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The capabilities of smartphones are seemingly limitless — and but peoples’ use of their gadgets typically stays restricted to areas they already learn about. A smartphone can achieve this rather more than simply surf the net, make video calls, play music, stream video, and ship texts.
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One massive drawback is that there at the moment are so many options packed right into a smartphone that discovering them, remembering them, and utilizing them is a real problem. A few of these hidden smartphone options may help enhance your productiveness and make on a regular basis duties simpler. If there’s one thing it’s essential to get executed, there is a fairly good probability your smartphone may help you do it.
To convey your smartphone use to the following stage, we have rounded up some smartphone options that you just won’t learn about, however that are positive to make on a regular basis duties simpler.
1. Scan paperwork
When you have ever needed to signal a bodily doc after which submit it digitally afterwards, you understand how a lot of a problem it may be to print out, scan, after which e-mail the doc. The excellent news is that you just now not have to show to your clunky scanner. With each iPhones and Android gadgets, you should utilize the smartphone to scan a doc and export it.
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On iPhones, all you must do is open your Notes app, click on the digicam icon, after which hit the “scan paperwork” button, and also you’re set. On an Android gadget, the method is much more seamless. All you must do is open your digicam app, hover it over the doc, and faucet “scan doc” for Pixel telephones, or the yellow “T” icon for Samsung gadgets.
2. Begin your automotive
Earlier than you get your hopes up, your means to make use of your cellphone as a key or car-starter will rely completely on the mannequin, make, and 12 months of your automotive.
Fortunately, a whole lot of automobiles have one of these performance. Two explanation why you would possibly wish to reap the benefits of this function embody the power to remotely begin your automotive from the consolation of your personal dwelling or setting the automotive temperature simply the best way you prefer it earlier than you get in.
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For those who’re on this function, lookup your automotive on the internet and see if there’s an app that may assist. For instance, Ford has an app known as FordPass, which permits Ford automotive house owners to unlock and lock automobiles, remotely begin the automotive, and even schedule distant begins from the app. Android gadgets have a function known as digital key on choose smartphones, which works in tandem along with your automotive producer’s app or the producer’s e-mail to make your cellphone a digital key.
3. Make it easier to change channels
There are few issues extra irritating than on the brink of watch a present, sitting on the sofa, settling down along with your blanket and snacks, after which realizing you possibly can’t discover the distant. As soon as this realization hits, you must dig to seek out the distant, solely to seek out out that the batteries are flat. To spare you this hassle, many TVs are able to syncing to your smartphone to show your gadget right into a distant.
When you have an iPhone, you should utilize it to regulate appropriate TVs together with Roku or Fireplace TVs, or an Apple TV 4K. It is as simple as being logged on to the identical community because the TV, going to the screen-share possibility, after which hitting the distant icon. If you wish to use your iPhone as a distant management, we’ve a helpful how-to.
Android smartphones have the identical functionality with Android TVs. All you must do is open the Google TV app, faucet the distant icon on the underside proper, after which scan gadgets and select your gadget to finish pairing, in response to Android. As well as, Android has TV distant apps for Roku and Fireplace TVs, and even third-party distant apps for Apple TV.
4. Measure stuff
Haven’t got a tape measure? No drawback. You’ll be able to take measurements of something it’s essential to in your cellphone utilizing your smartphone’s digicam and AR know-how. All you must do is drop a degree originally of the thing you are measuring and pin one other level on the finish to get the precise measurement.
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iPhones include the Apple Measure app preloaded, however when you’re an Android consumer, do not fret. You’ll be able to merely use Measure Up, Google’s software that allows you to do what the Apple Measure app does, however in your cellphone’s browser as an alternative of by way of an app.
5. Take pictures for you
Have you ever ever wished to take an image, however had nobody to take it for you? The surroundings is gorgeous and your outfit is ideal, however you possibly can’t spot anybody round — so your picture alternative is ruined. Certain there may be your cellphone’s timer, however that may be close to ineffective as a result of you must set every part up for only one picture to be taken. Fortunately, Lens Buddy is an app made to resolve that drawback.
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With Lens Buddy, you possibly can absolutely customise the timer, together with the velocity and intervals of the photographs, so you will get the right shot. As an alternative of getting to arrange a ten second timer on your cellphone solely to snap one picture, you possibly can set a timer that takes many pictures over a personalized interval (ex: each three seconds) for so long as you would like. With Lens Buddy, you’ve got a whole lot of choices to select from from one session as an alternative of only one. The app is just obtainable on iOS. Nevertheless, there are camera-timer options within the Google Play Retailer, reminiscent of Selfer, which does the identical factor.
6. Monitor your coronary heart fee
Regardless of the plethora of smartwatches and health trackers in the marketplace, it’s potential to observe your coronary heart fee with simply your smartphone. Coronary heart-rate monitoring apps use your again digicam and flash to find out how a lot blood is pumping by means of your pores and skin, and get your coronary heart fee by means of a apply known as photoplethysmography. To get your outcomes inside seconds, all you must do is place your finger over the digicam and flash.
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These cellular heart-rate monitoring apps don’t come along with your cellphone as commonplace, however may be downloaded in your smartphone’s app retailer. To determine which one to obtain, I like to recommend going to the app retailer and downloading a free app with probably the most optimistic critiques. There are a lot of perks to recurrently monitoring your coronary heart fee, together with being extra in-tune with you physique. I personally used certainly one of these apps to observe my irregular coronary heart fee and, in the end, obtained my coronary heart situation identified.
7. Maintain your medical insurance coverage card
For those who personal a smartphone, you’re possible aware of the idea of a digital pockets. With a digital pockets, you possibly can add playing cards, boarding passes, tickets, and extra to your smartphone for simple entry when paying or getting into sure occasions.
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However do you know you could additionally add your medical health insurance card? I really like this function as a result of my pesky medical health insurance card at all times will get caught to different playing cards in my pockets simply if you want it.
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In your comfort, many insurance coverage suppliers, together with Cigna and Aetna, enable for cellular entry to your insurance coverage card. All you must do is obtain the app on your insurance coverage supplier and register. There, each iPhone and Android customers will discover your cellular medical health insurance card, which you’ll be able to then current at any healthcare supplier. If you’re an iPhone consumer, you get the added perk of including it to your Apple Pockets.
Bonus function
Simply as a reminder for these of you who may need forgotten: in addition to working as a compass, flashlight, TV distant, and 1000’s of different features you could obtain as apps, your smartphone may also… make calls. Sure, actually!