iPhone 13 starter guide: Setup, accessories, features and more

iPhone xiii starter guide: Setup, accessories, features and more

(Image credit: Future)

The latest iPhone xiii models include the best iPhones Apple's ever made. Then if you lot've only opened the box to reveal one of Apple's phones, consider yourself a very fortunate person.

Getting started with the iPhone can exist as unproblematic every bit making sure information technology's fully charged, pressing the power button and then post-obit the on-screen instructions to become everything set. But there are some additional steps y'all can take when setting up your iPhone 13 to brand sure you're getting the well-nigh out of Apple's telephone.

If the iPhone 13 is your introduction to iOS devices because you've made the switch from Android, we're here to help brand the transition a smooth one. And even if yous've been upgrading from iPhone to iPhone for years now, our iPhone thirteen starter guide still has a few tips and suggestions on settings to tweak and features to attempt that you lot might have disregarded.

Let'south get started exploring what the iPhone 13 has to offer.

Function one: iPhone 13 settings to modify

As nosotros said, Apple tree equips its iPhones with a guided setup that tin turn even the near novice iPhone owner into an expert in no time at all. We propose following all of Apple'south setup instructions and not using the commands to skip ahead, tempting as it may be to swoop into your iPhone 13 right away.

In particular, make sure y'all fix upward Face ID — that's the system for unlocking the iPhone with your face up. Y'all will also want to train Siri to recognize your voice and prepare the Wallet app with a credit card so that y'all tin use your iPhone thirteen as a mobile wallet. All iii of those activities are included in Apple's ready-up tutorial, and they'll come up in handy sooner rather than later in your regular iPhone use. So make sure you consummate them.

Apple'due south setup screens as well include instructions on migrating from another phone, whether it's an Android device or an older iPhone. For anyone upgrading from an iPhone, we recommending using Apple'southward Quick Outset feature to set up your iPhone xiii. It'due south a no-muss pick to wireless transfer contacts, apps, settings and data from one iPhone to another.

Here are some other settings, you'll desire to adjust as you get started with your iPhone 13.

Focus mode

A characteristic that'south new in iOS xv, Focus mode is Apple tree's attempt to eliminate the constant barrage of notifications and interruptions that seem to come with mobile devices. With Focus way enabled, you can command which notifications and alerts brand it through to you; you tin can even decide which apps to have front and center when you're at work or relaxing.

To set up a Focus mode, caput to Settings and select Focus. From there you can create a focus for work, nighttime time or merely well-nigh any period you can remember of. Then follow our instructions on how to utilise Focus manner to pick the people and apps you don't listen getting alerts from when y'all're trying to focus.

Bold you haven't set a specific time or location for your Focus mode to launch, you lot can manually actuate Focus manner from the Control Middle, which you lot reach on an iPhone xiii past pulling downward from the top right corner of your home screen. Focus mode is the icon with the crescent moon labeled "Focus."

You're able to edit your iPhone xiii's home screen just by pressing on one of the app icons until everything starts jiggling. This allows you to drag app icons around and identify them wherever yous like, but the existent value of editing your home screen is adding widgets.

iPhone 13 widgets — (Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

Widgets became a function of the iPhone abode screen starting with iOS 14, and that's continued with iOS fifteen, which comes preinstalled on your iPhone thirteen. A widget is a footling snippet of an app that shows at-a-glance info, saving you lot from having to launch the app. I've got a Weather app widget on my home screen that displays the electric current temperature, for example.

Widgets can also be combined into what Apple calls a Smart Stack, featuring Apple tree's born apps. Swiping upward on the widget changes what information is displayed, and in some cases, the Smart Stack even changes dynamically to show relevant info — well-nigh mornings, for case, I see a Calendar widget that displays my appointments for the day.

When the feature first arrived in iOS xiv, we put together a guide on how to add together a widget to your iPhone's home screen. Nix'due south inverse about the process for iOS 15, except that Apple has added even more widgets for its built-in apps, and third-party app makers take had a total year to create widgets of their own. Having a few well-placed widgets certainly makes your iPhone 13 a lot more than useable.

