So you want to get away from the clutches of Apple and want to install your iPhone App’s from another source other than the Apple App’s store. Well here is a check list of things to do before you attempt to Jailbreak your iPhone.
- Backup all your data, Contacts, Calendars, Music, Apps, Photos, Text Messages, Emails etc here is our guide on how to backup your iPhone.
- Save your SHSH Blobs for your iPhone
- Check it’s possible to Jailbreak the iOS version you have installed
- Make sure you have a reliable Wifi internet connection, do not Jailbreak over 3G… It will end in tears!
- Make sure your iPhone is fully charged.
Here is my top 10 list of iPhone user tips, I guarantee there is at least 1 tip in here that you didn’t know before reading! This guide is specifically for the iPhone however there is no reason why these tips should not work on any other iOS devices such as the iPad or iPod Touch. Running an IT support company in Bristol I often get asked the following questions… Especially from new iPhone users!
View link addresses in Safari on the iPhone
You can view the link address of links in Safari by pressing and holding the link text. No more blindly clicking links on the iPhone again 
Auto Scroll back to the top of the page
When viewing sites or other media on your iPhone you can automatically scroll to the top by single tapping the top bar, this is the bar that has the clock in. This will automatically return you to the top of the page.
Stop iPhone from Auto completing words as you type
When typing a text message, email etc and your iPhone pops up with the annoying bubble with the suggested word in that it thinks you are about to type you don’t have to click the cross in the bubble you can simply tap anywhere else on the screen.
.com button the iPhone does other domains as well
When completing URL’s the .com button is handy but did you know it works for other domain suffix’s as well not just .com
To select other domains press and hold the .com button and you will be able to select other domain suffix’s.
No need to type www. or .com on the iPhone
No need to waste time typing full domains on the iPhone, simple just type the domain name of the site without www. or the .com and your iPhone will do the rest. Test it out now by typing in iphonehowto in the address bar, nice time saver.
How to take a screenshot on the iPhone
Ever wished you could take a screenshot or could show your IT Support department exactly what is happening on your iPhone? You can simply press the Home Button (main button) and the Lock button (top right) at the same time and the screen will flash like a photo has been taken, your screenshot will be in your Photos.
Reject an incoming call
Ever had someone keep calling you and no way of rejecting their call? Double tap the Lock button (top right) and it will reject the call. (thanks to my ex girlfriend I worked this one out).
Mute an incoming call
Same situation as above except you don’t want them to know you have cut them off, press the Lock button once and it will mute the ring tone sound. Bliss…
Save Images from Safari
To save images from Safari on your iPhone simply press and hold over the image and the menu (displayed below) will appear, you can then tap “Save Image”.
Automatically insert a Full Stop / Period
Double tapping the space bar will automatically add a full stop (or if your american a “period”). I didn’t know this, but it is saving me a STACK of time already!
Call number direct from Safari
If you see a number on a website, no need to copy and paste it or write it down, simply just click it and your iPhone will dial it directly from Safari !
Two Finger Scrolling on the iPhone
If the website your on has a scroll box and when you attempt to scroll it moves the page up or down in Safari, simply use two fingers this should then select the internal scroll box not the whole page.
Increase iPhone battery life
Follow our guide here on how to increase the battery life on your iPhone.
Apple have just released iOS 5.5 to it’s developers if you already have iOS 5.3+ installed you can upgrade over the air to 5.5 if you need to install iOS 5 (any version) on your iPhone follow the step by step guide how to install iOS 5 below. I am warning you now installing iOS 5 on your iOS 4 iPhone will wipe your existing settings and data.
Backup your iPhone, before doing any of the steps below plug in your iPhone and do a backup and make sure you have everything synced that you want backing up in your iTunes settings.
How to download iOS 5
The current version of the iOS5 beta is 5.5 to download it follow the instructions below:
- Login to your iPhone developer account https://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios/index.action
- Click on “iOS SDK Beta” in the top left.
- Click on Downloads
- Under iOS Beta 5 Downloads select the correct version for your Apple device. FYI if you have a sim card slot on the side you GSM if your in the US and you use Verizon Wireless your most likely CDMA. PLEASE CHECK THOUGH.
- Download iTunes 10.5 Beta 5
Installing iOS 5 on the iPhone
- Install iTunes using the .dmg file you just downloaded
- Connect your iPhone start iTunes and click on “Check for Update” while holding down the Option key (or shift on a PC).
- When prompted point iTunes to the .IPSW file you just downloaded from the Apple dev center.
