Apple and Google regularly roll out new versions of their smartphone software with fresh and useful features. But between the annual overhauls and the smaller periodic revisions, it can be hard to keep track of the changes.
If you haven’t poked around, here are some tools from the past few updates that can help save you time.
Take Control
In last fall’s iOS 18 update, Apple redesigned its iOS Control Center so it can be customized in granular detail. Just open the Control Center, either by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen (if your phone uses Face ID) or by swiping up from the bottom (if you have a Touch ID model).
Next, tap the + button in the upper-left corner of the screen. Now you can resize, rearrange or remove icons. Tap Add a Control at the bottom of the screen to select new icons from the gallery. (Some installed controls, like the Clock and the Camera, offer a handy pop-up menu of quick actions when you hold the icon down.)
In iOS 18 and later, the Control Center contains multiple screens for grouping icons by category, like music or connectivity. For example, you can tap the music note on the right side of the screen to get to your music apps’s playback controls and streaming speakers. And last month’s iOS 18.4 update added icons for instantly streaming ambient music playlists for relaxation or focus.
The Quick Settings on many Android devices (or Samsung Galaxy hardware) running Android 13 or later offer a similar way for putting your favorite settings within easy reach. Swipe down from the screen’s top to open Quick Settings; swipe a second time to dismiss the notifications area.
Swipe to the left to see the multiple Quick Settings screens. Tap the small pencil icon on the bottom-right corner to edit the settings. Once the screen is in edit mode, you can drag your favorite controls into position and remove those you never use.
Get a Hand With Photos
The iPhone camera software and Google’s Camera app come with a timer function that allows you to be in the group photos you’re snapping. But for those with recent Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel phones, you can automatically start a short shutter timer countdown just by holding up the palm of your hand to the camera.
To use the feature, go into your phone’s camera settings and make sure the Show Palm (Galaxy) or Palm Timer (Pixel) setting is enabled. When the front camera sees your face and the palm of your hand in the frame, the countdown begins.
Google’s Pixel Help site announced last month that the Palm Timer also works with the phone’s rear camera for wider group shots.
Quickly Name That Tune
If your Android phone works with the Circle to Search feature, which Google began rolling out last year for searching the web with images, you can use it to research music. When you hear a song that you want to identify, summon the Circle to Search screen by pressing down on the phone’s onscreen Home button (or navigation bar) and tap the music-note icon. In addition to the song’s title, you get quick links to any YouTube videos of the tune, lyrics, articles and other details.
Music-recognition apps like Apple’s Shazam, which helps the Siri assistant identify songs and is available as a Control Center icon, and the Google Pixel’s Now Playing feature can also pinpoint artists. Shazam (also available for Android) brings up related videos and other information.
The Google app for iOS and Android can detect tunes as well, with its Search a Song button: Tap the microphone icon in the search bar, and then tap Search a Song on the next screen. And if you have a song stuck in your head and can’t remember the name of it, Google will try to identify it if you sing or hum it into the phone.
Time-Shift Messages
Don’t want to wake someone up with a text message? With iOS 18, you can tap the + icon next to the text-composition box and choose Send Later from the menu. It works between users of the iMessage service, and you can schedule delivery up to 14 days in advance.
Google already included the ability to schedule a message. If you use Google Messages, press and hold the Send icon to select a future time. Samsung Messages can also schedule future delivery.
And if you haven’t used the same feature for email, just press and hold the blue send arrow in the iOS Mail app to get a delivery menu. In the Gmail app, write your message, then tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner and choose Schedule Send.
For those who like to keep up with emojis: In March, Apple added the eight new official emojis that Google rolled out last fall, including a root vegetable, a fingerprint, a harp and the increasingly popular Face With Bags Under Eyes.
J.D. Biersdorfer has been writing about consumer technology for The Times since 1998. She also creates the weekly interactive literary quiz for the Book Review and occasionally contributes reviews.
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