15 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do in iOS 7

Create Custom Vibrations1 of 16

While custom ringtones have been around for a long time in the world of cell phones, Apple has introduced custom vibrations in iOS 7. To make your own vibration pattern, go to Settings > Sounds > Vibration > Create New Vibration. Use a variety of taps and holds to create catchy and unique vibration patterns.

Keep reading to find out even more tips and tricks for iOS 7 and the new iPhones!

Correct Siri's Pronunciation2 of 16

Siri is famous for having problems pronouncing certain words and especially names, but now you can teach the AI by saying, "That's not how you pronounce (word)." After a little coaching, Siri will learn the correct pronunciation from you and use it in the future!

Twitter Summary3 of 16

You may find yourself going to Safari instead of opening the Twitter app in iOS 7. The browser now contains a feature that brings up all the tweets in your feed that contain links. Just tap the "@" symbol inside of the bookmarks menu and see the condensed summary of tweets.

Head Movement Control4 of 16

Similar to the technology in Samsung Galaxy phones, you can control iOS 7 with the movement of your head. You can turn on this strange and somewhat useful option under Accessibility > Switch Control. You can even customize each movement's action under Switches.

Delete Text Messages5 of 16

Old iPhone users might be surprised to see that the old Edit button no longer exists in the text messaging screen. To delete text messages, you now need to hold your finger on a message and select the "More..." option that will appear. Select individual text messages by tapping the circles that appear on the left and then delete those by tapping the Trash Can option.

Download Free Apps6 of 16

When you buy a new Apple device with iOS 7, you get to download a few popular apps for free! You'll get Pages (word processing), Numbers (spreadsheets), Keynote (presentations), iPhoto (photo editing), and iMovie (video editing). Each of these apps normally cost $5 or more, so take advantage of it!

Improve Readability7 of 16

Some people are having a lot of trouble reading text in iOS 7, but there's an easy fix for that. Just navigate to Settings > General > Accessibility and activate the "Bold Text" option. You can also try the "Larger Dynamic Type" option. After a quick restart, you should be able to read the text a bit easier than before.

Remove Recent Contacts8 of 16

Typing the name of a contact when writing an email or text causes a huge list to appear of all your recent contacts. If you want to remove someone from this list, simply tap the small "i" that appears next to their name. It will take you to a screen where you can add that person to your contacts or remove them from the recent list.

Close Background Apps9 of 16

Press the home button twice or swipe across the screen with four fingers to bring up the app-switching screen. Instead of the old red X, you now remove running background apps from the list by swiping up on the screencap. You can close multiple apps at once by swiping them at the same time.

Change Siri's Voice10 of 16

Siri isn't limited to the classic female voice anymore. In iOS 7, you can adjust the setting in Settings > General > Siri > Voice Gender and select either male or female.

Location-Based Reminders11 of 16

Make sure to fill out you enter your contact profile with all of your information, including your address. Siri will give you a reminder when you come home if you need to do something important! You'll also get important traffic updates for your area in the morning.

On the Level12 of 16

Open the compass app and swipe to the left to access the level tool. Other third party apps were available that had this feature, but now it comes included in iOS 7 and has a simple design that anyone can understand.

Close Safari Tabs13 of 16

Don't worry about trying to tap that tiny X on Safari tabs anymore. Just swipe the screen to the left to close the current tab. Safari is now also capable of having 24 tabs open at one time.

Event Text Recognition14 of 16

iOS 7 speeds up the process of adding important events to your calendar with a nifty text recognition system. A message containing "today," "tomorrow," or a date will show up with a link that lets you add it to your calendar.

Quick Unlock15 of 16

When using iOS 7 with the iPhone 5s, you can access your phone faster by pressing down the home button and then keeping your finger on the button. When the lock screen appears, you'll automatically activate the fingerprint scan for a faster unlocking experience.

15 Common Problems After Updating to iOS 7

iMessage Doesn't Send or Receive Messages

1 of 16

Updating to iOS 7 should be a simple process, but Apple's latest operating system is causing a lot of headaches for old iPhone and iPad users. If you're debating whether to update or you're having issues with yofur device, check out these common bugs and solutions!

The most common complaint after upgrading to iOS 7 is that the phone no longer sends or recieves iMessages. Luckily, the fix for this problem is simple:

1. Open up the Settings app, select Messages, and tap the slider to turn iMessage off.
2. Under the main settings menu, go to General > Reset and tap Reset Network Settings
3. Go back to Settings >Messages and turn iMessage back on

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Won't Connect2 of 16

You may have noticed that your Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections aren't working after upgrading to iOS 7. They might immediately turn off after being turned on, or the option to toggle them could even be grayed out.

