Thank goodness for Becca. I don’t know what I would do with my technology guru! I’ve only been an iPhone convert for about a year and man was I CLUELESS at first. I probably still am. 
Becca is guest posting today, sharing tip and tricks for all the iPhone newbies and almost newbies out there.
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You just got an iPhone, and you need a little help.
It’s ok, I did too at first. It takes a little getting used to, but I can promise that in a few short weeks you’ll be singing it’s praises.
Oh wait – you’ve had your phone for a while?
Continue on… I still might be able to teach you something.
iPhone 101
1. What’s an app? Something you’re about to fall in love with.
Apple’s advertising slogan “There’s an app for that” is entirely true. Budget, games, health tracking (weight, blood pressure, migraine, fertility, food allergies are just a few), productivity, fitness, photography, education, social networking, news, sports… I could go on for quite a while.
An app is what makes your phone yours. It’s software that you can easily download from the App store (some are free and some are paid) to make your phone do what you want it to. Next to the #1 above, you can see one of my favorite health apps, MyFitnessPal.
There’s no need to look far for apps – look on your iPhone for the logo above and then click “featured” or “top charts” and begin browsing. If you have a facebook account, many people ask their friends which apps are their favorite.
2. What are these numbers everywhere? Notifications. The numbers are telling you that the app has information for you. Maybe the mail app has new mail (like #2 above), the phone app wants to show you a missed call or the facebook app has new notifications or messages. Click the app and see what’s going on, and the notifications will disappear until next time.
If these numbers drive you batty, click your settings icon and then click Notifications. Click the app you want to change the settings for and there you’ll see a plethora of ways the app can notify (or not notify) you!
3. Time to organize! After installing a few apps, your iPhone may look very unorganized. If this bothers you as much as it does me, you can group them together into a folder. To group apps, touch one and hold your finger still for about 3 seconds. You’ll see your apps do the Harlem Shake and you’ll be able to drag them on top of one another. This will add both apps to a folder. Take your finger off the app (they’ll still be shaking) and add more to the folder the same way.
You can name your folder what you like or let your iPhone title it for you. When you’re done organizing your apps, touch the “home” button (the round button at the bottom of your phone) and your apps will get to take a much needed break.
Are you still with me? Feeling ready for some more tips?
iPhone 201
1. Say It Loud! Sometimes you need to get a message out, but it’s just not a good time to text. Enter voice dictation. When in a text producing app like twitter, facebook, iMessage, or email, tap the microphone button:
When you hear a beep, it’s time to talk. Press “done” when finished and the iPhone will dictate your message. It’s best to dictate short messages until you get used to the feature. Manually go in and correct errors after. The speed of your voice dictation will depend on your iPhone’s cell or wifi signal.
2. Does scrolling have to take forever? It doesn’t! Tapping the time at the top of your iPhone screen will bring you back to the top of a document or web page immediately.
You can also drag the screen up and down with your finger or flick the screen up or down to scroll through a document.
3. Don’t lose your work! To save an email as a draft, touch the cancel button on the top left side of the email message. After touching cancel, you’ll be prompted to delete the draft or save it. Choose save. To find the draft later, open your email account and touch and hold the compose button (at the bottom right). Your list of saved drafts will pop up and you’ll be able to finish your message.
Becca blogs at My Crazy Good Life and is a regular contributor to iPhone Life Magazine and iPhoneLife.com, which is good because all that time on her iPhone would get her into trouble if she didn’t put it to good use. If you’re needing even more iPhone tips and tricks, head on over to her article on the iPhone Life blog: Your New iPhone: 5 Features You Have To Know About
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