This wikiHow teaches you how to master the basics of using your iPhone, from turning it on or off to using existing apps.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Getting to Know the Buttons on iPhone
Step 1. Turn on the phone if it is still off
To turn it on, press and hold the lock button until you see the white Apple icon on the iPhone screen.
Step 2. Charge iPhone if necessary
The charging cable to use is a long white cable with a small, flat rectangular head on one end and a larger rectangular block on the other. If iPhone won't turn on, try plugging the device into a power outlet for a few minutes before trying to turn it back on.
- You can see the charging port on the bottom of the device, just below the circular button at the bottom of the screen. The end of the small (flat) cable will later need to be inserted into the port.
- If you're using an iPhone 4S or an older charger, the charging head on the cable has a gray square icon on one side. The icon should be facing the same side as the phone screen.
- The iPhone purchase package must come with a power adapter (white cube) that has a double-headed power jack on one side, and a square hole on the other. You can plug this adapter into a wall outlet, and plug the cable head that doesn't connect to your iPhone into the hole in the adapter.
- If iPhone is still off when plugged into a power source, it will start up. You can see a white Apple icon on the screen.
Step 3. Get to know the buttons on the device
If you place iPhone on a flat surface with the screen facing up, all the buttons on iPhone have the following positions:
- Lock button – This button is on the right side of the device (iPhone 6 and later) or on the top of the device (iPhone 5S and earlier). Press the button once when the phone is on to turn off the screen, and press the button again to turn on the screen. You can also press and hold it to turn on a dead iPhone, or turn off an iPhone that is still on.
- Volume +/- – These two buttons are on the left side of the phone body. The bottom button is used to lower the volume of music, videos, or ringtones, while the top button is used to increase the volume.
- Mute button (mute) – This button is a toggle located at the top of the row of buttons on the left side of the device. If the switch is shifted upwards, the phone will start in voice mode. Meanwhile, if the switch is moved down, the ringing tone will be muted and vibrate mode will be activated. When silent mode is activated, there will be an orange strip above the “ Mute ”.
- Home Button – This button is circular and is located at the bottom of the phone screen. Click the button once to unlock iPhone from lock page. In addition, you can also click the Home button to exit the running application, and double-click it to display all the running applications.
Step 4. Press the lock button
Once pressed, the iPhone screen will turn on and the lock page will be displayed.
Step 5. Press the Home button once on the lock page display
The lock page contains the time and day information at the top of the screen. Press the Home button to display the passcode field.
If you haven't set a passcode, you will be taken to the iPhone home screen after pressing the Home button. From there, you can identify other iPhone functions
Step 6. Type in the passcode using the buttons shown on the screen
As long as the correct code is entered, you will be taken directly to the device's home screen.
If you turn on TouchID to unlock your iPhone, you can scan your fingerprint to unlock the device
Part 2 of 4: Moving from Home Screen
Step 1. Pay attention to the home screen of the device
You can see several icon boxes on this page. The icons are applications on the iPhone (app). All stock apps or device default apps will be shown on this page.
When you add an app to your phone, the home screen will get an additional page. You can browse these pages by sliding the screen to the right or left
Step 2. Get to know iPhone native or default apps
Some of the important applications that are included in the standard iPhone include:
- ” Settings ” (Settings) – This app is indicated by a gray icon with a gear. If you want to change anything, from the time it takes for the device screen to turn off, to wireless network settings, you can find the change options in this app.
- ” Phone ” – This app is indicated by a green icon with a white handset. You can make a phone call manually (by entering a phone number) or select a contact and touch the phone icon shown below their name, at the top of the screen.
- “ Contacts ” (Contact) - This app is indicated by a gray human head silhouette icon. Once selected, a list of contacts on the device will be displayed. Usually, the store that sells the iPhone you are using has already synced the contacts on your old device to your iPhone. However, if the store hasn't synced yet, you can import old contacts to iPhone.
- “ FaceTime ” – This app is marked by a green icon with a white video camera logo. You can make live video calls with other people in your contacts using this app.
- “ Messages ” – This app is marked by a green icon with a white message bubble. In this application, you can send and receive text messages.
- “ Mail ” – This app is marked by a blue icon with a white envelope logo. You can check your Apple ID email through this app (also known as an iCloud account), or you can add another email account to the app yourself.
- “ Calendar ” – This app will show the current calendar. You can also set or save an event on a specific date or time by touching the desired date and filling in the information fields provided.
- “ Camera ” – This app is marked by a gray icon with the camera logo. You can take photos, videos, and various types of visual media (eg slow-motion videos) with this app.
- “ Photos ” – This app is marked by a colorful windmill icon and saves all photos on the device. Whenever you take a photo with the camera, it will be displayed in this app.
- “ Safari ” – This app is marked by a blue icon with a compass image. You can use Safari to browse the web.
- “ Clock ” – This app is marked with a clock icon. You can change or manage the time zone stored on your device, set an alarm, set a countdown timer, or use a stopwatch with this app.
- “ Notes ” – This app is marked by a yellow and white notebook icon that you can find on the home screen. This application is useful for writing short notes or making lists, although the “Reminder” application can also be a good choice for making lists.
- “ Maps ” – This app allows you to plan your trip and provides step-by-step directions (like GPS) when you enter the start point and end point of the trip.
