IOS 15 Hidden Features That Will Change How You Use Your IPhone

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Your iPhone is full of hidden features, and iOS 15 has some. 

James Martin/CNET





Apple typically does a great job of showcasing its most popular features whenever it drops a new iOS update. With iOS 15, the tech giant talked up its  replacement, as well as improvements and additions to  and Maps -- but there are hidden features that it either didn't talk much about, or really even mention.
And sometimes, it's these hidden features that really enhance your experience more than some of the bigger and popular updates.

In this guide, we'll be going through several lesser-known features on iOS 15: including how to use your camera to live-scan text, move the address bar in Safari back to where it used to be and drag-and-drop photos and other files between apps.

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Use your iPhone's camera to scan any text
Have you ever wished you could point your iPhone's camera at a sign or piece of paper and have it automatically identify and интернет магазин постельного белья then copy the text into an email or a document? With iOS 15, it's possible and incredibly cool. 

To use the iPhone's new "scan text" tool, long-press inside a text field as if you're going to use the copy-and-paste prompt. Only, you'll now see a Scan Text button. You may also see a button that uses just the scan icon, which looks like a piece of paper with brackets around it. 

Apple added a text scanner to the iPhone, no matter what app you're using. 

Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Tap the button, which will replace your keyboard with your iPhone camera's viewfinder. Point your camera at whatever you want to scan, and then follow the prompts on the screen. For instance, if you're moving the camera too fast, you'll see a "Slow Down" message flash on the screen. 

As you're lining up the camera and text just right, you'll see a live preview of the text your iPhone is identifying and ready to place in your document. Tap the Insert button when you're ready. 

This is a neat and easy way to quickly scan an email address off a business card, a phone number on a sign or, as you can see in the screenshots above, scan the back of a book and insert it as one giant block of text. 

You don't have to live with the address bar on the bottom of the screen in Safari. 

Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Move Safari's address bar back to the top of your screen
Apple has made a lot of changes to Safari for the iPhone and iPad. One of the major changes you'll notice after installing the update on your iPhone is that the address bar with all of its included functionality has been moved to the bottom of the screen. 

The idea is that by moving the address bar to the bottom it's easier to get around Safari and browse the web because all of the buttons are closer to your thumb, but the change won't be ideal for everyone. And Apple is giving you a choice in the matter by allowing you to move the address bar back to the top of the screen. 

Weather alerts for the exact minute it'll start raining or snowing? Go on, I'm listening. 

Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

When using Safari on your iPhone, tap the Aa button on the address bar (don't long-press, just a tap is fine). At the top of the menu that shows up you'll see a new option labeled Show Top Address Bar. Tap it to move the address bar up top.


























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Get real-time precipitation alerts from the iPhone's weather app
When , I immediately hoped that the official iPhone weather app would gain the real-time rain and snow alerts I had come to rely on to keep me dry. Those alerts are making their debut in iOS 15, often arriving a few minutes before Dark Sky's alerts -- which is A-OK with me. 

Once you're running iOS 15, you can turn on the new precipitation alerts by opening the Weather app, then tapping the three-line icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. Next, tap the circle icon with the three dots in the top right corner of the screen followed by Notifications. 

Slide the switch next to My Location to the On position and then tap Done. If you have more cities added to the Weather app, you can turn on alerts for each one. 

The next time rain or snow is getting close to you, your iPhone will alert you a few minutes before it's going to start. You'll also receive another alert when the rain is almost finished.