Shopping for a brand new iPhone is at all times thrilling, particularly when it’s your first. For those who’re coming from one other smartphone, there are some cool tips you need to be taught to get essentially the most out of your iPhone, however you also needs to pay attention to some frequent errors amongst first-time iPhone customers so that you don’t repeat them.
So earlier than you head over to the App Retailer to check out some cool apps and video games, learn this record and be taught what to not do together with your new iPhone.
Mistake 1: Manually closing apps too usually
Whereas Android has a multitasking system that may hold apps operating within the background, which may have an effect on battery life and efficiency, iOS manages multitasking in another way. With a view to save extra battery and likewise liberate {hardware} sources for different duties, iOS limits what apps can run within the background. Which means that if you swap away to a different app, the iPhone saves the state of the earlier app and freezes it till you turn again to it.
In different phrases, apps within the background have a really low battery consumption, so that you don’t must manually shut them. Until an app isn’t working correctly and must be restarted, you possibly can depart your multitasking carousel stuffed with apps. In actual fact, closing and reopening apps on a regular basis can find yourself draining extra battery, as iOS has to reload your complete app every time it opens.

These app screens is perhaps tempting to swipe away, however don’t do it.
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Mistake 2: Not establishing iCloud correctly
For those who’re a first-time iPhone consumer, you is probably not aware of the advantages of utilizing iCloud. Anybody can use iCloud without spending a dime, but it surely’s extra than simply an Apple e-mail deal with. Apple’s cloud service enables you to not solely retailer recordsdata, but in addition synchronize knowledge between different gadgets, again up your recordsdata, and far more.
For instance, you possibly can allow iCloud Pictures to again up your whole picture library, in order that your photographs and movies taken together with your iPhone are routinely uploaded to the cloud. It’s also possible to register to iCloud on one other Apple gadget and even on a Home windows PC to entry your iCloud knowledge. To verify which iCloud options you’ve gotten enabled in your telephone, go to the Settings app and faucet in your title on the high of the display. That may take you to the iCloud menu, the place you possibly can handle all of your settings.
Most significantly, iCloud will routinely again up all the info in your iPhone day by day. Simply make it possible for iCloud Backup is enabled within the iCloud settings. If one thing occurs to your telephone, you gained’t have to fret about dropping something—all your contacts, messages, photographs, and apps might be saved in iCloud and you’ll restore to the precise state it was, Safari tabs and all.
It’s price noting that Apple solely gives 5GB of iCloud storage without spending a dime, which is probably not sufficient for most individuals. You possibly can pay for additional iCloud storage individually.
Mistake 3: Not utilizing Discover My
Apple’s Discover My app is one in every of its greatest options, letting you observe Apple gadgets or something connected to an AirTag in case you allow them behind, even once they’re offline. Greater than that, you can too lock down a misplaced or stolen gadget so nobody can use it.
It’s easy to arrange—all you want is your Apple ID. To allow Discover My to your iPhone, go to the Settings app, faucet on the Apple Account part (on the high of the display together with your title), and search for the Discover My menu. Be sure to allow Discover My iPhone, Discover My Community, and Ship Final Location.
One other nice function of the app is the Discover My Mates function, which helps you to share your location with family and friends who personal an Apple gadget (and vice versa) so you possibly can hold observe of one another’s whereabouts. It’s a useful function for folks of school-aged teenagers, and in true Apple trend, it’s so simple as switching off a toggle in the event you change your thoughts about sharing your location.

Discover My is a unbelievable method to hold observe of your stuff—however many new iPhone customers don’t realize it’s there.
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Mistake 4: Skipping software program updates
Though some customers could also be too busy, cautious or simply lazy about putting in software program updates, this can be very essential to maintain your iPhone’s software program updated. New variations of iOS usually include bug fixes and safety patches. For instance, iOS 18.4.1, launched earlier this month, fixes an exploit that might result in malicious code being executed with out the consumer realizing.
Some iOS updates additionally deliver new options to your iPhone. With iOS 18.4, Apple has expanded Apple Intelligence options to extra languages and added new emojis. And relying on if you purchase your iPhone, there could also be an essential one ready to be put in proper out of the field. They’re all essential and shouldn’t be skipped.
To ensure your iPhone is operating the most recent model of iOS, go to Settings > Basic > Software program Replace. Putting in an iOS replace can take a number of minutes or for much longer, relying in your web connection, so we advocate doing it in a single day so that they don’t gradual you down.
Mistake 5: Ignoring Privateness and Location settings
If youre shopping for your first new iPhone, there’s a great probability one of many important the explanation why you switched is due to Apple’s stance on privateness. However simply since you’re utilizing an iPhone doesn’t imply it’s as locked down because it coiuld be. Nevertheless, Apple places a number of effort into its privateness permissions options so long as you recognize the place to search for them.
For that, go to Settings > Privateness & Safety, and also you’ll discover a slew of choices. As an illustration, you possibly can select whether or not an app has entry to issues just like the digicam, microphone, and your location. You possibly can disable monitoring for particular person apps or all the things you do. And you can too activate Stolen Machine Protetion and LockDown Mode, which gives excessive safety towards cyberattacks.
A few suggestions. You must activate “Whereas Utilizing the App” for Location Entry so an app can’t observe your whereabouts if you’re not utilizing it. We additionally prefer to restrict the entry apps should our contacts and photographs. However crucial Privateness setting is Precision Location. That is an possibility for particular apps so that they have entry to pinpoint your particular location. It’d take some time to get by means of all of them, but it surely’s greatest to show this off for any app that doesn’t clearly want it. (You are able to do that by tapping on an app within the Location Companies tab and turning off the Exact Location toggle.)

iPhones have higher privateness protections than different telephones, however provided that you employ them correctly.
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Mistake 6: Setting a weak password
All the most recent iPhones have Face ID, which makes use of sensors to determine you consumer and routinely unlock the telephone. It’s extremely safe—much more than a fingerprint sensor—however there are nonetheless instances if you’ll want a passcode—like when Face ID fails to acknowledge you in a darkish room or if you restart your telephone. A passcode like “1111” or “9876” is perhaps straightforward to recollect, but it surely might trigger main complications down the road.
For instance, in the event you lose your iPhone, somebody would possibly have the ability to guess your passcode if it’s straightforward sufficient. Or somebody might watch you enter your password and snatch your telephone. As soon as they get in, they will attempt to change your Apple ID password and achieve entry to your private accounts, and make an actual mess of your life. That’s why it’s essential to set a powerful passcode that may’t be simply guessed.
We advocate altering to a password with at the least six digits or, even higher, an alphanumeric password.