Kids are pretty tech-savvy these days, but there’s still a learning curve when they graduate from Amazon tablets to iPhones or iPads. It’s easy to overlook a tutorial on the basics; after all, you’ve had almost 20 years to learn the ins and outs of iOS and iPadOS. Most teens and preteens know how to do the fun things—downloading apps, opening YouTube, sending emoji—but here are some practical tips I recommend sharing with them to make their life (and yours) a bit easier.
1. How to Share (and Stop Sharing) Location on the iPhone
Apple gives iPhone users several ways to share their location with others. The simplest is to send it through a text message. In iOS 18 and up, open a conversation in Apple Messages, tap the plus (+) icon to the left of the text box and select Location. Tap Share and opt to share your location for one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely.
(Credit: PCMag/Apple)
Possibly just as important is knowing how to stop sharing a location. From the person’s Contact page, tap Stop Sharing My Location. If your kids lose track of who they shared their location with—or if you want to know for your own peace of mind—open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Share My Location for an instant overview of those contacts. Tap any of them to open their contact page, where you can turn off location sharing.
2. How to Move Multiple Apps and Edit Home Screens
Most kids know how to move and delete apps, but they may not know how to move more than one at a time. Hold down on an icon until it begins to jiggle. Then, move it slightly until the minus sign disappears from its left corner, and tap other apps to move them at the same time. (A second hand may be needed to select the icons while still holding the first one.)
Moving multiple apps at once (Credit: PCMag / Apple)
If moving several apps at once isn’t fast enough, you can move, hide, or delete whole pages of apps with a single tap. Start by long-pressing an icon until they all jiggle. Then, tap the Edit button in the top-left corner and select Edit Pages. From there, move the Home screen order around (the top left page will always be your main home screen).
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
By unselecting a page, it’ll be hidden from view once you leave the editing menu. You’ll need to re-enter editing mode and re-select the page to see it again. Focus modes also offer a pared-down version of your home screens (just the Music and Clock apps, for example) and can be scheduled to appear at certain times of day, like right before bed.
3. Pin Message Groups and Reply Quickly
Keep mom and dad’s messages accessible by pinning them to the top of the Messages app. To do this, tap and hold an existing Messages thread and select Pin to Top. It’s also worth showing your kid that when a text message comes in while using the phone, they can pull it down to reveal a text box to reply without leaving their current app. They can also long-press on a home screen notification to reply right there. My son was thrilled to learn this!
(Credit: Apple)
4. Recover Deleted Photos
Accidents happen, and photos are deleted by mistake, but you have up to 30 days to save them. Open the Apple Photos app and scroll down to Recently Deleted. With iOS 18, this will be under the Utilities section and locked by default, so your kid will enter a passcode or use Face ID to gain access. Once inside, select the photos or videos to recover and tap the three-dot menu on the bottom right to recover or permanently delete them.
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(Credit: PCMag/Apple)
5. How to Take (and Edit) Screenshots
Taking a screenshot is an essential and easy part of mobile phone usage; just hold the Volume Up and Power buttons to take a screengrab. Once captured, it’ll drop to the bottom of the screen for a few seconds. Tap to crop, add text, or draw on it immediately before saving it. Tip: It’s a good idea to get your kids in the habit of deleting unnecessary screenshots since hanging on to each one can clutter the Photos app.
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(Credit: PCMag/Apple)
6. How to Check Storage and Free Up Space
Speaking of, if a child’s phone has become full of photos, videos, and other digital artifacts, they can manage this under Settings > General > iPhone Storage. This screen will show the total storage space used on the phone, how much space each app is using, and provide several recommendations for reclaiming space. Some apps display additional actions you can take. For example, the Apple Music app shows downloaded songs that can be removed.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
7. Utilize the Passwords App
It’s terrible when someone can’t remember a password and gets locked out of their account—and probably worse for newbies. It’s also vital to have a secure way to share passwords in a family setting. Apple’s Passwords app can manage login credentials but can also create a shared group of passwords.
(Credit: Apple)
Open the Passwords app and use the text box at the top to search for a password you want to share. Select the Group entry on that password’s screen and choose the group you want to share it with (or create a new one on the spot). This is a great way to share login info for school-related platforms, streaming services, or gaming apps.
Even if you’re not ready to share certain passwords with your kids, having a shared group of kid-related passwords for two partners to access is a great way to keep everyone on the same page. Additionally, the Passwords app stores Wi-Fi network info, passkeys, and two-factor authorization codes, so don’t forget to use it.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-04-15 13:45:00
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