One of the things Apple has mastered well, is it’s understated technical capability. It’s easy to be deceived by the relatively simple iOS interface but the reality is that hidden behind the iconic rounded app buttons lies a wealth of hidden features.

7 Tips and Tricks for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

You Don’t Have to Double Click

Miss the ability to simply run your fingerprint over the home button to access your iPhone? You still have that option. Simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Home Button and select Rest Finger To Open.

While you’re there, you also have the option of changing the way it feels when you do “click” the home button.

Skip The Home Button All Together

Now you can skip using the home button to wake your iPhone all together. Instead, you can opt to have your iPhone wake by simply lifting it up. Toggle this feature on and off by going to Settings > Display & Brightness > Raise to Wake.

Find the New Camera Shortcut

Before iOS 10 you were able to access your camera directly from the lock screen. With iOS 10 that option seems to have disappeared but never fear, it’s just as easy and as quick to access your camera from the lock screen. Simply swipe left and opens your camera automatically!

Give Hard Press A Try

3D Touch is even more improved on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Five of our favorite “hard press” features include:

• Hard press your Flashlight Icon to adjust the brightness.
• Quickly post to Instagram by giving the Instagram App a hard press for access to a new post.
• Hard press notifications from your lock screen to access more controls.
• For quick selfies give the Camera App a hard press to open the app on the front facing camera.
• Text your BFF on the regular? Hard Press the message icon for quick access to regularly used contacts or a new message.

Track Your Sleep

As part of the Apple Health program, you can now take control of your sleep with Bedtime. Bedtime allows you set and track the number of hours you need sleep. Set the ideal amount of sleep you would like to get each day, the time you need to wake up and which days you would like an alarm. The feature will tell you what time your head needs to hit the pillow each night and alert you at that time.

Tap the Options button in the top left corner of the display to change the alarm sound, and the reminder time. All of this can be set via the Clock app.

Make Movies Out Of Memories

The new photos albums automatically makes Memories out of your photos and videos. These collections can be played as a slideshow. You can further personalize the slideshow by going to Photos > Memories > Tap Video > Tap Video Again to access user controls > Tap Menu (The horizontal lines in bottom right.) From there you change the title, add music, adjust the length of your slideshow and even customize the photos and videos that appear.

Impress Your Friends With Your Photography Skills

This feature is reserved specifically for iPhone 7 Plus users. With the release of iOS 10.1, Portrait mode lives within the Camera app under “Portrait” between “Photo” and “Square”. Utilizing this depth effect is pretty easy. The key to using it successfully involves good lighting, keeping your subjects less than 8 feet from your camera, and placing them as far from your background as possible.

The closer you are to your subject + the further they are from your background = the more bokeh your backgrounds will have.

If used correctly, you will see your background defocus in real time and the “Depth Effect” indicator on the bottom of the screen will turn yellow. Your subject doesn’t have to be a person either. Up your food, flower and still life photography game! Especially useful for when you’re in a pinch and can’t change up an otherwise ugly background (like my laundry!)

Don’t have the iPhone 7 or 7 plus yet? You can still get a great trade-in deal on Verizon!

Surf and Sunshine is a member of the #VZWBuzz Lifestyle Blogger program. All opinions remain our own.