Many people today own an iPhone. The Apple iPhone is probably the most popular device of our time, but it can be tough to figure out. If you don’t know how to use your iPhone yet, keep reading. This article has a lot of tips that will make you a pro.

Consider getting insurance for your iPhone. The extra coverage will give you the peace of mind of knowing that your phone is covered for just about any damage. Protect your iPhone from damage caused by dropping it by using a protective case.

IPhone charging cords can be easily damaged and should be handled with care. Always try to disconnect this cord as gently as possible from the iPhone and power outlet. Your charging cord can last a long time with a little bit of care.

Always upgrade the OS to the most current version possible. The iPhone is really like a mini-computer, so every now and then patches appear to fix security holes, bugs and issues with functionality. Updates are especially important if you use or access personal information while on your phone.

There are many ways to save time while typing on your iPhone. Add shortcuts on your keyboard by going to your keyboard settings. Keyboard settings are found under general settings. You can program short cut keys for phrases or paragraphs that you frequently text or type. Once you have the shortcut set up, it’ll only take you a few quick taps to produce the word you want.

Beware of talking to Siri too much on your iPhone, if you care about your privacy. Siri quickly records and stores all of your important voice prompts on an internally hosted server. Although this assists with improving speech recognition and Apple maintains that there is file security, be aware that your conversations with Siri may be recorded.

If you try the Safari browser instead of Internet Explorer, you will not have to type the .com to go to a website. For example, if you wish to visit CNN’s website, simply type “CNN” into the web address bar.

Do you have more than one program running on your iPhone, which must be shut down? You can do this quickly by tapping your home key. Find that perfect app for yourself and then it’s as simple as pushing a finger down on a button. As soon as the icon shakes, hit the red minus button, and the app will close.

It can be tough to scroll in a smaller window in Safari from your iPhone. You may discover you have scrolled yourself right through the main site instead. If you’re having issues, try to zoom in on that window first. Use two fingers and move them away from each other to achieve this.

Your iPhone can take pictures without needing to be shaken. In order to do this, use the volume buttons that are located on your headphones. Keep your hand steady as you focus on the image you want to take a picture of. When it is time to snap a photo, just press down on the buttons on the cord.

You will need to back up your contacts from your iPhone. Try out the iDrive Lite app, which backs up your contacts and can restore them, too. Updating your iPhone’s software to version 2.0 allows you to use iDrive Lite for free.

Your iPhone can be used for sending pictures to all your close acquaintances. You have two options for this. You could just go the traditional route of an email attachment, but nowadays you can also upload it to Facebook.

The iPhone allows you to take screenshots whenever you like. Simply press Home and Power in conjunction with one another. Only hold them for a moment. The screenshot will then appear in your Images.

For wireless functions that you don’t need, turn them off. Even when not in use, these features can cause your battery to run down more quickly. This includes your Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi. While they are not in use, leave them off and don’t access them.

As with many smartphones, you’re able to set your iPhone to give you a visual when you have an incoming call or message. If you want silent notifications, you can configure your iPhone’s camera to flash and blink when a call or message comes in. Simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility. From here, it’s easy to program your LED Flash option.

When the iPhone screen freezes, see if holding your “home” button for a span of five seconds makes a difference. Doing so will reboot the phone. Hold this button down for longer if it does not work the first time. Only use the second technique if the first method does not work.

Many ways of scrolling through your contacts exist. You can drag your contact list using your finger, tap a letter and go to that particular letter or gently press your finger to the contact list to scroll. Also, you can use the scroll bar to move to the contact that you want if you have a large list.

The app called “Find My iPhone” can help you find your phone on a map if you ever lose it. Make sure that you register for this app immediately upon purchase. The iPhone app can ring your phone to make it easier to find when you have misplaced it. If you think your phone has been taken by a thief, then you have the option to delete or lock your data.

Easily get to websites faster and drop the repetitive www. and “.com” by using Google as a default engine. In Google, just type the website’s name without the beginning and ending parts.

The article above has hopefully helped you see all the different potentials of owning an iPhone. Put that new-found knowledge to use. If you can use the ideas from this article, you will be one step closer to taking advantage of everything this revolutionary device is capable of.