The iPhone 17, iOS 26, and even the new AirPods Pro 3 are packed with valuable features and tools, but it can be difficult to know which ones are worth it and where to find them.
I review phones for a living and have been using the iPhone 17 Pro for over two months. While testing the new Apple phone and its accessories, I’ve accumulated my share of hidden tips and tricks to quell my friends, family members (and strangers) who ask me, “What’s a good iPhone feature I should try?” Or “how do you do that thing with your AirPods that I saw on TikTok?”
These tips may not be new to everyone or exclusive to the iPhone 17 line (most require iOS 26), but they’re the less obvious ones that I use the most.
1. Wallpaper suggestions for Photos app
Your iPhone’s lock screen is more customizable since iOS 16.
Over the years, Apple has given a major visual overhaul to the lock screen and home screen. There are endless options to customize the look of your apps, lock screen clock, and add trippy space effects to bring your wallpaper to life.
However, one of my favorite recent discoveries is the wallpaper suggestions in the Photos app, which select wallpaper-worthy photos from your library and crop them to fit your screen. There’s even a 3D animation effect that can be added to really spice up your wallpaper. Above is a photo of my phone with a wallpaper of one of my cats (from Suggestions), for example. It delights me to no end that it looks like his head is popping out of the corner of the screen as if to say, “Are you unlocking your phone?!”
If you don’t see a wallpaper suggestion in the Photos app, go to Settingsthen to Photosand check that Show featured content is activated. Subsequently, if you do not want to see the wallpaper suggestions, you can disable them here. But why would you do it?
2. Use raw photos to pop the moon
Here are three photos of the moon taken a few seconds apart. The left and center photos are JPEG files, with the left one exposed for the moon and the middle one exposed for the buildings. The photo on the right was taken as a raw image and later edited to balance the exposure of the two.
This tip is for you iPhone Pro owners and is an easy way to ensure you get a great photo of a high-contrast scene. Think of a bright subject in a dark environment, like the Mineral Point Opera House marquee lit up at night, or a dark subject in a bright environment, like the black cat wallpaper from my previous tip.
Last week there was a full moon over San Francisco, and I loved the way Karl the Fog – yes, San Francisco’s marine layer has a name – rolled in the moonlight. However, when I tried to take a photo of it, my phone exposed the image of the bright moon, making everything else dark. And when I tried to expose the image to brighten the buildings in the background, the moon turned completely white.
Instead, I turned on the raw photo setting in the Camera app and got a great photo of the moon. Then I was able to edit it after the fact in the default Photos app to improve the shadow details on the dark background and moon highlights. The result: the moon and buildings looked exactly how I wanted. You can also use a third-party application to edit raw images.
Raw files contain more image data than a JPEG or HEIC, allowing you to make more in-depth edits after taking an image. I don’t take raw photos all the time because the file size is large: the raw photo of the moon is 13.6 MB, compared to 1.5 MB for a JPEG that I took.
To try this, you must first enable the raw files master switch. Go to Settingsthen the Camera menu. Select Formats and turn on ProRAW and resolution control. I use JPEG Lossless for ProRAW format.
Once enabled, open the Camera app. If you’re using iOS 26, you should see a button that says JPEG, HERE Or raw top left. Tap it to see the format and resolution controls. Raw images can be captured at 48MP on the iPhone 17 Pro.
3. The AirPods Pro 3 case is the button
The AirPods Pro 3 case is the button.
Apple recently launched the AirPods Pro 3. They come with several cool features, including the ability to check your heart rate and translate conversations in real time. But when I went to pair them with my phone for the first time, I was perplexed: where is the pairing button?
Just me? Probably not.
To pair AirPods Pro 3, simply keep them in the case and open the lid. They should automatically pair with whatever Apple device you have on hand. But if you’re trying to pair them to an Apple device that doesn’t have the same iCloud account or to a non-Apple device, you’ll need to open the cover and double-tap the case to enter pairing mode.
And that’s not the only AirPods advice I have for you (pun unintended).
4. AirPods automatically turn off music when you fall asleep
AirPods Pro 3 in their natural environment: the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, the company’s headquarters.
If you listen to music, a podcast, or white noise to help you fall asleep, you can set your AirPods to automatically pause whatever you’re listening to as soon as you fall asleep. To activate it, place your AirPods in their case, place the case next to your iPhone and open the cover. Now go to Settings and press the name of your AirPods. Then scroll down to Pause media when you fall asleep and enable this setting. Now sit back, put in your AirPods, and enjoy this 80-minute Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol podcast while you drift off to a good sleep.
This feature is part of iOS 26 and works with:
- AirPods Pro 3
- AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C
- AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning
- AirPods 4 with ANC
- AirPods Max with USB-C
Plus, if you’ve never explored the settings menu on your AirPods before, you can access a lot of cool features like head gestures, live translation, and camera remote control.
5. The invisible iPhone button
This is the back of the iPhone 17 Pro. You may not see one, but the back can be turned into an “invisible” button to trigger various actions.
Back Tap isn’t a new feature, but it’s one that many people aren’t aware of. Your iPhone has an “invisible” button that you activate by pressing on the back of the phone. It’s customizable and can do things like open apps, turn on the flashlight, or, when I’m using it, show/hide Control Center.
To configure it, open the Settingsgo to Accessibilityselect Touch then scroll down and tap Press Back. You can set up multiple actions, one triggered by a double-click and another by a triple-click (I wish I could do this with the iPhone’s Action button). As you can see from the actions menu, Back Tap can perform dozens of different actions and shortcuts.
When I want to open Control Center – especially if I’m holding the phone with one hand – I can double-tap the back of the phone and it appears. If I press twice again it disappears. Additionally, when you use Back Tap, a small Dynamic Island banner appears to explain what is happening. You can turn this off in the Back Tap settings menu if you don’t want to see it.
6. Use the iPhone Strap for Cameras and Passes
Apple sells a Crossbody strap for the iPhone 17 and Air series. it costs $60 and doesn’t come with a case.
We’ve seen phone straps from other phone manufacturers, such as Motorola for its Razr, and there are plenty of third-party options available. However, this year Apple launched its own iPhone strap. The strap costs $60, which seems high for a thin piece of fabric, but it actually contains more “technology” than it seems. Apple Strap is lined with magnets to prevent the two “pieces” of the strap (where it folds back on itself) from separating or accidentally adjusting the length while you are wearing it.
It also has use cases beyond just being connected to a phone. On TikTok, many videos like this show people using the shoulder strap as a camera strap. But why stop there? Use it to hold passes or IDs for amusement parks or conventions.
The strap is long, which is nice if you’re a taller person like me and it’s still long enough to go across your body and keep your phone or camera on your hip. Apple has created another accessory that makes it happy at the moment: the iPhone pocket. Like the strap, you can wear it across your torso, but I’m not sure it holds anything other than an iPhone that well.
