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Update Your Wallpaper
As great as the iPhone is, people get bored with it. In fact, people get so bored, they sometimes go for another brand of smartphone, because it is different. They often come back to the iPhone because they learned, the hard way, that different isn’t necessarily better.
I have to admit, that grid of icons is stale. I actually moved them off my first Home screen and put them all in one folder. I swept them under the rug. I just use Spotlight to launch any app that isn’t already on my Dock.
If you’re getting sick of your iPhone, it may be time to update your wallpaper. iOS 11 includes a few new, stunning wallpapers. If these aren’t appealing, just look for one of the many sites that offer free, high-resolution iPhone backgrounds. Go to Settings > Wallpaper to change your iPhone’s Home Screen and Lock Screen backgrounds.
Shut Down iPhone Without Pressing the Sleep/Wake Button
People often keep their iPhones for a long time. I still have my iPhone 4, and although I have an iPhone 6, I still use the older device as a clock and kitchen timer. Even with the iPhone’s solid construction, moving parts can wear down over time. The Home button on my iPhone 4 is gradually becoming unresponsive. Keep in mind, this phone is over 6 years old.
Your iPhone won’t last forever, but if you minimize the use of moving parts, it can last a long time. With iOS 11, users can now shut down their iPhone directly from the Settings menu. This prevents some wear and tear on the sleep/wake button. Simply tap on Settings > General > Shut Down and then slide the on-screen slider to power down your device.
Although you can go for years without shutting down your iPhone (due to its industry-leading stability), there’s a good reason why you should. Charging your iPhone when it is powered down will minimize stress on the battery. This will keep your battery lasting longer. Your iPhone will also charge faster. If you need to keep your iPhone for years, I strongly recommend turning it off while charging.
Manage Files on Your iPhone
The lack of central file management was always a major annoyance in iOS. Apple obstinately held on to an avant-garde and ambitious notion that file management should be abstract. This only made it more difficult to use the iPhone. With iOS 11, the iPhone embraces the Mac’s Finder app, with some obvious restrictions. You can finally browse for files using the centralized Files app. It provides access to user-generated app data files on your device. Users still can’t get into system files, which is probably for the best. Even most desktop operating systems hide critical system files from the average user. next page →