January 2025 Tip of the Month

If you take a photo of a plant, flower, tree, or animal, you can find out exactly what it is by tapping the Info button on the bottom of the screen; if your iPhone knows what it is, a symbol with stars will appear at the bottom of the photo. The metadata details will tell you what the plant or animal is and will also give you an option to look up more information about it.

Now you try!

February 2025 Tip of the Month

Did you know that there is a Tips App on your device and when you open it you will get tips for your specific device including tips on what's new in iOS.

Device Tips

To start learning, go to the Tips app [Tap the <Tips App> Icon]. 

You can save tips:

1. Do any of the following:

   • Add a tip: Tap the [ <Tip> icon].

   • View your saved tips: Tap [<back arrow> icon] twice, then tap “Saved tips.”

   • Remove a tip from your saved tips: Tap the [ <Tip> icon].
      

Get notified when new tips arrive:

1. Go to Settings the [ <Settings> icon] > Notifications.

2. Tap Tips below Notification Style, then turn on Allow Notifications.

3. Choose options for the location and style of tip notifications, when they should appear, and more.

Now you try!

April 2025 Tip of the Month

Did you know that Siri can read an article on a webpage?  Not that voice that you hear when you highlight and choose speak. It's much better. You should try it!!

Listen to a webpage

1. Go to the Safari app on your iPhone.

2. Open the page you want to listen to, then do one of the following:

• Tap =, then tap Listen to Page.

• Activate Siri, then say something like "Read this" or "I want to listen to this page."

Now you try!

May 2025 Tip of the Month

Did you know that you can tap the back of your phone to turn on the flashlight, Or anything else you set it up to do. You should try it!!

1. Check that you have a iPhone 8 or later.

2. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch, and tap Back Tap.

3. Tap Double Tap or Triple Tap and choose an action.

4. Double or triple tap on the back of your iPhone to trigger the action you set.

You can even set a double or triple tap to trigger an Accessibility Shortcut to quickly access features like AssistiveTouch, Siri Shortcuts, Magnifier, Reachability, and VoiceOver.

Now you try!

June 2025 Tip of the Month

You can send messages with full-screen effects—such as lively lasers, a moving spotlight, or echoing bubbles—that play when your recipient gets your message.

Note: To send and receive messages with text formatting or text effects, you and your recipients must be using iMessage on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, or later. Messages appear in plain text when sent to devices using older or other operating systems.

1. Go to the Messages app  on your iPhone.

2. In a new or existing conversation, type a message or insert a photo or Memoji.

3. Touch and hold the 'up arrow in the blue circle', then tap Screen.

4. Swipe left to preview different screen effects.

5. Tap 'up arrow in the blue circle', to send the message or 'x in the gray circle' to cancel the effect and return to your message.

Messages automatically uses the following screen effects for specific text strings:

• Balloons for “Happy birthday”

• Confetti for “Congratulations”

• Fireworks for “Happy New Year”

Now you try!

August 2025 Tip of the Month

Using iPhone's built-in Visual Look Up:

1. 1. Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 15 or later.

   2. Open the Camera app and point it at the plant. (Alternatively, you can use an existing photo in your Photos app.)

   3. A small white info icon (i) might appear over the plant in the viewfinder. Tap on it if it does.

   4. If the above method doesn't work, open the photo in your Photos app.

   5. Tap and hold on to the part of the photo containing the plant.

   6. If your iPhone recognizes the plant, a pop-up with information including its name will appear.

Now you try!

September 2025 Tip of the month

Is there a phrase you find yourself typing over and over, like your user name or your email address?

Go into Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.and click (+) icon at the top.

Enter the phrase like "Please forgive me!! My give a damn hopped the shuttle to Mars!!" then a shortcut like pfm. 

Dan H. uses em for Email and then adds a emg for gmail or emm for Mac email. I have an iCloud email so I would use emi. 

You could also use this to type a letter combo that brings up a specific series of emoji, like hpy for 😀

Now you try!

October 2025 Tip of the Month

Did you ever say "Next time I talk to so&so I need to tell them..."? Well now you can set a reminder to do just that.

1. Tap a reminder, then tap the Edit Details button

2. Turn on When Messaging.

3. Tap Choose Person, then tap a name in your contacts.

The next time you chat with this person in Messages, a Reminders notification appears.
or
Try asking Siri to create a reminder, like "Hey Siri, remind me to get some cheese when leaving my work location"!!

Now you try!