Many of the apps we use daily are packed with hidden features designed to make life more convenient. These tools often go unnoticed, but once discovered, they can save time, simplify tasks, and enhance your overall app experience. Let’s explore some of the most useful hidden features that can help streamline your day.
iPhone Back Tap (iOS)
The iPhone’s Back Tap feature allows you to assign actions to a double or triple tap on the back of your device. It can be used for tasks like taking screenshots, activating Siri, or opening specific apps. This hidden accessibility feature can be customized in your settings and is a game-changer for multitasking, making navigation quicker without opening menus.
Google Maps Offline Mode
Google Maps’ offline mode lets you download maps for specific areas, enabling navigation without an internet connection. This feature is incredibly useful when traveling in areas with spotty service or abroad where roaming charges apply. You can still get directions and explore the map as if you were online, saving you from getting lost without data.
WhatsApp Message Pinning
On WhatsApp, you can pin important conversations to the top of your chat list, ensuring they’re easily accessible. Whether it’s work-related chats or your family group, this feature helps you prioritize important conversations, reducing the time spent scrolling through endless messages.
Instagram Story Highlights
Instagram’s Story Highlights let you save and showcase your favorite stories on your profile indefinitely. This feature is perfect for keeping important moments like travels, tutorials, or events visible to your followers, even after the 24-hour story limit has passed. It’s a simple way to curate a mini-profile of your life.
YouTube Video Playback Speed
YouTube allows you to adjust the playback speed of videos, a feature hidden in the settings of the video player. Whether you’re trying to slow down a tutorial or speed up a lengthy lecture, this feature gives you control over your viewing experience and can save time or provide greater clarity.
Spotify Sleep Timer
Spotify’s sleep timer feature helps you drift off to music without worrying about it playing all night. You can set the timer for up to an hour, and once the time is up, the app automatically stops playing. This feature is a hidden gem for nighttime listeners who don’t want to wake up with their playlist still running.
Google Photos Free Up Space
Google Photos offers a hidden tool to free up space on your device by automatically identifying and deleting photos that are already backed up to the cloud. This feature not only clears storage but ensures that your memories are safe without having to do any manual backup or deletion.
Gmail Smart Reply
Gmail’s Smart Reply feature suggests quick responses to emails based on their content, using AI to generate replies. This makes replying to routine emails faster and more efficient, saving you time with just a single tap. The feature learns from your writing style to suggest more personalized replies over time.
iMessage Handwritten Messages
On iPhones, iMessage allows you to send handwritten notes by turning your phone horizontally in the message window. This adds a personal touch to texts and is perfect for special occasions or sending something a bit more heartfelt, bringing an element of nostalgia to digital communication.
Google Chrome Tab Grouping
Google Chrome’s tab grouping feature helps organize open tabs by grouping them into categories, making it easier to switch between related tasks. You can assign different colors and names to each group, which is especially helpful for managing work, personal, and research tabs all at once.
LinkedIn Resume Builder
LinkedIn’s Resume Builder is a lesser-known feature that helps you create a resume directly from your LinkedIn profile. It formats your work experience, education, and skills into a professional document, saving time on writing and design, while also ensuring your latest career updates are reflected.
Snapchat Snap Map
Snapchat’s Snap Map shows you where your friends are in real-time and allows you to explore local snaps from users around the world. It’s useful for seeing what’s happening in different locations or coordinating meet-ups with friends. The feature can also be turned off for privacy.
Microsoft OneNote Audio Recording
OneNote has a hidden gem where you can record audio directly in your notes. It’s great for meetings, lectures, or brainstorming sessions when typing isn’t enough. The recorded audio syncs with your written notes, making it easy to review specific moments by just clicking on the text.
Spotify Collaborative Playlists
Spotify’s collaborative playlists allow you to invite friends to add songs to a shared playlist, making group listening easy. This feature is perfect for parties, road trips, or shared music tastes, and it ensures that everyone can contribute to the playlist without hassle.
Apple Shortcuts
Apple’s Shortcuts app lets you automate multiple actions across apps with a single command. For example, you can create a shortcut that turns off your lights, starts your morning playlist, and gives you the weather report all with one tap. It’s a powerful time-saver, especially for users invested in the Apple ecosystem.
Google Keep Labels and Colors
Google Keep’s labels and color coding feature is perfect for organizing your notes by category or urgency. It adds visual organization, helping you quickly find important notes among the clutter. This is particularly useful for students or professionals managing many different projects simultaneously.
Facebook Save Posts
Facebook allows users to save posts for later, a feature that’s often overlooked. Whether it’s an interesting article, recipe, or event, you can save it to your personal collection, easily accessing it when you have more time, instead of losing it in your feed.
Google Drive File Versioning
Google Drive’s file versioning feature keeps track of previous versions of a document, allowing you to restore an earlier draft if needed. This hidden feature is a lifesaver for collaborative projects, where changes might need to be reversed, and ensures that nothing is permanently lost.
Twitter Bookmarks
Twitter’s bookmark feature lets you save tweets for later without having to like them. This feature is handy for users who want to reference information without engaging with the post publicly, whether it’s an interesting thread, a news update, or a helpful resource.
TikTok Duet Feature
TikTok’s duet feature allows users to create side-by-side videos with another user’s post, enabling creative collaborations or reactions. It’s a great way to engage with trends, challenge friends, or show a different perspective on a popular video, making the app a more interactive platform.
Pinterest Visual Search
Pinterest’s visual search tool lets you zoom in on an item in a pin and search for similar images or products. This is particularly useful for home decor, fashion, or DIY projects, helping users discover new ideas or items based on what catches their eye.
Zoom Touch-Up My Appearance
Zoom has a feature called “Touch-Up My Appearance,” which smooths out your complexion during video calls. This hidden gem gives you a polished look without needing extra lighting or makeup, ensuring you always look your best during professional meetings or casual chats.
This article originally appeared on UnifyCosmos.
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