Ever since Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone in 2007, Apple has grown to become a global leader in smartphones, competing against Android and Windows phones. The iPhone quickly became popular because of its simplicity and innovative features along with a premium design. Since then, Apple has continued to release a new iPhone each year, offering even better features with each new model.

The iPhone 8 and 8 plus are no exception to this rule and were announced recently with the best features yet, including wireless charging and augmented reality. However, the new iPhone is not limited to just these few features but instead is capable of doing much more. The iPhone 8 is a step ahead with many publicized features and a few secret ones that will give users much more variety of and control over how they use their phones.

Users who would like to get the most out of their devices should keep reading as we explore a few of the many new and nifty features and hacks that come with the innovative iPhone 8 software and hardware.

15. Control your Flashlight intensity

The flashlight is a handy built-in feature which has been present since the launch of iOS 7. It may be used while taking pictures or for better visibility. But some iPhone users felt the flash was too strong for them.

Apple fixed this issue by introducing flash intensity control in the new iPhone 8. Users can now hold down the flashlight icon to reveal four different intensity level options, from low intensity to bright intensity. The difference between these four levels is drastic, allowing users to make the most out of their flashlights.

14. Customize the Control Center like never before

Remember the boring Control Center with limited options most of which you rarely used on your iPhone? Apple fixed it with the launch of iPhone 8 giving users the option of customizing their Control Center according to their own requirements.

Although the layout of the Control Center is fixed, users will be able to add shortcuts to Text Size, Wallet, Low Power Mode, Screen Recording and Notes just to name a few.

Not only this, but users can now hold down an icon in the Control Center to get related options, which in the past were only accessible through 3D Touch.

13. Screen Recording Now better than screenshots

Whether it’s iPhone in-app tutorials, a conversation you need to show your best friend, instructional step by step video tutorials for games or anything else in between, iPhone 8 users no longer need to go through a series of screenshotting with this time-saving hack.

With the latest Screen Recording feature introduced in iPhone 8, users can simply record their screens in the form of a video, saving time and space on their device. Screen Recording can be enabled from the Control Center and allows iPhone 8 users to capture whatever is happening on their screens with or without audio. Once Screen Recording is enabled, it will continue until manually turned off from the Control Center.

12. Send Money Via Texts

Apple has now brought person-to-person outflows directly to its iMessage app in the new iPhone 8 so that iPhone users can now make direct monetary transactions from their phones without having to download additional apps.

Users will no longer have to go through tedious online processes in order to send/receive money by following these simple steps. Set up Apple PayAccess on your iPhone and access Apple Pay in the iMessages app drawer. Next, use the on-screen controls to confirm dollar amount and tap send. Users can both send and receive money through this service. Received amounts will be stored as a digital Apple Pay Cash Card. Which can then be sent online or transferred to a bank.

11. Translate Text In Other Languages With Siri

This hack will be great for iPhone users who have had to manually search how to pronounce different words in different languages, but who always wished there was a way to make the process easier without having to spend a few bucks on translation apps.

Siri can now translate. This will be allowing iPhone 8 users to access other languages much easier. Not only is this feature handy, but also accessible around the clock. Initially, Siri supports translations in English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Chinese and Spanish. Siri returns audio and visual translations. All you have to do is ask “How to say [expression] in [different language]” and you’re good to go.

10. Apple’s Dark Mode aka Smart Invert

This feature is an enhanced version of the previous “invert colors” option in Apple iPhones, which is now available to iPhone 8 users through the path Settings – General – Accessibility – Display Accommodations – Invert Colors – Smart Invert.

Invert Colors was an accessibility feature that inverted all colors in the display, especially designed for visually impaired users who found it troubling to read the normal user interface or staring at the screen for an extended time. The problem with this feature was that it inverted all colors on the screen, so users weren’t able to view pictures and graphics in their original colors.

The new Smart Invert mode has been modified to allow users to view photos, icons and graphics in their original color while simultaneously getting an inverted UI, giving iPhone 8 users a display option similar to the Dark Mode, which most Android devices have.

9. Studio Lighting for Portrait Lighting Mode

You no longer need expensive lighting equipment and higher end digital camera to mimic studio like photographs with this amazing feature in the new iPhone 8.

Users can now take amazing portrait photos with the Portrait Lighting mode in the camera app, designed specifically to match the phone’s picture output to that of a real studio. It uses Apple’s depth map alongside dedicated software to give users the perfect portrait picture.

To use this feature, simply open up the Camera app on your iPhone and swipe to Portrait Mode. Once your face has been recognized, tap on the screen and choose between overlays of different lighting styles.

