The first edition of Mac Mondays was about System Preferences and at the end of last year, I started publishing about System Settings.

However, the Settings app on iPhone and iPad has received very little of my attention. On these devices, the Settings app is designed in a particular way that might seem random, even in not being alphabetical.

While you can search Settings for what you seek (assuming you know what things are called), I recommend getting acquainted with the arrangement of setting categories so you can find them easily by scrolling.

Identity, Network & Attention Settings

At the very top of the Settings list is a search field. As in other apps like Mail and Messages, when you open Settings, scroll up (swipe down) to find Search.

The first Settings section is for your identity, specifically with regard to your Apple account, iCloud preferences, etc. Tap your name for all your personal Apple ID settings. If you’re part of an Apple Family, tap Family for a shortcut to that area.

The next section is devoted to network and device connections:

  1. Airplane Mode disables most of the antennas in your device. The GPS radio is one that remains on perpetually.
  2. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are for connecting to the Internet and to nearby devices, respectively. In case you prefer to keep one or both of these disabled, note that AirDrop requires both: Bluetooth to discover nearby devices with which you can share and Wi-Fi to handle the data transfer.
  3. Cellular provides control of everything related to cellular data, which is your iPhone’s (and maybe iPad’s) ability to connect to the Internet when Wi-Fi is not available
  4. Personal Hotspot, if available, is a way to have your iPhone share its cellular data connection over Wi-Fi so other devices wanting can connect to the Internet when Wi-Fi is not available to them
  5. VPN is a way to privatize your connection to the Internet or provide a secure tunnel to a specific server

Finally, this top area includes settings related to how iPhone captures your attention (Notifications & Sounds) and how you maintain focus while using it (Focus & Screen Time).

System, Security & Purchasing Settings

Next comes a long list of categories related to the general operation of your iPhone and how you see, hear, touch, and otherwise interact with the hardware and software. This begins with General; includes controls for Display, Accessibility, biometrics, and Battery; and ends with Privacy & Security.

General includes its own segmented list of setting categories. Meanwhile, Privacy & Security enables you to specify what types of data and components the apps you use can access across your device.

Two categories appear in the next section, which is devoted to purchasing (App Store) and paying for things (Wallet & Apple Pay).

Passwords & Default Apps

The next list begins with Passwords, where you can find logins and passkeys you have saved on your device. Below this is a list of apps that come preinstalled on your device.

Within each entry, you can specify what types of access privileges the app has and a variety of settings related to its operation, depending on what decisions Apple designers have decided you may make. (Some decisions have already been made, enabling you to have a delightful and intuitive experience.)

Media Apps

Not all default apps appear in the list above. Those related to media, such as Music, TV, and Photos, have their own dedicated section below.

Additionally, you can specify your TV service provider, because some content is available through partnerships with such entities.

Other Apps

By design, Apple asks developers of third-party apps to put app settings somewhere inside the app. Thus, the settings in this section primarily focus on access rights, which are reflected in Privacy & Security, as mentioned earlier.

These entries may also include licensing information, app tracking preferences, and a few other settings related to the device user experience.

Having taken a short tour of the Settings app, have you discovered any categories you didn’t know existed? Have you realized a way to make your iPhone or iPad behave in a way that’s more aligned with your needs, preferences, or expectations?

Add your comments below…