The new gestures on iPhone X or later have some people confused while others are thinking up ways Apple could have done it better; but either way, they're probably here to stay. In this tip we'll cover how to open Control Center on the iPhone X, XR, and XS, as well as how to customize Control Center. Luckily, once you learn how to open Control Center and get used to the new movement, it’s really not that big of a challenge. Plus, we'll include a bonus tip for those who want to open Control Center a bit more easily on the iPhone X or later. 

The front camera on iPhone X is capable of a lot of incredible things, including improving your selfie game with front-facing Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting. You're likely familiar with how to take a selfie on iPhone, but Selfie Portrait Mode and Lighting makes taking good selfies super easy. With the Portrait Lighting, you can change the lighting before ever taking a photo. You have various lighting options to choose from, depending on the effect you want and your location. And the background of the photos are blurred for that professional Bokeh look. For iPhone X users, front-facing Portrait Mode and Lighting is essential to learn for taking great selfies. You can use this Portrait Lighting when taking regular photos (not selfies) on iPhone X and iPhone 8, and you can use Portrait Mode on those devices as well as the iPhone 7 Plus. But Selfie Portrait Mode and Lightning is reserved to the iPhone X for now. Here’s how to use Selfie Portrait Mode & Portrait Lighting on iPhone X.

With each new operating system, Apple offers a range of new wallpapers as well. But it’s easy to forget that there are new wallpapers when you update to iOS 11, so I thought we’d quickly go over it in a tip. With iOS 11, you can use some beautiful new flower wallpapers, pictures of earth and the moon from space, or wallpapers with the classic Apple rainbow. Let’s jump in; here’s how to use one of the new iOS 11 wallpapers on iPhone.

I’m sure we’ve all opened up Safari to search for the definition of a word. But with iOS 11, you don’t even need to search. Once you begin your query, Safari will automatically provide a details card at the top with the definition of the word. And as you’re typing it, Safari will even guess what word you’re looking up. Here’s how to define words in Safari with iOS 11 on iPhone.

Unless you have extensive experience with various wines, it’s not easy to know where to begin to what food to pair that wine with. Most of us have likely tried the popular wines like Merlot or Moscato, but feel lost when trying to branch out. I don’t know about you, but when I’m choosing a fancy wine for a special occasion, I end up choosing the wine with a label I think is creative or interesting, instead of knowing anything about what I’m going to drink or if it will go with the meal. Luckily, there is an app for this. Pocket Wine allows you to browse the various styles of wine, the grapes used to make it, keep track of the wines you’ve tried, and see what wine pairs best with what food. We’ll go over more on what the apps does and why we love it below.

Notifications center on any iPhone previous to the iPhone X is accessed by simply swiping down from the very top of the screen. But the iPhone X has a notch at the top that creates a distinct top left and top right of the iPhone X. As such, Apple gave each separate side its own function. So where are notifications on the iPhone X? Just a swipe away. Plus, there’s another interesting feature pertaining to notifications on iPhone X that utilizes facial recognition for futuristic privacy. We’ll go over both in our continued journey covering all the new gestures and features of the iPhone X. Here’s how to find the notification center on iPhone X and the hidden iPhone X privacy feature that’ll blown your mind.

Can’t find battery percentage on your new iPhone X? Don’t worry, it’s there. I suppose there just wasn't enough room to keep it in the same spot due to the notch at the top, but Apple didn’t get rid of it altogether. The setting that allows you to turn on show battery percentage isn’t even available on iPhone X, so it’s easy to panic and wonder, “can I view battery percentage on iPhone X or is it gone?” It’s not gone! Worry not, we’ll show you how to see your battery percentage on iPhone X at anytime. It’s simpler than you might even think. Have an iPhone X? Here’s how to view battery percentage.

Did you know you can use Siri without talking? You can type to Siri instead. Typing to talk to Siri is ideal for quiet settings or in very loud public places. You can even set up Siri to respond by text when your ringer is turned off. This is great, because it means you can use Siri anytime. You’ll still be able to say, “Hey, Siri,” and speak, but you’ll also have the option to activate Siri without voice and type instead! Here’s how to enable Type to Siri on the iPhone. You can also use this tip to get rid of Type to Siri if you've been wondering why you have to type for Siri when you activate the digital assistant using the Side button.

Message attachments are the photos, GIFs, and videos your friends and family send you. They’re stored as a part of each text message, and they can take up a lot of space without you ever thinking about it. Luckily, there’s an easier way to delete message attachments and free up iPhone storage with iOS 15. Here’s how to delete all large attachments on iPhone.

With the tech market saturated with so many gadgets, how can you know what’s worth your time and money? At iPhone Life, we know a good product when we see one. After testing out stacks of protective iPhone cases, Bluetooth wireless headphones, rugged Bluetooth speakers, iPhone and Apple Watch chargers, and more year-round, we can appreciate the difference when a company goes the extra mile to make an iPhone or iPad accessory that works seamlessly and is a pleasure to use. This holiday season, we’ve compiled our very favorite 47 tech gifts that we know anyone on your list is going to love. 

Investing in stocks is something that can feel intimidating to learn how to do and difficult to jump into. Stockpile (free) makes it easy to everyone to start trading stocks, even kids. When you buy and sell, Stockpile charges you just $1 for the transaction, the rest is yours. I’ve tried other stock investing apps in the past, but always got hung up on how much it would cost to buy stocks or the process of setting up my back account with the app. But Stockpile takes a different approach by walking you through the process of buying stock immediately. In the last ten minutes, I was able to buy ten dollars in Apple stock, create an account, and begin the process for connecting my bank account. You heard me right—I bought ten dollars in Apple stock. But how is that possible when a single Apple stock costs way more than that? Learn more on this app, what it does, and why we love it below.

Facebook is a great way to keep up on news and videos that your family and friends share. The problem is time. There’s never enough time to read everything you’d like to, and honestly, it’s not easy to find those articles again. I’ve seen people share articles they want to read later, but that can clutter your timeline and annoy your friends. Fortunately, Facebook has a save feature that makes it easy to save those and go back to them later. Here’s how to save an article (or video) to view later on Facebook.

It’s time for Black Friday specials! And we’re offering an incredible deal to the first 250 subscribers: a lifetime subscription to iPhone Life Insider for only $179! You’ll get daily video tips, full in-depth video guides, direct help with your iOS questions, and more. Every year, Apple releases the latest and greatest operating system for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. But we make it easy to stay up to date on all the changes and new features with iPhone Life Insider. If you've been waiting for a deal, this is the best one to ensure you've got all the iDevice and iOS information you could need for years and years to come. Check out all the incredible benefits you'll get year-round below.

How to Make a FaceTime Call with Siri on the iPhone

Want to know how to start a Siri FaceTime call? It’s no secret that you can use Siri to do things like control your music or launch apps. And most people are familiar with using Siri to make a voice call, but you can also use Siri to make a FaceTime call. My mom is a huge fan of this as she continues to learn the best ways to use her iPhone; using Siri to FaceTime me is her personal favorite how-to. Here’s how to use Siri to make FaceTime calls.

Once we’re done with schooling, it’s all too easy to let learning fall by the wayside. But in any field, writing, reading, and speaking skills can help you stand out from the crowd. Most brain game apps focus on games that have no real-world application, but Elevate (free) takes a different approach. The free version of the app offers three types of daily games: Brevity, Processing, and Memory. Listening and Math are included in premium content. If you want to expand your vocabulary, improve how many words you can read per minute, and keep your memory sharp, give this learning game a try. Here’s more on what Elevate does and why we love it.

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