How To Use Iphone 8

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This wikiHow teaches you how to master the basics of using your iPhone, from simply turning it on or off to using the provided applications.

1

Turn on your iPhone if it isn't already on. To do so, hold down the Lock button until you see a white Apple icon appear on the iPhone's screen.
2
Charge your iPhone if necessary. The charger cable is a long, white cord with a small, flat, rectangular prong on one end and a larger rectangular block on the other end. If your iPhone won't turn on, try plugging it into a wall socket for a few minutes before attempting to turn it on again.
- You'll see a port on the bottom of the iPhone's housing, below the circular button on the screen--this is where the prong end of the charger goes.
- If you have an iPhone 4S or lower charger, the charger end of the cable will have a grey rectangle on one side; this rectangle must face the same way that the iPhone's screen faces.
- Your iPhone should have come with a power adapter (a white cube) that has a two-pronged electrical plug on one side and a rectangular slot on the other side. You can plug this into a wall socket and then plug the end of the charger that isn't attached to your iPhone into the cube's slot.
- If your iPhone was off when you plugged it into a power source, it should begin turning on. You'll see a white Apple icon appear on the screen.
3
Get to know your iPhone's buttons. If you place the iPhone on a flat surface with the screen facing up, all of the iPhone's buttons are arranged like so:
- Lock button - Either on the right side of your iPhone (iPhone 6 or up) or on the top of your iPhone (iPhone 5s, SE or down). Pressing it once while the iPhone is on will turn off the screen, while pressing it again will turn back on the screen. You can also press and hold it to turn on an iPhone that's been fully turned off, or to turn off an iPhone that's currently on.
- Volume +/- - The bottom two buttons on the left side of your iPhone's housing. The bottom button lowers the volume of music, videos, or the iPhone's ringer, while the top volume button raises the volume.
- Mute - The switch on the top of the row of buttons on the left side of your iPhone's housing. Clicking this switch upward will place your phone on audible mode, while clicking it down will mute your iPhone's ringer and place it in vibrate mode. When your iPhone is muted, there will be an orange strip above the Mute switch.
- Home - This is the circular button at the bottom of the iPhone's screen. You'll click it once to open the iPhone from the lock screen. Additionally, clicking it while using an application will minimize the application, and double-clicking it quickly will show all running applications.
4

Press the Lock button. Doing so will "wake up" the iPhone's screen and display the Lock screen.
5
Press the Home button once the Lock screen displays. This screen will have the time of day at the top of the screen. Pressing Home will bring up the passcode field.
- If you don't have a passcode set, pressing the Home button will bring you to your iPhone's Home Screen, where you can continue getting to know your iPhone's functions.
6
Type in your passcode using the buttons on the screen. As long as this code is correct, doing so will open your iPhone's Home Screen.
- If you have TouchID enabled to unlock your iPhone, scanning your fingerprint will also unlock your phone.