Rebooting your phone and/or router will probably fix the problem temporarily, but for a more permanent fix you should try these options:

• Remove any non-letter characters from your phone's name, such as an apostrophe.
• Go into Airplane mode, then go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
• Sync your data with iTunes on a computer, and restore your phone to factory settings using the Restore iPhone button.

Stuck on Apple Logo3 of 16

One of the most severe problems affecting people after iOS 7 update is that it freezes during start up. After turning the phone on, you'll simply see a blank screen or the Apple logo, but nothing else happens.

To fix this problem, follow these steps:

1. Turn your device off by holding down the Sleep button.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer and start iTunes.
3. Hold down both the Sleep and Home button at the same time for about 10 seconds.
4. Release the Sleep button and keep holding the Home button until a message appears in iTunes.
5. Select your device, and choose the Restore option under Summary.

Anyone Can Bypass the Lock Screen4 of 16

It didn't take long for someone to figure out how to bypass the new lock screen in iOS 7. To protect someone from viewing certain content on your iPhone or iPad, there's a simple fix. Just go to Settings > Control Center and turn off the option for Access on Lock Screen.

Family's Messages and Contacts are Lumped Together

5 of 16

You might have noticed that there are randomly extra people in your contacts or that you're getting strange emails after updating to iOS 7. The problem is related to the fact that you're using the same Apple ID as someone else in your family. Go to Settings > iCloud and select the option for Delete Account. Make sure to choose the "Keep on My Phone" option to keep your data.

The problem should now be fixed, but you'll need to set up a new Apple ID and iCloud account.

Can't Download App Updates6 of 16

You may have discovered that your apps aren't updating and that you can't even manually download updates for your apps. Deleting and reinstalling the apps might fix the problem, but you can also try logging out of your account under Settings > iTunes & App Store and then rebooting your device.

All Emails Marked as Unread7 of 16

Some iPhone and iPad users were really surprised to see that they had thousands of new emails after updating to iOS 7. This bug is most common with people using Gmail, but it does affect other email clients. Fix the bug by logging into your email account on a computer, selecting all emails, and then choose Mark as Read.

Typing on the Keyboard is Laggy8 of 16

Many users have noticed that the virtual keyboard in iOS 7 is slow to respond and occassionally has some serious lag while typing. There's not a perfect fix for this yet, but you can try going to Settings > iCloud and turning off the Documents & Data feature.

Media Controls Don't Work9 of 16

One of the cool new features in iOS 7 was the addition of media controls to the Control Center panel. This bug seems to come and go, so just try turning off your iPhone and turning it back on to fix the issue.

Apps Randomly Log Out10 of 16

It's a huge pain to log into your favorite apps over and over again, which you might have to do after updating to iOS 7. While it's not a pefect solution, you can fix the problem by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turning off the feature for your most used apps.

Backgrounds Cause Motion Sickness11 of 16

Apple completely changed the look and feel of iOS 7, but it's actually giving some people motion sickness! Change these settings to reduce the effect on your eyes:

• Go to Settings > General > Accessibility and select Reduce Motion to turn off the "parallax" backgrounds.
• From the same menu, you can also try using the Increase Contrast option.
• Make text easier to read by going to Settings > General > Accessibility and choosing Bold Text.

Sound Doesn't Work12 of 16

Some iPhones have stopped playing any sounds through the speaker or headphones after updating to iOS 7. Try these possible fixes:

• Check to see if audio is Muted under Settings > General > Use Side Switch To
• Make sure Mono Audio is off under Settings > General > Accessibility
• Backup and restore your phone to factory settings using iTunes

Battery Drains Faster than Usual13 of 16

It's been proven that iOS 7 is a battery life killer in older iPhone models, but you can try changing these setting to make your battery last longer:

• Swipe up to access the Control Center and turn down the Brightness setting.
• Go to Settings > General > Accessibility and select Reduce Motion to turn off the 3D effects.
• Go to Settings > General and turn off the Background App Refresh feature.

 

Can't Send Text Messages14 of 16

Not beng able to send iMessages is one thing, but some people can't even text after updating to iOS 7. There doesn't seem to be a perfect solution, but you can work around the issue. Press and hold on your text message and then select the option called "Send as text message."

Charging Cable Doesn't Work

15 of 16

Many third party charging cables cause a warning message to appear or don't work at all since updating to iOS 7. Apple can now detect whether or not their authenticator chips are used in the cable, so you'll need to get an official one from Apple if yours isn't working. If you have an official cable, and your iPhone still won't charge, try doing a factory reset in iTunes.

New IPhones, iOS7: What Experts Say

Should you get a new "space gray" iPhone 5S that scans your fingerprint or its cheaper little sister the 5C, which is encased in candy-colored plastic? And what about iOS7 -should you brave an upgrade?