8. Enable One handed keyboard use

All iPhone users at some point have felt left out when their android counterparts could single-handedly use their devices without having to go through the hassle of using both hands. Keeping the struggle in mind, Apple has now introduced one handed keyboard use with its new iPhones.

iPhone 8 users can hold down the globe button on their keyboard, revealing a mini keyboard that can be attached to either the left or right side of the display screen. This is very handy for people who don’t like using both their hands while typing. Especially if you’re in the middle of carrying grocery, drinking coffee, pushing your baby’s stroller or any other activity that requires dedicated hand use, it is now possible to use your phone with one hand only. Quick replies and searches are all a click away.

7. Charge Faster with flight mode

If there’s one issue most iPhone users have had, it’s the battery life of their device. Most iPhones suffered from rapid battery discharge but longer battery charging time, making it inconvenient for people on the go who then resorted to buying power banks. Since most people’s work and networking is done through their phones, it is painful to see the battery icon almost empty.

A simple hack for such situations is to put your iPhone 8 on flight mode before putting it to charge. Flight mode disables any cellular activity in the device (which consumes battery most) allowing users to charge their phones faster. The iPhone 8 will charge quickly once flight mode is enabled, cutting down on the waiting time for users.

6. Improve your Wi-Fi signal by choosing the best area for connectivity

With Wi-Fi came the struggle for finding the perfect spot to get the most speed on our mobile phones. While some iPhone users resorted to jailbreaking their devices so they could toggle between numeric and bar format for the Wi-Fi iOS meter, others downloaded Wi-Fi scanner apps from the App store.

For iOS 8 users, displaying the carrier signal strength is only a few numbers away. Users will have to follow a few simple steps. Simply type in *3001#12345#* in the phone keypad. A “Field Test” screen will be displayed and you will see numbers for the carrier. Next, hold the power button until “slide to power off” is displayed, while holding down the power button simultaneously hold the home button until you’re back at the home screen. The lower the number on the screen, the better the signal strength.

5. Take photos and videos simultaneously

For iPhone 8 users, it is now possible to take videos and photos simultaneously.

Previously, the camera could either record a video or take a picture, at one time. So if there was a moment you wanted to capture as both a still photo and video, users would have to record the video first and extract pictures via screenshots. Or just keep a second camera phone/device handy.

The new feature allows users to take photos within an ongoing video recording. To make this work, open up the Camera app, slide to video and start recording. A small white button will appear in the corner of the screen which will capture a screenshot of the current frame when pressed.

4. Emergency SOS calls made easier

One hack that is crucial to every iPhone 8 user is the Emergency SOS feature. Life threatening and dangerous situations require quick action and quick help. Any slight delay can prove to be fatal. Keeping the drastic increase in crime rates in mind, Apple has introduced this particular feature so that help is always near when needed.

In order to use this feature, users should enable the “Auto Call” option in settings. Once enabled, every time the Power button is pressed quickly 5 times in a row, a call will be made to emergency services.

3. Share Wi-Fi passwords with trusted devices

All mobile phone users have gone through the tedious task of inputting Wi-Fi passwords to join a network, and usually not getting it right the first time.

For iPhone 8 users, a solution has been provided by Apple. iOS users can now share Wi-Fi passwords with other iOS devices, reducing the hassle of joining a new network. All users will have to do is turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both the devices (one logged in on the Wi-Fi network while the other one isn’t), and tap the Wi-Fi network you want to join. Once that is done, place both devices near each other (devices should be unlocked) and an alert will pop up on the screen of the device already logged into the network , asking if you want to send the password. As soon as users tap “Send Password”, the password will be entered into the other device.

2. Better Augmented Reality Performance

Augmented reality is a new and upcoming concept which basically lets you place virtual objects over items in real life. While this was already introduced in the earlier models of the iPhone, it has been made even better for the iPhone 8.

The biggest reason behind this upgrade is the introduction of the new A11 Bionic chip that is capable of handling some of the more demanding augmented reality apps. This means that the owners of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will be able to enjoy a much better AR experience. These include demanding AR games and other AR applications such as the one for placing furniture by IKEA.

1. Auto-answer Your Calls When Busy

A prevalent issue with phones is missing important calls when you’re busy doing chores, washing up, eating etc. because you don’t want to make your phone dirty. Missing an important call is very annoying especially when you can’t get in touch with the person afterwards.

To fix this problem, iPhone 8 users can now make use of the auto-answer call option. The feature is not only handy for people on the go but for people with disabilities who find it hard to answer their calls promptly. All users will have to do is enable the feature by going to Settings – General – Accessibility – Call Audio Routing – Auto-Answer Calls and then setting the time duration after which the iPhone 8 will auto answer calls.

Calls via the cellular network, Wi-Fi calls, Facetime and other video calls are supported.