Ten iOS 7 tips

With Christmas around the corner, lots of lucky people may be receiving some of the finest Apple gifts from Santa.

iOS 7 was released in September this year, and was a complete overhaul of the software. iOS 7 introduced many new features that can take both newbies and Apple fanatics a while to get used to.

With these things in mind, here are ten tips to get you sorted with your iOS7 device:

1) Control your device

Swipe upwards from the bottom of your screen, and the control centre will appear. Here you can quickly manage your device, with features to control such as screen brightness, music, alarm clock and more.

2) Call people straight from your texts

Now, on the top right hand of the screen, you are able to view the contact you are texting. So if you need to call someone once you’ve read their text, you can do it without switching to the contacts app.

3) Shine through the darkness

A flashlight can now be found in the control centre, rather than in an external app. Perfect for when you need to find your keys in the dark.

4) Share files easily with AirDrop

AirDrop allows you to share files, photos, contacts etc. with people physically around you just by clicking a share button and choose who you want to share it with around you. AirDrop uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you don’t have to do anything else yourself. Super quick and easy!

5) Keep your battery alive

There are many ways you can keep your battery alive with the iOS 7 update: reduce the brightness of the screen (Settings > Wallpaper and Brightness); close down apps (Double-click the home button and swipe upwards on the app screenshot); turn off AirDrop and Bluetooth (control centre) and more.

6) Make the text bigger

You can now make text easier to read on your device, as well as on any Apple-supported app. Go to Settings > General > Text Size

7) Take a perfect photo

The update allows users to select the option to take a ‘square’ photo, rather than the usual rectangle photo. Users can also select a photo filter straight from the camera app.

8) Level up

A spirit level has now been added to the compass app, handy for any Sunday DIY.

9) Siri is even more realistic

Hold down the home button to activate Siri. You can now correct Siri if he gets your name wrong, or change him to a female Siri. You can also ask Siri to check what’s happening on Twitter.

10) Automatically update your apps

Hate the notifications that build up on the App Store icon waiting for your to manually update your apps? You can now set your device to automatically update apps by going to Settings > iTunes and Apps