I hear some people complaining about iPhone battery life, personally I find the battery life on my iPhone 4 to be excellent. Most people forget they use their iPhone as a pocket computer checking email, browsing the web, taking photos, playing games and recording video!
However there are a number of tips which can increase your iPhone battery life massively, below I have outlined 15 of the best options to increase iPhone battery life this guide should work on the iPhone, iPhone 3g, 3gs and the iPhone 4.
How to increase iPhone battery life
- Reduce Screen Brightness
- Turn off Bluetooth
- Turn off 3G
- Turn off Wifi
- Turn off Push Notifications
- Turn off GPS location
- Decrease Auto Lock time
- Be nice to your iPhone battery
Whenever possible fully discharge your iPhone battery and give it a full charge, try to avoid charging it for 15 minutes to give it just enough power to last while you go out. Also don’t expose your iPhone to extreme hot or cold temperatures, this will have a negative affect on battery life. - Turn off Push Mail
- Reduce email check time - Follow this guide but obviously decrease the time not increase it!
- Keep iOS up to date
Sync your iPhone regularly with iTunes to make sure you have the latest iOS, before doing a upgrade I recommend you backup your iPhone. - Keep Apps up to date
- Don’t leave Apps running in the background
- Turn off iPod EQ for audio playback
- Use Airplane mode when playing games
How to turn on Airplane Mode iPhone, this guide explains how to enable Airplane mode on your iPhone. This mode disables all radio chipsets from transmitting so it will save you a stack of battery life. If you are on a long journey and do not need cell / wifi or bluetooth, turning on Airplane Mode is recommended to optimize your iPhone’s battery life.
This is also handy when playing games to prevent interruptions from phone calls or text messages
- Unlock your iPhone
- Tap Settings
- You will see Airplane Mode at the top, slide the switch to ON
- That’s it your done! Push the home screen to close Settings.
This guide will show you step by step how to turn off the iPod equalizer (EQ) on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or any iOS device. When you play music on iPhone / iPod and you have an Equalizer effect enabled it will use more CPU as you are increasing the work load and this will reduce battery life. This guide will show you how to turn off the equalizer on your iOS device, the instructions are specifically for the iPhone however I suspect they will work on a iPod Touch / iPad.
- Unlock your iPhone
- Tap Settings
- Scroll down and tap on iPod
- Click on EQ
- Select “Off”
- That’s it! Your done, press the home button to close the menu.
This guide will show you step by step how to close apps on your iPhone, iPad or any iOS device. When you close an App on your iPhone by pressing the home button it does not necessarily mean it has closed, the App could be running in the background. Apps running in the background can eat up battery life, CPU & your iPhone’s memory. The guide below will show you how to view and close background Apps on your iPhone / iPad.
- Unlock your phone if it’s locked.
- Double press the home button on your iPhone
- This will bring up a menu of running Apps at the bottom of your screen, you slide left to see all the running Apps.
- Once you have seen an App you want to close, press and hold your finger over the icon, it should start to shimmer and a red circle with a minus in it will appear in the top left.
- Click in the red circle with a minus in and the App will close.
- That’s it! All done to exist the menu press the home button again.
This guide will show you step by step how to turn increase email check time on your iPhone, or any iOS device. Your iPhone will automatically check for new mail for the email accounts you have added, this guide will show you how to increase that time to help save some precious iPhone battery life! If you are increasing your email fetch time to help increase battery I would recommend our guide on how to increase iPhone battery life.
- Unlock your iPhone
- Tap Settings
- Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars
- Tap on Fetch New Data
- Change the Fetch time to the new preferred email check time, as you can see I leave all my accounts on manual, apart from my Exchange account which is using Push mail.
- That’s it your done! Press the home screen to exit the settings menu.
This guide will show you step by step how to turn off push mail on your iPhone, or any iOS device. Push mail automatically sends mail to your phone as soon as it’s sent, for more info check out push mail on wiki. If you are disabling push mail to help increase battery I would recommend our guide on how to increase iPhone battery life.
- Unlock your iPhone
- Tap Settings
- Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars
- Tap on Fetch New Data
- Slide push switch to OFF to turn off Push Mail on your iPhone.
- That’s it your done! Press the home screen to exit the settings menu.
This guide will show you step by step how to decrease the Auto-Lock time on your iPhone, or any iOS device. This is the amount of idle time the iPhone is left for before it locks and turns off the screen output. If you are disabling notifications to help increase battery I would recommend our guide on how to increase iPhone battery life.
- Unlock your iPhone
- Tap Settings
- Navigate to General
- Then tap Auto-Lock and select a time, the lower you select the more battery you will save.
- That’s it! All done, press the home screen to exit the Settings Menu.
