21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 21

See your iPhone's actual signal strength.

There's a clever trick that shows the actual signal strength on your iPhone rather than just the dots or bars you usually see in the upper left corner of the screen. 

First, you'll need to access a hidden app on your phone called Field Test Mode. To do this, you'll need to open up your Phone app and dial the following number, *3001#12345#* , including the asterisks and hashtag, and tap "Call."

This opens up Field Test Mode, which is mostly filled with menus of cell signal jargon that you don't need to worry about. What you're interested in is the tiny number in the upper left-hand corner of your iPhone, which should have replaced those cell signal dots. 

While that number can vary anywhere from -40 to -130, it will always be negative, and the closer that number is to zero, the better your cell signal. The best signal you can get would be -40, and no signal at all would be -130.

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 20

Access emergency medical information directly from the lock screen.

If you set up a Medical ID in the Health app that comes with iOS 8, you can access medical information without having to unlock your iPhone. 

Tap the "Emergency"button that appears with the keypad for entering your passcode and you'll see the Medical ID button on the lower left corner. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 19

Tap the home button twice to move app icons and other content toward the bottom of the screen (iPhone 6 Plus only)

If you're using the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus with one hand, you can double tap the home button to schootch content down toward the bottom of the screen. 

Apple calls this "Reachability Mode." Remember to tap the home button, don't press it or else it'll launch the app switcher. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 18

Save battery by putting your phone in grayscale mode.

If you're running low on juice and just need basic functionality from your iPhone, try switching it to grayscale mode to save power. Just head toSettings>General>Accessibility and tap"Grayscale." 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 17

See everywhere you've been.

You're iPhone tracks each place you've been, and there's a way to find it by digging into your phone's settings.

Press the Settings icon and head to Privacy>Location Services>System Services.  Then, scroll to the bottom and select "Frequent Locations" and look at the Historysection. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 16

Control your iPhone by simply moving your head.

This is another feature buried in the Accessibility section. Navigate toSettings>General>Accessibility and then scroll down to the Interactionsubhead and tap "Switch Control." Tap "Switches" and "Add New Switch." Select "Camera" and choose "Left Head Movement" or "Right Head Movement." Then pick an action under the "System" menu, which essentially tells you what task your head movement will trigger. I chose Siri, so each time I tilt my head to the left it automatically launches Siri. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 15

Tell Siri how to pronounce names.

You can also teach Siri how to pronounce names. First, launch Siri and ask her to say the name in question (i.e. if it's your name, ask "What's my name?"). 

When she answers, tell her that she's not pronouncing it correctly. Make sure you use her pronunciation so that she knows which word you're talking about. Siri should then ask you how to correctly pronounce the name.

Once you do, she will present three ways to pronounce the name. Choose the correct one, and Siri will remember it.

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 13

Use Siri hands-free.

You don't always have to hold down the home button to launch Siri. If you're iPhone is plugged in, you can say the phrase "Hey Siri"to launch Apple's virtual assistant. Just head over to Settings>General>Siri and turn on Enable Hey Siri first. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 12

Forward text messages to other contacts.

You can forward text messages to other contacts the same way you would an email. Just double tap the message you want to forward, press the "More" option that appears next to the text, and that specific sentence, word, or phrase will appear copy and pasted into a new message. Fill in the"To" field at the top to forward that message to someone else. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 11

Multitask within emails.

If you're in the middle of an email, you don't need to trash it to return to your inbox and browse other messages. As you're composing an email, simply tap the top of the message where it says either "New Message" or the subject and drag it down to the bottom of the screen. This will push the message to the bottom so you can look at other emails. When you want to return, simply tap the email to keep editing it. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 10

Name a group conversation.

If you frequently chat with the same group or are talking with multiple people about a particular topic, naming a group conversation can be helpful. To do this, head over to "Details" in the message thread and fill in the "Group Name" field with an appropriate title. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 8

Mute text messages.

You can mute text message notifications for individual contacts and conversations. Just head over to your messaging thread and switch the "Do Not Disturb."

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 6

Share your current location with a friend.

If you don't feel like explaining where you are, you can simply send your location to another person via text message. Just tap the "Details" button in the upper right corner of your message thread and select "Send My Location." 

More

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 5

Send audio and video messages that self-destruct.

You can send audio snippets and video messages that expire after two minutes. If you head to Settings>Messages and scroll to the bottom, you'll notice a section for audio and video messages. You can choose to let them expire after two minutes or never. 

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 3

See which apps drain the most battery.

Want to know why your iPhone battery is draining faster than usual? Head over toSettings >General >Usage>Battery Usage. This will tell you which apps are occupying the most battery power.  

21 things you didn´t know your Iphone could do. NR 2

Respond to texts while you're in an app.

If you're in an app, you can swipe down from the top and access the notification drawer to answer a text the same way you would on the lock screen. 

Expiring Netflix titles

Netflix is notorious for removing content from their system without warning, that is unless you know how to find out which titles are expiring each month. 

This simple hack will keep you from wallowing over your favorite television series getting yanked without warning. Go to “My List” to see when various titles are expiring. So, if your favorite show is going to be nixed at the end of the month, you better watch it soon.

As you can see, some simple hacks can greatly improve your experience with Netflix. Remember, you pay for your subscription; you should absolutely get the most out of it.

7 TRICKS TO BECOME A NETFLIX STREAMING MASTER

1. Rate it: The first step to improving your Netflix experience is to download the Netflix Enhance Suite, which will sync your account with ratings from Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, and profiles from IMDB. A slew of trailers will be avaiable too, and the best part is that it's all free!

2. Go International: Due to restrictions that tag along with licensing deals in different markets, the country you're viewing Netflix in may be limiting the amount of releases available to you. Services like Hola, which is free, and the subscription based Media Hinttrick Netflix into thinking you're watching from a different country, granting you access to a plethora of titles previously unavailable thanks to your current country of residence.

3. Stream at Random: The next trick works like a randomizer, giving you the option of complete surprise and lack of control over what you're going to watch. Flix Roulettemakes this all possible, and it even gives you options to help narrow the field of randomization.

4. Nix Buffering: If you prefer to get your Netflix time in on your computer, here's a nifty trick that will help cut down on that pesky buffering time. When playing a show or movie, hold down Shift+Opt (Shift+Alt for Windows) then left click to open up the hidden Streaming Manager to adjust the buffering settings. Google Chrome users can hold downCtrl+Shift+Alt/Opt+S to access the streaming manager.

5. Shortcuts: By knowing all the necessary computer shortcuts, you can optimize your netflix experience. F enters fullscreen mode while Esc takes you out of it, the spacebar is your start/stop button, M will function as your mute/unmute switch, Shift + right arrow rewinds, while Shift + left arrow fast forwards, and PgDn pauses while PgUp plays.

6. What's On: Netflix's library is notoriously difficult to search, so you can consult What's On Netflix to improve your browsing options. The service provides a list of titles that are otherwise hard to find on a normal search, and will expand your binging options for days to come.

7. Reddit: Lastly, you can check out Reddit for more streaming suggestions. The subredditr/netflixbestof will provide you with hours of binge-worthy treasures, complete with an active community devoted to improving your viewing habits.

Secret Netflix codes

Here's an example: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/2674