13 Important Tips to Get Started Using iOS 13.1 Like a Pro

First Try out the Marquee Features

There’s a good chance that you’re excited about some of the bigger features in iOS 13, such as Dark Mode or the new QuickPath keyboard. While they’re far from hidden, they’re still worth trying out and getting used to.

1. The new QuickPath keyboard is pretty simple — just start swiping on the keyboard's letters to make words.
2. You can turn on Dark Mode by firm pressing the brightness slider in the Control Center.
3. The Reminders app has also been given a major overhaul. Once you tap on it, you’ll get a splash page explaining some of the changes.

Set up a Messages Profile

iOS 13 and iPadOS has a new feature that allows you to create a profile for Messages. Essentially, it’s just a name and a photo (or Memoji) that are both shared with people you chat with using iMessage.

You’ll be prompted to set up a profile when you first open Messages after downloading iOS 13 or iPadOS. If you skipped that, you can always set up a profile later by going to Settings > Messages > Share Name and Photo.

Try Splitting Audio

Ever wish you could listen to audio from one device on two separate pairs of AirPods? In iOS 13.1, you can. The first point release to iOS 13 adds the ability to split and share audio via Bluetooth. And while It only works with certain AirPods and Beats headphones, it’s well worth trying out.

You can use audio splitting in a couple of different ways. For one, you can just simply connect two pairs of headphones to a single device. Alternatively, you can bring two pairs of headphones and two devices running iOS 13.1 in close proximity to each other. Just hit Share audio when the dialog box appears and both devices will sync up, allowing you to listen to one audio track or stream.

Get Used to the New Text Gestures

In addition to QuickType keyboard, iOS 13 features several others gestures aimed at text selection and reading. Here’s a selection of the important ones.

1. Cursor: You can now move the text cursor by simply tapping and holding on it and dragging it to wherever you’d like it.
2. Selecting Text: Double-tap to select a word, triple-tap to select a sentence, or tap four times to select an entire paragraph. You can also simply drag a finger over text to select it.
3. Cursor Mode: If you press and hold on any key in the native keyboard, you’ll activate the cursor mode. If you’re on a 3D Touch device, you can press deeper to select text. If not, you can use another finger to select text just as easily.
4. Edit Menu: To activate an Edit menu with undo, redo, cut, copy and paste, just tap and hold with three fingers.

Edit Videos in Photos

Photos is one of the most significantly revamped apps in iOS 13. It has a whole new look that streamlines your gallery, making it easier to find the moments you care about. Speaking of those moments, it’s likely that many of them are captured in video form. And in iOS 13, you can now edit those videos.

All of the standard photo editing features that you’re used to can now be used for videos. You can add filters or adjust the brightness and contrast and crop your clips, for example. You can also add a ton of cool effects or just simply shorten your video clips.

Give Shortcuts 'Automations' a Spin

The Shortcuts app has been one of the best-but-underused features in iOS 13 since its debut in iOS 12. And in iOS 13.1, there’s a powerful new feature called Automations. Essentially, they’re personal or home shortcuts that can be activated automatically based on certain triggers.

For example, you can have a shortcut get your commute time and send a text to a friend 15 minutes before you leave work. That’s just one example — and the best way to experience how powerful it’ll be is to try it out for yourself.

Create Your Own Memoji

If you don’t have an iPhone with a TrueDepth Camera and Face ID, you may be feeling left out when it comes to Animoji and Memoji. But now, Apple has brought Animoji and Memoji character stickers to any device that can run iOS 13 or iPadOS.

The easiest way to create your own sticker is to head to the Messages app. There’s a new Memoji icon in the app drawer — just tap on it. You should see plenty of Animoji sticker options, as well as the ability to create your own Memoji sticker.

Use Look Around

Google’s Street View is legendary, and one of a handful of features that Apple Maps has lacked. But in iOS 13 and iPadOS, Apple has caught up and added a similar capability to its navigation app. It’s called Look Around.

Currently, the feature is pretty limited as you’ll only be able to “Look Around” in select locations in the U.S., like San Francisco or Oahu. But it’s still worth exploring. Just look up a location in one of the supported regions or tap to place a marker in them. You should see a prominent Look Around option below the Directions and Edit Location buttons.

Enable Silence Unknown Callers

If you’re like the rest of us, you probably hate spam and robocalls. Luckily, Apple has added a new feature that could help reduce the number of random calls you receive each day. Enter Silence Unknown Callers.

Essentially, it sends any call from a number not in Contacts, Messages or Mail straight to voicemail. And while it may not be for everyone, many users can probably take advantage of the feature. You can enable it in Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers.

Share Your ETA with Friends and Family

Whether you’re headed to a work meeting or just meeting up with some friends, the people there probably want to know when you’ll arrive. While you can simply shoot off a text before you leave, a new feature in iOS 13.1 can simplify the ETA-sharing process. Appropriately, it’s called Share ETA.

Basically, Share ETA will let a recipient see your current location, as well as your route and destination until you arrive there. You should see the option to Share ETA once you start on a route in Apple Maps. It’s particularly well-suited for family members, close friends, or your slightly impatient acquaintances.

AirDrop More Accurately

If you’re an Apple user, you know that AirDrop is likely one of the easiest and most convenient ways to share photos, documents and other files between devices. But in a crowded area, your AirDrop menu may be cluttered up with random strangers.

Apple has implemented a way around this with the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. Thanks to new Ultra Wideband tech (which will likely be used for Apple’s upcoming tracking device), you can now “prioritize” AirDrop recipients. Just point your device at another iPhone 11 or 11 Pro and they’ll pop up at the top of your list.

Try out Apple Arcade (with a Controller)

Apple's new Apple Arcade service is turning out to be a surprise hit. And you can actually try it out for a week completely free if you’re running iOS 13 or iPadOS — just head to the App Store to sign up for the trial.

Better yet, Apple has added the ability to pair an Xbox 360 or PS4 controller to your iPhone or iPad to play those games. You can learn how to do that here. Not all games will be supported, but playing with a controller may be more comfortable for titles that are compatible with them.

Switch on Optimized Battery Charging

Battery life and performance are probably important to you, which means that normal battery aging and performance throttling are also big deals. While you can’t prevent them, you may be able to reduce battery aging with a new iOS 13 feature.

Optimized Battery Charging, which you can enable in Settings > Battery, will analyze your charging habits to figure out when you usually juice up your device. It’ll then keep it from sitting at full charge for too long, which can reduce the rate that the battery ages.