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The capabilities of smartphones are seemingly infinite — and but peoples’ use of their gadgets usually stays restricted to areas they already learn about. A smartphone can achieve this way more than simply surf the net, make video calls, play music, stream video, and ship texts.
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One massive drawback is that there at the moment are so many options packed right into a smartphone that discovering them, remembering them, and utilizing them is a real problem. A few of these hidden smartphone options can assist enhance your productiveness and make on a regular basis duties simpler. If there’s one thing it’s worthwhile to get performed, there is a fairly good likelihood your smartphone can assist you do it.
To convey your smartphone use to the subsequent stage, we have rounded up some smartphone options that you simply won’t learn about, however that are positive to make on a regular basis duties simpler.
1. Scan paperwork
When you’ve got ever needed to signal a bodily doc after which submit it digitally afterwards, you understand how a lot of a problem it may be to print out, scan, after which electronic mail the doc. The excellent news is that you simply not have to show to your clunky scanner. With each iPhones and Android gadgets, you should use the smartphone to scan a doc and export it.
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On iPhones, all you need to do is open your Notes app, click the camera icon, after which hit the “scan paperwork” button, and also you’re set. On an Android gadget, the method is much more seamless. All you need to do is open your digicam app, hover it over the doc, and faucet “scan doc” for Pixel telephones, or the yellow “T” icon for Samsung gadgets.
2. Begin your automotive
Earlier than you get your hopes up, your capacity to make use of your telephone as a key or car-starter will rely solely on the mannequin, make, and yr of your automotive.
Fortunately, numerous vehicles have this kind of performance. Two the explanation why you would possibly need to reap the benefits of this characteristic embrace the power to remotely begin your automotive from the consolation of your personal house or setting the automotive temperature simply the best way you prefer it earlier than you get in.
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When you’re on this characteristic, search for your automotive on the net and see if there’s an app that may assist. For instance, Ford has an app known as FordPass, which permits Ford automotive homeowners to unlock and lock vehicles, remotely begin the automotive, and even schedule distant begins from the app. Android gadgets have a characteristic known as digital key on choose smartphones, which works in tandem along with your automotive producer’s app or the producer’s electronic mail to make your telephone a digital key.
3. Aid you change channels
There are few issues extra irritating than on the point of watch a present, sitting on the sofa, settling down along with your blanket and snacks, after which realizing you may’t discover the distant. As soon as this realization hits, you need to dig to search out the distant, solely to search out out that the batteries are flat. To spare you this bother, many TVs are able to syncing to your smartphone to show your gadget right into a distant.
When you’ve got an iPhone, you should use it to regulate suitable TVs together with Roku or Fire TVs, or an Apple TV 4K. It is as simple as being logged on to the identical community because the TV, going to the screen-share possibility, after which hitting the distant icon. If you wish to use your iPhone as a remote control, now we have a useful how-to.
Android smartphones have the identical functionality with Android TVs. All you need to do is open the Google TV app, faucet the distant icon on the underside proper, after which scan gadgets and select your gadget to finish pairing, according to Android. As well as, Android has TV distant apps for Roku and Fire TVs, and even third-party distant apps for Apple TV.
4. Measure stuff
Do not have a tape measure? No drawback. You possibly can take measurements of something it’s worthwhile to in your telephone utilizing your smartphone’s digicam and AR know-how. All you need to do is drop a degree originally of the thing you are measuring and pin one other level on the finish to get the precise measurement.
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iPhones include the Apple Measure app preloaded, however in case you’re an Android person, do not fret. You possibly can merely use Measure Up, Google’s instrument that permits you to do what the Apple Measure app does, however in your telephone’s browser as a substitute of by way of an app.
5. Take photographs for you
Have you ever ever wished to take an image, however had nobody to take it for you? The surroundings is gorgeous and your outfit is ideal, however you may’t spot anybody round — so your photograph alternative is ruined. Positive there’s your telephone’s timer, however that may be close to ineffective as a result of you need to set every little thing up for only one photograph to be taken. Fortunately, Lens Buddy is an app made to unravel that drawback.
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With Lens Buddy, you may totally customise the timer, together with the pace and intervals of the images, so you will get the proper shot. As a substitute of getting to arrange a ten second timer in your telephone solely to snap one photograph, you may set a timer that takes many photographs over a custom-made interval (ex: each three seconds) for so long as you would like. With Lens Buddy, you’ve gotten numerous choices to choose from from one session as a substitute of only one. The app is simply out there on iOS. Nonetheless, there are camera-timer alternate options within the Google Play Retailer, comparable to Selfer, which does the identical factor.
6. Monitor your coronary heart fee
Regardless of the plethora of smartwatches and fitness trackers in the marketplace, it’s attainable to observe your coronary heart fee with simply your smartphone. Coronary heart-rate monitoring apps use your again digicam and flash to find out how a lot blood is pumping via your pores and skin, and get your coronary heart fee via a observe known as photoplethysmography. To get your outcomes inside seconds, all you need to do is place your finger over the digicam and flash.
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These cell heart-rate monitoring apps don’t come along with your telephone as normal, however will be downloaded in your smartphone’s app retailer. To determine which one to obtain, I like to recommend going to the app retailer and downloading a free app with probably the most constructive critiques. There are numerous perks to frequently monitoring your coronary heart fee, together with being extra in-tune with you physique. I personally used certainly one of these apps to observe my irregular coronary heart fee and, finally, acquired my coronary heart situation identified.
7. Maintain your medical insurance coverage card
When you personal a smartphone, you might be probably aware of the idea of a digital pockets. With a digital pockets, you may add playing cards, boarding passes, tickets, and extra to your smartphone for straightforward entry when paying or getting into sure occasions.
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However do you know that you may additionally add your medical insurance card? I like this characteristic as a result of my pesky medical insurance card all the time will get caught to different playing cards in my pockets simply while you want it.
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In your comfort, many insurance coverage suppliers, together with Cigna and Aetna, permit for cell entry to your insurance coverage card. All you need to do is obtain the app in your insurance coverage supplier and sign up. There, each iPhone and Android customers will discover your cell medical insurance card, which you’ll then current at any healthcare supplier. If you’re an iPhone person, you get the added perk of including it to your Apple Pockets.
Bonus characteristic
Simply as a reminder for these of you who may need forgotten: in addition to working as a compass, flashlight, TV distant, and 1000’s of different features that you may obtain as apps, your smartphone may… make calls. Sure, actually!