<p>Smartphones have become ubiquitous and it is worth considering how this may be affecting our productivity levels. Whether you think of your phone as an evil distraction or a useful tool for getting more done, there are ways to optimize your usage.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Nearly 60% of all mobile devices that visited AndNowUKnow in the last month used an iPhone. And iPhone is on the rise; in 2012, only 21% used an iPhone to visit our site. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Here are a few simple tricks you can use to make your iPhone work better for you:<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">1. <b>Shake your iPhone to undo typing:</b> This is a useful shortcut that most people overlook. Simply shake your iPhone and tap "Undo Typing" to delete your message. Shake your iPhone again and tap "Redo Typing" to retrieve your original message.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">2. <b>Fast-charge your phone:</b> Your iPhone will charge significantly faster if it is in Airplane Mode. The disadvantage to this setting is that you will be unable to call, text, or use internet features.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Go to: Settings>Airplane Mode<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/iphoneairplanewifi.jpg" alt="imgs 040314" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3. <b>Clear your iPhone's browser history:</b> History, cookies, and other data can actually slow down your phone's performance. Safari stores all pages you view, including the images. This is supposed to make pages load faster because they can render from a local cache instead of being downloaded every time. However, this can cause significant slowdown because the cache eventually grows very large and Safari slows down when it tries to look up a cached page.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Go to: Settings>Safari>"Clear History" & "Clear Cookies and Data"<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">4. <b>"Do Not Disturb" function:</b> If you’re in a meeting or doing something important and you don't want to be hassled by phone calls or notifications, turn on the Do Not Disturb function. If you still want to receive <b>urgent</b> calls, you can use the Repeated Call feature, which allows a call to go through if it is the second call from the same number within three minutes. Also, you can set this function to only receive calls from people on your favorites list.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Go to: Settings>Do Not Disturb<img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/do-not-disturb-feature.jpg" alt="imgs 040314" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">5. <b>Block a caller:</b> Blocking someone annoying can be quite useful. Numbers on your blocked list will be unable to call, text, or FaceTime you. When they call you, they’ll hear a few rings interrupted by a busy signal. However, you won't be bothered.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Simply add the number to your Contacts and then select a contact and hit Block this Caller.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">6. <b>Close background applications:</b> When you are done using an app, it will not necessarily shut down by itself. Many apps remain running in the background, which in some cases can slow down your iPhone’s processing speed.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">To close these programs, simply double-click the home button and flick unclosed programs up to close them down.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">7. <b>Text-to-Speech & Dictation:</b> If you’re driving but you still need to read e-mails and articles, you can activate the Text-to-Speech function to let your iOS read out a highlighted text for you.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">To turn on this function, go to: Settings>General>Accessibility>Speak Selection - slide to ON and adjust the Speaking Rate slider; Once enabled, simply highlight text and tap Speak.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/text-to-speech-ios.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Apr 3rd 2014" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><b>Dictation:</b> You can also dictate anywhere you can enter text. If you see the microphone icon next to the spacebar, you can dictate e-mails, texts, and search terms. Just tap anywhere you can type text, then tap the microphone icon and start dictating. When finished, tap done and wait for your words to appear.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">First however, make sure dictation is turned on. Go to: Settings>General>Siri>Turn on Siri.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In the produce industry, time is a precious commodity. A small investment of effort spent learning how to use your phone efficiently can pay off big dividends.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