A barrage of reviews arrived this week, ahead of Apple's release of two new iPhones and redesigned software for mobile gadgets. Here's a sampling of what tech reporters, columnists and bloggers are saying

Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal on new iPhones

"If you are an iPhone fan with any model older than the iPhone 5, the new 5S will be a big step up. If you own an iPhone 5, there's less of a case for upgrading, unless you want the fingerprint reader and improved camera."

David Pogue, The New York Times on new iPhones

"(The) speed of innovation seems to be slowing down, but don't let that depress you. Focus instead on the silver lining: you can keep your current phone longer without feeling obsolete quite so soon."

Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg on new iPhones

"If you like Apple products, you'll like these; if you don't, you won't."

Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press on new iPhones

Who knew biometric authentication could be such a blast?

Lauren Goode, AllThingsD on new iPhones

"While the 5c looks and feels very familiar, it's still a good phone and an improvement over the 5. But its improvements are evolutionary, not revolutionary."

John Gruber, Daring Fireball on new iPhones

"The 5S is another engineering triumph for Apple (and no slacker in the fashion/branding game either). The 5C, though, is purely an emotional play - and, I think, a winning one."

Scott Stein, CNET on new iPhones

"The iPhone 5S delivers an improved camera, a nifty fingerprint sensor, and a next-gen CPU and motion-tracking chip."

Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch on iOS 7

"The new mobile operating system is a big visual change, and is likely to feel somewhat disorienting to users upgrading from iOS 6, but in most important ways, it's not that dissimilar from what you're used to, and many of the changes are definitely for the best."

Mat Honan, Wired on iOS 7

"Apple's new iOS 7 represents the most substantial change to the iPhone since it started supporting third-party apps. But as dramatic as the update may look, it doesn't go far enough functionally."

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press on iOS 7

"I am already looking forward to downloading the software next week so I can simulate what it's like to have a new iPhone for free."

David Pogue, The New York Times on iOS 7

"It's a radical, huge redesign."

Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal on iOS 7

"Buttons and controls are thinner and lighter and, in the browser, they disappear or shrink to make a little more room for content. Overall, the effect is to make the 4-inch screen seem larger." 

Apple iOS 7 download opens today: 7 things you need to know

Apple’s iOS 7 is up for download today. iOS 7, which is the mobile software for Apple’s iPads, iPod Touch and iPhones, will be available as a free download. The downloads should go live by 10 AM PST which is around 10.30 pm in India.

iOS 7 will support iPhone 4 and later, ipad 2 and higher, iPad Mini, and iPod Touch fifth generation. At the launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c, Tim Cook also spoke about iWork, iPhoto and iMovie apps which will be free with any new iOS device. Apple’s hasn’t made too many changes to iOS 7 except that Apple’s apps on iOS 7 now support 64-bit system for the new iPhone 5s.

Here are 7 things you need to note about iOS 7.

New design: According to Apple, the new interface is purposely unobtrusive and they have done away with conspicuous ornamentation, and removed unnecessary bars and buttons.

Gone is the Magazine stand from the NewStand app. Almost every single app from Games Centre to how folders look on iOS 7 have been redesigned. Some of Apple’s most iconic apps look very different now. For instance the Music app has a reddish-background with the music symbol on it. The weather app is animated now. The app will also show Thunder, and cloudy weather for the pertinent conditions.

iOS 7 also has a lot more colour than previous version of the software.

Notification Centre: The Notification Centre is still on top but its much less clunky than in the previous versions of iOS. It will give details about new mail, missed calls, etc. It also has a new feature called ‘Today’ which will give users a summary of everything they have lined up for the day. Users can also access the Notification Center from any screen, including the Lock screen by swiping
.

Control Centre: There’s now a control centre at the bottom and users can just slide upwards to access the settings. They can turn on Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Do Not Disturb, volume settings etc from here. Also adjust screen brightness from the Control Panel. This works even in Lock Screen mode. Access to the flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera is also available from the Control Panel.

Multitasking: If you have an app that you’re always using, iOS 7 will make note of that and make sure its updating in the background. According to Apple, So if you tend to check your favourite social app at 9:00 a.m. every day, your feed will be ready and waiting for you.

Camera: The Camera app now comes with inbuilt new features and you can edit photos as you shoot them. Filters in Camera are coming only to iPhone 5, iPod Touch 5th generation, while Filters in Photos app will be available on iPhone 4 and above, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).

Photos app: Instead of unorganised mess of photos, this will now store photos according to the time, place they were clicked. Photos will be stored in albums. Users can tap years and all shots for that year will fill the screen.

AirDrop: Apple’s answer to NFC, this will let users shares videos, email, photos, etc with their friends on iOS. You can just click on the Share button on any app that supports AirDrop, tap to share, select the person you want to share with and it will be done. AirDrop uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

All transfers are encrypted, so what you share is highly secure. AirDrop is available on iPhone 5, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires an iCloud account.

Bonus:  Siri has an improved voice and interface and Apple has bumped up the Find my iPhone feature.