I’m always open to learning new ways to be more efficient with technology and to reduce my screen time. Here are some tips that might help you do the same on iPhone.
Skip the Back Button
In many iPhone apps where you navigate from one screen or page to the next, there’s a button that leads back to the previous page. However, reaching this button can be difficult, especially if you have small hands and/or a large phone. Instead, you can usually just swipe.
For example, when you’re reading an email message in Mail, you can put your finger on the left edge of the screen and swipe to the right to go back to the list of messages. Swipe again to go another level up to the list of mailboxes.
Most apps support this “swipe to go back” functionality. Some, like Facebook, even let you swipe right anywhere on the screen rather than forcing you to start on the edge.
Meanwhile, in apps like Photos where swiping right and left is how you navigate among your pictures, you can swipe down on a picture to return to the grid view. No need to tap the photo when the back button is hidden just to use the button.
The same works in any app where selecting an item loads a discrete panel on top of previous content, such as a campaign in Kickstarter or an email message you’re composing in Mail. Just grab the top of the panel and drag it down.
Quickly Access Mail Drafts
Speaking of Mail, if you have one or more drafts, you needn’t navigate to the Drafts mailbox to edit them. Rather, just long press on the Compose button (
) and you’ll get a panel containing all your drafts across all accounts — as well as the ability to compose a new message.
Above, this is what it looks like when the Drafts panel is revealing itself from the bottom of the iPhone screen. If you change your mind, just swipe it back down.
Notify on Emails in a Conversation
Another Mail tip enables a notification specifically on new messages in a given conversation. Rather than get notified of every email you receive, you can choose to receive a notification when anyone replies to a particular message you send.
The subject line is the trigger, so the option appears there. Tap in the subject field of any email you compose from scratch or when replying and then tap the bell (
). You’ll see a menu like the one shown above. Tap the Notify Me menu item.
To stop notifications, revisit the subject field, whether in this message or in any of the same conversation, and tap the bell again.
These are a but a few ways to shift your focus, be more productive, and keep learning with technology. Anything to expand your mind, right? What other tips would you like to see featured in a future edition of Mac Mondays?
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