1
Review your iPhone's Home Screen. You'll see several square icons here; these are your iPhone's applications, or "apps" for short. All of your iPhone's "stock" apps, meaning apps that come pre-installed on the phone, are listed here.
- As you add apps to your phone, the Home Screen will gain additional pages. You can scroll through these pages by swiping from the right side of the screen to the left side of the screen.
2
Familiarize yourself with the native apps. Some of the crucial apps that come installed on a standard iPhone include the following:
- Settings - This is a grey app with gears on it. If you want to change anything from the amount of time it takes for your iPhone's display to turn off, to your wireless network settings, you'll find the options to do so in this app.
- Phone - It's a green app with a white phone icon. You can make calls manually (by dialing) or by tapping a contact's name and then tapping the phone icon below their name at the top of the screen.
- Contacts - This app has a grey silhouette of a person's head on it. Tapping it will bring up a list of your contacts--the store from which you bought your iPhone should have synchronized your last phone's contacts with your iPhone, but if they didn't, you may want to import your old contacts to your iPhone.
- FaceTime - A green app with a white video camera icon on it. You can make face-to-face calls with your contacts using FaceTime.
- Messages - A green app with a white speech bubble. This is where you'll send and receive text messages.
- Mail - The blue app with a white envelope icon on it. You can check your Apple ID email here (it will be called your iCloud account), or you can add an email account to this app.
- Calendar - This app will display an up-to-date calendar. You can also set events for specific dates and times by tapping the pertinent date and filling in the information fields.
- Camera - A grey app with a camera icon on it. You can take photos, videos, and different types of visual media (e.g., slow-motion videos) with the Camera app.
- Photos - This multicolored pinwheel app is where all of your iPhone's photos are stored. Any time you take a picture, the photo will appear here.
- Safari - Safari is a blue app with a compass icon on it. You'll use Safari to browse the web.
- Clock - The clock-shaped app. You can change or manage your iPhone's saved time zones, set alarms, set a timer, or use a stopwatch with this app.
- Notes - The yellow and white notepad-shaped icon on the Home Screen. This app is useful for writing down quick notes or making a list, though the Reminders app is also a good choice for lists.
- Maps - The Maps app allows you to plan trips and will give you step-by-step directions like a GPS if you enter a starting point and a destination.
- Wallet - You can add credit or debit cards and gift cards to your iPhone's Wallet. Doing so will allow you to use your iPhone to pay for online items as well as at supported retail stores.
- App Store - This blue app with a white "A" on it is where you'll download new apps.
- Music - A white app with a musical note on it. This app is where you'll find your iPhone's music library.
- Tips - This yellow app with a light bulb will provide you with insights that can help you get the most out of your time with your iPhone.
3
Swipe across the screen from left to right. Doing so will open your iPhone's widget page, where you can see things like the current weather forecast, any alarms you have set, and relevant news.
- Swipe up from anywhere on the screen to scroll down this page.
- If you want to search for something specific on your phone, you can tap the "Search" bar at the top of the page and then type in what you want to see.
4

Swipe left to return to the Home Screen. You can also press the Home button to return to the Home Screen from any page of the Home Screen.
5

Swipe down from the very top of the screen. This will pull down your iPhone's Notifications page, where you can see all recent notifications (e.g., missed calls, incoming text messages, etc.).
6

Press the Home button. Doing so will return you to your iPhone's Home Screen.
7

Swipe down from the middle of the screen. This action will bring up a search bar at the top of the screen as well as a list of your frequently used apps. You can tap Cancel in the top-right corner of the screen or simply press the Home button to return to the Home Screen.
8
Swipe the very bottom of the screen up. Doing so will bring up the Control Center, which houses the following options:
- Airplane Mode - The airplane icon at the top of the Control Center window. Tapping it will enable Airplane Mode, which prevents any cellular or wireless internet emissions from your iPhone. Tap it (or anything else on this list) again to disable it.
- Wi-Fi - The rippling arcs icon. Tapping this will enable wireless internet (if it's blue, Wi-Fi is already enabled) and connect you to the nearest recognized network.
- Bluetooth - The center icon at the top of the Control Center window. Tap this to turn on your iPhone's Bluetooth, which will allow you to connect your iPhone to speakers or other Bluetooth devices.
- Do Not Disturb - The moon-shaped icon. Tap this to prevent calls, text messages, and other notifications from causing your phone to ring.
- Rotation Lock - The padlock icon with a circle around it. Tapping it while it's red will disable screen lock, meaning you'll be able to rotate your iPhone 90 degrees to view photos and other media in landscape mode.
- The bottom row of options from left to right include a flashlight, a timer, a calculator, and a shortcut to your iPhone's Camera app.
9

Press the Home button. You'll return to the Home Screen. Now that you're familiar with the Home Screen, it's time to start using your iPhone's apps.

1
Tap an app. Doing so will open it. The way you'll interact with each app will vary depending on the app itself, but you'll generally be able to tap items to activate them (e.g., tapping a text field will bring up your iPhone's keyboard).
- You can download new apps from the App Store app.
2
Double-press the Home button. Doing so quickly will zoom out of your currently open app and display all running apps in separate windows.
- Swipe up on an app window to close that app.
- You can also swipe left or right while in this menu to scroll through your currently open apps.
3

Press the Home button. You'll return to the Home Screen.
4
Tap and hold an app. It should begin to wiggle after about a second, along with the other apps on your iPhone's Home Screen. From here, you can do a few different things:
- Tap and drag the app to move it. If you drag your app all the way to the right side of the Home Screen, a new screen will appear for you to drop your app onto. You'll be able to access this page by swiping left on the Home Screen.
- Tap and drag the app onto another app to create a folder that contains those two apps. You'll be able to drag other apps into the folder as well.
- Tap the X in the top-left corner of the app's icon to delete the app. You'll need to tap Delete when prompted to actually delete the app.
5

Customize your iPhone's Home Screen as you please. Once you've moved, deleted, and organized your iPhone's apps according to your preference, you can make a phone call.

