Quick answer
The most useful hidden iPhone features are Back Tap (Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Back Tap), the keyboard trackpad (hold the Space bar), Shake to Undo, Sound Recognition, LED Flash for Alerts and custom vibrations for contacts. Dialler codes such as *#06# and *3001#12345#* reveal your IMEI and Field Test mode. All of them have been in iOS for several versions.
Why so many iPhone features stay hidden
Apple ships far more features than it advertises. Many of the best ones live in Accessibility settings, where most people never look, or behind gestures that nothing on screen tells you about. None of the features below need a beta, a jailbreak or a paid app. They work on recent iOS versions, and menu names occasionally shift a little between releases.
Hidden gestures and shortcuts
Back Tap: a secret button on the back of your iPhone
Back Tap turns a double or triple tap on the back of the iPhone into a shortcut. Because it uses the motion sensors, it works with most cases on.
- Open
Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Back Tap. - Tap Double Tap and choose an action.
- Go back, tap Triple Tap and choose a second action.
Popular choices are taking a screenshot, opening the camera, toggling the flashlight, or running a shortcut from the Shortcuts app. If you take a lot of screenshots, a double tap is easier than the button combination in our guide to taking a screenshot on iPhone.
The hidden trackpad in the keyboard
Press and hold the Space bar until the keys go blank, then slide your finger to move the cursor anywhere in the text. Lift to drop it. It is the fastest way to fix a typo in the middle of a sentence.
Shake to Undo
Made a mistake while typing? Shake the iPhone and an Undo prompt appears. It works in most apps and can reverse recent typing and some other recent actions.
Accessibility settings everyone can use
Accessibility features are designed for people with specific needs, but several are useful to anyone.
| Feature | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Recognition | Settings › Accessibility › Sound Recognition | Notifies you when the iPhone hears sounds you choose, such as a doorbell, smoke alarm or crying baby |
| LED Flash for Alerts | Settings › Accessibility › Audio & Visual | Blinks the camera flash when a notification arrives |
| Reduce Motion | Settings › Accessibility › Motion | Replaces zooming animations with softer fades |
| Back Tap | Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Back Tap | Runs an action when you tap the back of the iPhone |
Sound Recognition
Sound Recognition listens for specific sounds and sends a notification when it hears one. It is handy when you are wearing headphones or working in a noisy room and might miss a doorbell or an alarm. Choose which sounds to listen for after you turn it on.
LED Flash for Alerts
This makes the camera flash blink for incoming notifications, which helps in loud places or when the phone is on silent and face up on a desk.
Custom vibration patterns for contacts
You can give important people their own vibration so you know who is calling without looking. Open the contact, tap Edit, then Ringtone, go to the vibration option and choose Create New Vibration. Tap out a rhythm on the screen and save it.
Reduce Motion
If iOS animations make you queasy, or you want the interface to feel snappier, turn on Reduce Motion. Zoom and slide effects become simple fades, which can also make an older iPhone feel quicker. Our list of the best iPhone settings to change has more tweaks in the same spirit.
Useful dialler codes
These codes go into the Phone app's keypad. Some carriers or regions do not support all of them.
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
*3001#12345#* | Opens Field Test mode after you tap Call, showing cellular details such as signal strength in dBm |
*#06# | Shows your IMEI immediately |
#31# before a number | Hides your caller ID for that one call |
Field Test mode displays technical information. It is safe to look at, but leave its settings alone unless you understand what they do.
Developer Mode
Developer Mode is a hidden switch aimed at app developers. It appears in Settings › Privacy & Security › Developer Mode once you have connected the iPhone to a Mac running Xcode. It lets you install and test apps built in Xcode and opens up extra debugging options.
Most people never need it. Turning it on lowers your security slightly because it allows apps that did not come from the App Store, so switch it off again when you are done.
What was expected in iOS 27
Before WWDC 2026, this guide listed hidden capabilities people expected in iOS 27. Here is what was being reported at the time, kept as a record. These were predictions, not confirmed features.
- Foldable iPhone support. With a foldable iPhone widely expected, reports suggested new gestures for moving between screens and multitasking controls. Our iPhone Fold page tracks what is known about the device.
- More Apple Intelligence controls. Power users hoped for deeper settings to customise or limit AI features.
- New accessibility features. Apple adds some every year, and many double as hidden features for everyone.
- Smarter Focus modes. Automatic switching based on context and location was a frequent request.
iOS 27 was announced on 8 June 2026 and released to the public on 14 September 2026. For what actually shipped, use our iOS 27 features list rather than pre-launch rumour roundups. The iOS 27 leaks and rumours tracker keeps the full pre-launch record if you want to compare.
How to find more hidden features yourself
- Go through every page of
Settings › Accessibilityonce. It holds more useful options than any other menu. - Read the notes that come with each update in
Settings › General › Software Update. Apple often lists small changes there and nowhere else. - Touch and hold things. Many buttons, icons and controls hide extra options behind a long press.
What to do next
Pick two features from this page and use them for a week until they become habit. Back Tap and the keyboard trackpad are good places to start. If your iPhone supports Apple Intelligence, our top Apple Intelligence tricks are the next set worth learning.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on Back Tap on iPhone?
Open Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Back Tap, then choose an action for Double Tap and another for Triple Tap. Options include taking a screenshot, opening Control Center, toggling the flashlight, and running any shortcut you have built in the Shortcuts app. It works with most cases on, because it detects the tap through the iPhone's motion sensors rather than a physical button.
How do I use the hidden trackpad in the iPhone keyboard?
While typing, press and hold the Space bar until the letters on the keyboard disappear. Keep your finger down and slide it around: the cursor follows, so you can drop it precisely between two characters. Lift your finger to place the cursor. It is much faster than tapping and dragging in the text itself, especially for fixing a typo in the middle of a long message.
What does *3001#12345#* do on iPhone?
Dialling *3001#12345#* in the Phone app and tapping Call opens Field Test mode. It shows technical details about your cellular connection, including signal strength measured in dBm rather than bars. It is useful for finding the best spot for reception at home. Look but don't change anything there unless you know what each setting does, and note that not every carrier or region supports it.
Does iOS 27 have new hidden features?
Every iOS release tends to include smaller changes Apple doesn't headline. Before WWDC 2026, reports pointed to foldable-iPhone gestures, deeper Apple Intelligence controls and smarter Focus modes, but those were predictions. For what Apple actually shipped, check our iOS 27 features list rather than pre-launch rumour roundups, and read the release notes for each update.
How do I find my iPhone's IMEI quickly?
Open the Phone app, dial *#06# and the IMEI appears on screen straight away, without tapping Call. It is the quickest way to get the number when a carrier, insurer or buyer asks for it. The same information is also listed in Settings › General › About if you prefer to copy it from there.