6 Hidden Apps Installed on iPhones Most People Didn’t Know Were There
Credit: Tim Mossholder / Unsplash
Believe it or not, your iPhone has a few secret apps you probably haven't used yet. These hidden apps are available on your iPhone without you even doing anything about it. Sure, not all of them are going to be helpful to you on a daily basis, but it's still cool to know that you can access them if you need to. Why Apple decides to keep these apps "hidden" is a mystery, but today we'll tell you about them and how you can access them. Don't worry; you don't have to install anything on your iPhone; they're already there! Continue reading to browse 6 Hidden Apps Installed on iPhones Most People Didn't Know Were There.
FTM or Field Test
The FTMInternal-4 app, also commonly known as Field Test, is one of the most hidden apps you can access, and there's a reason for that. Unless you're an engineer or a cellular service provider, chances are most of us won't even know what in this app.
The Field Test app is meant to help you see data about your cellular operator. You can see things like your service provider, cellular service status, and band info.
Needless to say, this app isn't for the average person, but you can still access it by using your phone app. Go to your phone, tap on the keypad, and enter *3001#12345#*. Press call, and instead of actually making a call, you'll immediately open the FTMInernal-4 app.
It's worth noting that you shouldn't mess with anything inside the app. You can tap and see all the information you want, but try to leave everything as it is if you don't have experience with it.
Print Center
Thanks to the iPhone's AirPrint feature, you can instantly print on any printer that supports this feature with a few taps. But the Print Center app is really cool because it's the only one you can't just open by yourself. Instead, you can only access it you're already printing something.
While you're printing, go to the App Switcher, and you'll see the Print Center app at the front of your apps. You can use it to see the print summary and how many other files are left to print.
Diagnostics
Did you know there's an app you can open from your Safari browser? Well, there are two, actually, and one of them is the Diagnostics app.
To open this all, all you need to do is go to Safari and enter diags:// or diagnostics:// in the URL and tap on Go. Your iPhone will ask you if you want to open the Diagnostics app, and you need to tap on Open.
And what does this app do? If you don't have a ticket number from Apple's tech support team, you pretty much can't do anything with it. So, hopefully, you'll never have to use it, but it's nice to know there's an easy way to solve any basic issues you're having with your iPhone with an app.
QR Code Scanner
You've probably already downloaded and installed a QR scanner from the App Store, or you're probably opening the Camera app every time you want to scan something. And while you're welcome to keep doing what you're doing, you should know that your own iPhone already comes with an app that does that.
Granted, this could be considered more than a feature than an app, but it's still pretty cool to know it exists. It's faster than opening the camera app and pretty easy to use.
To access the QR code scanner, you'll first need to add it to your Control Center if you haven't already.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Control Center.
- If you haven't already, scroll down and tap the plus icon on the left side of the Code Scanner to add it to your Control Center.
Now, every time you want to scan a code, it's as easy as opening the Control Center and tapping the Code Scanner icon.
Magnifier
The Magnifier app first started out as an Accessibility feature, but Apple decided to give it a promotion.
It's possible that you haven't tried the Magnifier app since Apple doesn't make it easily accessible at first, but it's a cool app that helps you turn your iPhone into a magnifying glass. You can zoom in and out to make things bigger, and you can even take quick pictures to pass around.
To find the Magnifier app, you can swipe down on your Home Screen to access Spotlight and then type Magnifier. You can also search for it in the App Library either by name or by going through your folders.
Feedback Assistant
The Feedback Assistant App is another app that you're probably not going to use, but it's really cool to know it exists.
As you can probably guess, this app will help you deliver feedback for Apple about iOS. The difference, however, is that this app only works for the public or developer betas of iOS. Meaning that if you've never installed an iOS public beta update, chances are you won't even be able to open this app.
But in case you just can't wait for Apple's official software updates, and you decide to install the public iOS betas, you'll be able to open the Feedback Assitant by going to your Safari app and entering applefeedback:// on the URL bar and tapping on Go. Safari will ask if you want to open the app, and you need to tap Open.
Once inside, you may need to log in with your Apple ID to use the app. Then you can manage your feedback or submit any feedback or suggestions you may have about the public betas.
