can already tell you there's sure to be plenty of drama and French fashion this time around.

Not only will we see Emily in Paris (see what I did there?!) but she's also pulling an Audrey Hepburn and taking a little Roman Holiday. That's right — our favorite Parisians are heading to Italy! If that doesn't sound like a dreamy comfort show then I don't know what does. Here's everything we know about the upcoming season of your favorite TV brain candy!!

Is Emily in Paris season 4 coming soon?

Image via Lily Collins/Instagram

Via Variety, Emily in Paris season 4 began production in Paris the week of January 15! "Did someone say Saison Quatre?!" Lily Collins says in her Instagram post announcing production. "Finally reunited with my @emilyinparis fam back in Paris and it feels so good. Although, I may need to brush up on my selfie skills for Emily’s sake…"

Now the wait is over! According to the official announcementfor Emily in Paris, we know part one drops on Netflix August 15, followed by part 2 on September 12. I've been impatiently waiting for this considering we didn't know how filming would be impacted by things like the WGA writers strike!

Is Emily in Paris filmed in Paris?

Image via Lily Collins/Instagram

Yes, Emily in Paris is filmed on location in Paris! We got our first look at Emily in Paris season 4 when Lily Collins and Ashley Park were seen filming in the City of Love (via Daily Mail). The costumes for the series are still as bold and bright as ever, with Ashley's Mindy wearing cobalt and metallic boots, and Lily's Emily dressed head-to-toe in lemon yellow. I can't wait to see what these best friends get up to this season! Check out our Paris travel recommendations to live out your own Emily in Paris dreams ;).

On April 27, Lily Collins confirmed Emily in Paris season 4 had wrapped its France shoot and that the cast & crew have swapped the City of Love for the Eternal City! "When you’re the first ones on the dance floor at the Paris wrap party. Next stop: Rome!" she says on Instagram. Late spring is literally the perfect time to film in Italy and I just know this season is going to give me more wanderlust than ever before. I need gelato!

What's Emily In Paris season 4 about?

Image via Netflix

Season 3 left us with a huge cliffhanger: Alfie breaks up with Emily, Camille learns she's pregnant with Gabriel's baby, Benoit's "Mon Soleil" has been chosen for the Eurovision Song Contest, and Emily and Gabriel realize they've been in love with each other the whole time. Whew.

Emily in Paris season 4 will have a ton of cliffhangers to bring full circle, and a bunch of damage that all the characters need to heal. We know from the Netflix TUDUM fan event that we might also see Emily have to deal with an ultimatum head-on, as well as an unexpected twist. Plus, it looks like she's heading on a "Roman holiday," according to lead actress Lily Collins. We'll take any nod to an Audrey Hepburn movie, please and thank you!

Is Alfie coming back in season 4 of Emily in Paris?

Image via Netflix

We don't have OFFICIAL word on whether Alfie (played by Lucien Laviscount) will return for Emily in Paris season 4, but we're hoping for his sake that he gets some closure. Lucien wants to come back as well! "[The dream is] to keep this gravy train going and just to kind of really live in this world a little bit longer," he says in an interview with Elle. " The writers on the show and the creators behind it and everyone that comes into contact with it is so amazing and fantastic. Their minds [have] way, way, way, way surpassed mine. So, yeah. I’ll let them do their thing.”

Who else is in the Emily in Paris season 4 cast?

Image via Netflix

We can expect the rest of the cast — Lily Collins as Emily, Lucas Bravo as Gabriel, Ashley Park as Mindy, Camille Razat as Camille, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie, Samuel Arnold as Julian, and Bruno Gouery as Luc — to return.

Will there be a season 5 of Emily in Paris?

Image via Marie Etchegoyen/Netflix

It looks like Emily in Paris season 4 will not be the final season, according to creator Darren Star. “There’s a lot more story to tell here and we’re not wrapping things up anytime soon,” Star tells Elle. “And also hopefully season four isn’t the end either. I feel like we’re all creatively feeling like we’re in the middle of something not heading towards the end.”

Darren also told Deadline season 4 is "not necessarily conceived as a final chapter. I think like every other show, it’s a rich ensemble. There’s no end in sight until everybody feels like it’s time to end. And I don’t think this show is limited by a number of seasons, I think it’s limited by everybody’s enthusiasm and excitement about doing it and telling stories about these characters."

We'll take as many seasons of Emily in Paris as they'll give us!!

What has the cast said about Emily in Paris season 4?

Image via Marie Etchegoyen/Netflix

Lucas Bravo told People he's excited for a coming-of-age for Gabriel. "When you start a character, then there's a year where you experience the world and you mature, you become another person and you come back and it's exactly the day you left off," he says. "I'm happy that in season four I'll be able to bring more of what I became and what I've experienced in the past four years."

Even though Lily Collins is now an executive producer, she doesn't want to know TOO much about the future of the show. “Darren and I speak, on occasion, about where he’s thinking of going, but he also doesn’t wanna spoil too much for me because there is a fine line,” she tells Collider. “I don’t wanna know everything because I want to be led with the writing, but I am also curious because, as a producer wanting to celebrate the other characters, I’m very curious to see what their trajectories are."

What happened at the end of Emily in Paris season 3?

Image via Netflix

To be fully prepared for Emily in Paris season 4, it's important to remember just what happened during season 3! The junior season was a bumpy ride for Emily, and it ends with the craziest finale yet. After Camille and Gabriel decide to get married, Camille stops the wedding, saying she knows Gabriel is in love with Emily instead of her. This declaration leads Alfie to break up with our leading lady because he refuses to be her second choice (and honestly, I respect it). That's not the only shocker because Camille also reveals that she's pregnant with Gabriel's child, which comes as a surprise to everyone. Meanwhile, Mindy learns Benoit has submitted a song (specifically "Mon Soleil") to the Eurovision Song Contest and Laurent has his heart set on opening a club in Paris.

Are you excited for Emily in Paris Season 4? Give us your craziest theory in the comments, and check out our Facebook for more pop culture news. Read up on how This Emily In Paris Theory Could Be Why Emily And Gabriel Aren’t Together (Yet).

Lead image via Netflix.

This post has been updated.

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