Adjusting Safari'southward tab bar

iOS fifteen contains a surprise for long-time Safari users. Apple's congenital-in browser moves the tab bar from the meridian of the screen to the lesser. Apple tree made the switch as part of an overhaul of Safari across its different platforms, and putting the tab bar near your thumb in iOS fifteen Safari makes it easier to reach ane-handed, peculiarly on the larger screens of the iPhone 13, iPhone xiii Pro and iPhone xiii Max.

An iPhone 13 Pro Max showing Safari in iOS 15 with the URL bar on the bottom of the screen — (Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

But some people just don't similar the modify, and Apple tree heard their complaints, giving them the ability to disengage that tab bar relocation. To switch things back to how they were, go into Safari and tap the "aA" push button on the left side of the tab bar. On the subsequent pop-up menu, select Show Top Accost Bar. You'll exist back to browsing in that old, familiar way in no time.

Like other iPhones before information technology, the iPhone 13 has an Emergency SOS characteristic you lot can use when y'all're in trouble. Printing down on the Wake push button and i of the power buttons simultaneously, and slider announced for shutting down the iPhone and for contacting medical emergency services.

iPhone 13 emergency sos screen — (Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

In addition to calling emergency services, your iPhone tin can also ship a text message with your GPS location to designated emergency contacts. To designate someone as a contact, go into your iPhone'southward contacts app, tap the proper name of the person you're picking, and tap the Add to Emergency Contacts push button.

That shutdown screen with the Emergency SOS slider also has a Medical ID slider that paramedics can access if you're not-responsive during an accident. To fill up in that information, you can add together Medical ID info in the Health app on your iPhone.

Part 2: Accessories to purchase

Y'all may accept noticed, there's no charger included with your iPhone 13 buy. Apple stopped adding that with the iPhone 12 in 2020, equally part of a move to make the phone more eco-friendly. Apple figures you probably have plenty of chargers lying around from previous iPhone purchases.

If you lot don't, though, you're going to want to buy an iPhone thirteen charger. And since the iPhone xiii supports wireless charging, it might be a practiced idea to pick up that accessory as well, peculiarly ane that'southward made to support Apple'southward MagSafe charging applied science. And of grade, every bit durable as the iPhone thirteen is, picking up a case to protect your iPhone 13 from drops wouldn't be a bad idea either.

We've rounded up the all-time iPhone 13 accessories, simply here's a few selections that will assistance you go the virtually out of your new phone.

Equally for cases, apart from the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, Apple's other models all feature different sizes. So when shopping for an iPhone thirteen example, make sure you're eyeing something that fits your particular iPhone model.

Nosotros're rounded up the best cases for the iPhone 13, as well equally iPhone thirteen mini cases, the best iPhone 13 Pro cases and top cases for the iPhone thirteen Pro Max. Here are our top picks for each iPhone model.

Part three: Features to try

So you've fix your iPhone 13 and you've loaded up on the necessary accessories. It's time to dive into just what this phone can do. Here are some of our favorite features, some of which are sectional to the iPhone 13 and others that are powered by the iOS 15 update.

Cinematic mode

No affair what iPhone 13 model you own, you lot can shoot Hollywood-mode videos with shifting focus cheers to the new Cinematic Mode. With Cinematic Fashion enabled, your videos take depth of field, and the focus can alter, depending on the activity you're capturing. (If the person y'all're shooting turns to talk to someone else in the video, for example, that person volition wind up in focus.)

Cinematic Mode happens automatically, more or less. It's now a defended mode in the iPhone 13's camera app, aslope Video, Portrait and others. You can exit the focusing to your phone if you prefer, but you tin also tap objects as you capture video to shift the focus.

Be aware that Cinematic Manner footage is capped at 1080p, and so your dreams of shooting 4K video using this characteristic are on agree for now.

Photographic Styles

Another iPhone 13-specific feature is Photographic Styles, which some people might describe every bit fancy filters, though that'southward not a fully accurate description of what this feature can do. Instead of applying effects later the fact, y'all tin turn to Photographic Styles in existent-fourth dimension, which lets you lot see how the photo volition look before y'all press the shutter push button.

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