- “ Wallet ” – You can add credit or debit cards and gift cards to this app. This way, you can use your iPhone to pay for goods online, as well as make purchases at retail stores that support this payment method.
- “ App Store ” – This app is marked by a blue icon with a white “A” letter. In this application, you can download new applications.
- “ Music ” – This app is marked by a white icon with a musical notation. In this app, you can view your iPhone's music library.
- “ Tips ” – This app is marked by a yellow icon with a light bulb logo. “Tips” provides suggestions that help you make the most of or make the most of your iPhone.
Step 3. Swipe the screen from left to right
Once swiped, the device's widgets page will open. You can view information such as the current weather forecast, alarms that have been set, and relevant news.
- Swipe up on the screen to browse this page.
- If you want to search for specific content or things on your device, tap the “Search” bar at the top of the page and type in what you want to search for.
Step 4. Swipe the screen to the left to return to the home screen
You can also press the “Home” button to return to the home screen from any page.
Step 5. Swipe down from the top of the screen
After that, the iPhone notification page will be displayed. On this page, you can see all the latest notifications (eg missed calls, received text messages, etc.).
Step 6. Press the “Home” button
After that, you will return to the home screen.
Step 7. Swipe down the center of the screen
After that, the search bar at the top of the screen and a list of frequently used apps will be displayed. You can touch the option Cancel ” in the upper right corner of the screen or press the “Home” button to return to the home screen.
Step 8. Swipe the bottom of the screen upwards
After that, a control center (“Control Center”) containing several options will be displayed:
- “ Airplane Mode ” (airplane mode) – This option is indicated by the airplane icon at the top of the control center window. Once touched, airplane mode will be activated. The cellular network and wireless internet will be turned off. Touch the button again (or any other button on the list) to turn it off.
- “ WiFi ” – This option is indicated by a rippled curved line icon. Once touched, wireless internet will be enabled (if it's blue, WiFi is already enabled) and you can connect your device to a nearby known network.
- “ Bluetooth ” – This option is indicated by the icon in the upper center of the control center window. Touch the icon to turn on Bluetooth on the device so you can connect iPhone to speakers or other Bluetooth devices.
- “ Do Not Disturb ” – This option is indicated by a moon icon. Touch the icon to prevent incoming calls, text messages, and other notifications from causing the phone to ring.
- “ Rotation Lock ” – This option is indicated by the lock icon in the circle. When the icon is touched in a red state, the screen lock will be disabled. This means that you can rotate or flip the device 90 degrees to view photos and other media in landscape mode.
- Options in the bottom row include (from left to right) a flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera app shortcuts.
Step 9. Press the “Home” button again
After that, you will return to the home screen. Now that you are familiar with the home screen and the existing applications, it is time for you to start using iPhone applications.
Part 3 of 4: Using the App
Step 1. Touch the app you want to use
Once touched, the application will be opened. Your interaction process with each application will be different, depending on the application itself. However, you can usually touch the content to activate it (eg touch a text field to display the device's keyboard).
You can download new apps from the App Store
Step 2. Press the “Home” button twice
When the “Home” button is pressed twice quickly, the currently open application will be minimized and all running applications will be displayed in separate windows.
- Slide the application window that you want to close upwards.
- You can also swipe left or right on this menu to browse the open applications.
Step 3. Press the “Home” button again
Now, you will return to the home screen.
Step 4. Press and hold the app icon
After a few equals, the icon (and other app icons displayed on the home screen) will start to wiggle. From here, you can do several things:
- Touch and drag the icon to move it. If you drag the icon to the right side of the home screen, a new page will be displayed where you can drop and place the app icon on that page. You can access the page by sliding the home screen to the left.
- Touch and drag the icon to the icon of the other application to create a folder containing the two applications. You can also drag other app icons to that folder.
- Touch the button “ X ” in the top-left corner of the icon to delete the app. You need to touch the option " Delete ” when prompted to completely remove it from the device.
Step 5. Set the home screen display to your liking
After you move, delete, and manage iPhone apps according to your preferences, you can make phone calls.
Part 4 of 4: Making Phone Calls
Step 1. Touch the “Phone” app
This application is marked by a green icon with a white handset logo, and may appear on the home screen.
Step 2. Touch the “Keypad” tab
You can see this option at the bottom of the screen, next to the “Contacts” tab.
Alternatively, you can also tap the “Contacts” tab, select a contact name, and tap the “Call” icon (a white phone icon on a blue background) below the contact's name, at the top of the screen
Step 3. Type in the phone number you want to call
You can do this by touching the appropriate numbers on this page.
Step 4. Touch the green and white “Call” button
It's below the last row of numbers displayed on the screen. After that, the call will start. When the contact you are calling answers, you can talk normally with the phone to your ear. You can also use one of the following buttons to change the way of speaking or the method of calling:
- “ Speaker ” – This option changes the sound output from the earpiece at the top of the phone screen to the device's speaker. This way, you can talk without having to hold the phone to your ear.
- “ FaceTime ” – This option converts a phone call into a FaceTime call so you can see the other person's face (and vice versa). This option is only available if the contact you are calling also uses an iPhone.
Tips
- Don't be discouraged by the complexity of using iPhone. As time goes on, you won't even notice that you're used to it!
- You may be able to take advantage of iPhone's more advanced features, such as Siri and SIM card replacement.
