Master your new iPhone with these helpful iPhone X tips and tricks

Apple’s iPhone X has officially hit store shelves. If you’ve already managed to snag one, it may take you some time to get used to the new design. Have no fear, we’ve got helpful iPhone X tips and tricks so you can get the most out of your new iPhone. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, brush up on your iOS 11 skills, find a case to protect that fragile iPhone, or even pick up a wireless charging pad.

How to switch between apps and go back to the home screen

Prior to the iPhone X, the home button was how you would switch between apps, or go back to the home screen. If you want to view all the apps you have open while on the home screen, swipe up from the bottom edge of your device. This will bring you to the stack of apps that are currently running. To force close apps, hold down on a specific app and red minus signs will appear on the top left of each app. You can either swipe up to get rid of the app or tap on the red sign. If you’re on an app and want to go back to the home screen, swipe up on the elongated bar at the bottom of every app.

How to set up Face ID

When you’re first setting up your iPhone X, you’ll get the option to turn on Face ID and go through the configuration process, just like Touch ID. It requires rotating your head twice so the TrueDepth camera can capture all your facial features. If you somehow skipped this step, you can head to Settings > Face ID and Passcode > Set up Face ID. You’ll have to let it scan your face again twice. Once done, all you need to do to unlock your iPhone X is swipe up the lock screen with your eyes open and you’ll see a padlock icon unlocking. Your iPhone X will not unlock if you do not make eye contact with the phone.

How to activate Siri

On the right side of the iPhone X is an elongated power button — we’ve started to call it the “lock” button, because its primary use is no longer to turn off your phone. You can activate Siri by holding down the lock button on the right for a few seconds. The voice assistant will appear, ready to answer any questions or follow any commands. If you want to exit Siri, press the lock button again.

How to take a screenshot

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Taking a screenshot on the iPhone X might feel a little foreign without the home button present, especially because now it’s similar to taking a screenshot on an Android phone. All you need to do is press the lock and volume up button at the same time. Once it takes the screenshot, you’ll see it appear in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. Tap it to mark up or edit your screen shot, and you can then delete it or save it to Photos.

How to access your notifications and the Control Center

The iPhone X brings a “notch,” which is the black space at the top of the phone housing the tech needed for Face ID. The screen flanks the notch, and the right side has a very specific function — it’s how you now bring down the Control Center. Simply swipe down from the top right, and down comes the Control Center. To access the Notification Center, swipe down on the left side or center of the top of the iPhone X. This will pull down your notifications page which you can then swipe back up to bring you back to the home screen. In the Notification Center, you can still swipe left to access the camera, and swipe right to go to your Today widgets.

How to access Apple Pay

To quickly get to Apple Pay on the iPhone X, double tap the lock button on the right edge of the phone. Your card will then appear and Face ID will automatically scan you to verify you’re the card owner. If you don’t want to use Face ID, there’s also the option to manually type in your Passcode.

How to turn off your phone

You can turn your phone off by holding down either of the volume buttons and the lock button at the same time. At the top, you’ll see the “slide to power off” option. This is also how you can access Emergency SOS and Medical ID if you’re in a situation that requires emergency services.

How to take a photo in Portrait Mode

With the iPhone X, you can use Portrait Mode on both the rear and front-facing camera. After opening the camera app, choose Portrait, and you’ll get a carousel of different Portrait Lighting options such as Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, and more. Tap the rotate camera icon to switch to the front-facing camera for a professional-looking selfie.

Tap to turn on display

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Normally, you’d use Touch ID to turn on the iPhone lock screen. With the iPhone X, all you need to do is tap the display to turn on the screen.

How to turn raise to wake off/on

Whenever you lift up your iPhone X to your face, the screen will automatically wake up. This is called Raise to Wake, and it has been around for some time on iPhones. If you want to turn it off, head to Settings > Display & Brightness and toggle Raise to Wake on or off.

How to send an Animoji

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Animojis are animated emojis you can send to any iOS or Android user. The emojis use the Face ID TrueDepth cameras to track your facial animations, kind of like motion capture used in films. To send one, head to the Messages app. Open a chat thread, and you’ll see a bar of apps at the bottom. Next to the App Store icon sits the monkey emoji — tap it. You’re now at the Animoji record screen. You can swipe it up to expand it to the whole screen. Choose your favorite emoji, and you’ll realize it’s already tracking your facial movements. Tap the red record button to capture a 10 second video (with audio), and send it to your friends. This will show up as a video file for people without an iPhone X.