1

Tap the Phone app. It's the green app with a white phone icon on it, most likely located on the Home Screen.
2
Tap the "Keypad" tab. You'll see this option at the bottom of the screen, to the right of the "Contacts" tab.
- Alternatively, you can tap the "Contacts" tab, tap a contact's name, and then tap the "call" icon (a white phone on a blue background) below their name at the top of the screen.
3

Type in a phone number. You'll do this by lightly tapping the corresponding numbers on this page.
4
Tap the green and white "Call" button. It's below the last row of numbers on the screen. Doing so will initiate your call. When your contact picks up their phone, you can speak normally with the phone up to your ear, or you can use one of the following buttons to change the nature of the call:
- speaker - Changes your phone's audio output from the earpiece at the top of the screen to your iPhone's speakers. This way, you can speak without holding the phone up to your ear.
- FaceTime - Changes the phone call to a FaceTime call wherein you'll be able to see your recipient's face and vice versa. This will only work if your contact also has an iPhone.

Add New Question

Question

How do I turn on the flashlight on an iPhone?

Swipe up from the home screen. You should see the control center. Press the flashlight icon in the bottom left corner.
Question

How do I add a new contact?

Go to "Phone," press "Contacts," and then press the "+" button. Then fill in the contact information and press "Done."
Question

Can an iPhone take a memory card?

No, the iPhone has built-in storage and doesn't accept memory cards.
Question

How do I delete a photo?

Go to your photos, and click on the image so that it shows that image only, then press the trash can and select "Delete Photo." If you want to delete multiple photos, press "Select" then select the ones you want to delete. Then press delete.
Question

How do I delete a single text message rather than a thread?

Find the message that you want to delete and press and hold on the message until you get the options for "Copy" and "More...". Tap on "More..." and look for the blue trashcan icon on the bottom left corner of the screen. Tap on it to delete the message.
Question

How do I download music on my iPhone?

If you want to download music through Apple, open the preinstalled iTunes Store app and tap Search at the bottom. Search for the title of the track or album you want to buy and purchase it. Then open the preinstalled Music app and make sure you are in My Music at the bottom of the screen. Then, navigate through your music and play what you want. If you want to download music using a third party app, download the app that you want from the App Store. Spotify is a good option if you're willing to pay a monthly fee for Premium. Make an account and browse through the music. If you pay for Premium, you can make playlists and download music for offline listening.
Question

How do I use the iPhone as a GPS?

Go to the Maps application. There you can enter locations and use your iPhone as a GPS.
Question

How do I move an icon to another page?

Tap and hold down on any app, which will all the app icons to shake. Then, drag the app you want to move to the left or right of the home screen it's on and hold it there until the screen shifts over. Release the app and press the home button to exit the app organization mode. Note that you can also uninstall apps from this mode -- just tap the red X on the corner of whichever app you want to get rid of.
Question

How do I set the length of time the screen is active when my iPhone is not in use?

You can change it under Settings > General > Auto-lock.
Question

How can I set my iPhone to the English language?

BennyBoy126

Community Answer

Go into Settings and look for Language. But it should show up as you're getting your phone started up.

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Don't get discouraged at how complicated the iPhone can be to use--operating your iPhone will be second-nature before you know it!
You may want to take advantage of more advanced iPhone features such as Siri or replacing your iPhone's SIM card as well.

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To use an iPhone, start by pressing the lock button on the top right side to "wake up" the screen. Then, press the home button at the bottom front of the phone to see the lock screen. Once you've entered your passcode, you'll see the home page where you can tap on applications such as "Phone," "Messages," or "Notes" to open them. You can also swipe left to right to display weather, calendar, and alarm widgets. If you swipe up from the bottom of the home screen, you'll see the control center where you can turn on settings like airplane mode, Wi-Fi, and Do Not Disturb. To learn how to access the search button on your iPhone, read on!

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