9 Easy Changes to Make Your iPhone Less Annoying

Summary

This video provides a comprehensive guide to customizing iPhone settings after recent updates. It covers tips on simplifying the Photos app layout, turning off attention awareness features that affect volume, adjusting ringtone and alert volumes independently, disabling the dim flashing lights feature, removing contact photos from Mail, and more. Additionally, it helps users manage iCloud storage and prevent unnecessary app tracking requests. These simple, yet impactful adjustments can improve user experience and privacy while ensuring the device functions the way you prefer.

Takeaways

• 😀 Revert the Photos app to its old layout by customizing the categories and sorting options.
• 😀 Turn off the Attention Awareness feature to prevent your iPhone from lowering volume or dimming the screen when you're not looking at it.
• 😀 Adjust ringtone and alert volumes separately by disabling the 'Change with Buttons' option in settings.
• 😀 Disable the 'Dim Flashing Lights' feature if it’s causing unwanted effects in videos.
• 😀 Remove contact photos from the Mail app’s message list to return to a cleaner interface.
• 😀 Prevent your iPhone from automatically joining Wi-Fi networks by turning off 'Ask to Join Networks'.
• 😀 Stop apps from requesting to track your data by toggling off the 'Allow Apps to Request to Track' option.
• 😀 Free up iCloud storage by removing old devices from iCloud Backup and managing apps that are using space.
• 😀 Prevent audio messages from expiring after two minutes by changing the 'Expire' setting in Messages to 'Never'.
• 😀 Adjust the volume for alarms, timers, and ringtones independently from the general system volume using the Sound settings.

Q & A

How can I make the Photos app look like it did before the iOS 18 update?

To revert the Photos app layout to its previous appearance, go to the bottom of the app, select 'Custom and Reorder,' and unselect all categories except for 'Media Types' and 'Utilities.'

What is the 'Attention Awareness' feature on iOS, and how can I turn it off?

The 'Attention Awareness' feature lowers the volume and dims the screen when it detects you're looking away from your phone. To turn it off, go to 'Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Passcode' and disable 'Attention Awareness Features.'

How can I control the volume of alerts and timers separately from the general volume?

To adjust the volume of alerts and timers independently, go to 'Settings > Sounds & Haptics' and toggle off 'Change with Buttons.' This will allow you to adjust the ringtone and alert volumes using the on-screen volume slider.

Why do some videos have a gray box around them, and how can I fix it?

The gray box is caused by the 'Dim Flashing Lights' feature, which is intended to help users sensitive to flashing lights. To turn it off, go to 'Settings > Accessibility > Motion' and toggle off 'Dim Flashing Lights.'

How can I remove the contact photos that appear in the Mail app?

To remove contact photos in the Mail app, go to 'Settings > Mail > Message List' and toggle off 'Show Contact Photo.' This will clean up the appearance of the email interface.

What does the 'Ask to Join Networks' setting do, and how can I disable it?

The 'Ask to Join Networks' setting prompts your iPhone to ask before automatically connecting to a Wi-Fi network. To disable it, go to 'Settings > Wi-Fi' and toggle off 'Ask to Join Networks.'

How can I stop apps from requesting to track my data?

To stop apps from requesting to track your data, go to 'Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking' and toggle off 'Allow Apps to Request to Track.' This will prevent apps from asking for tracking permissions.

How can I manage my iCloud storage and free up space?

To manage iCloud storage, go to 'Settings > iCloud,' and check the list of apps linked to your iCloud. Remove or uncheck apps that you don't use or need. You can also delete old devices listed under 'iCloud Backup' to free up space.

Why do audio messages expire after 2 minutes, and how can I change this setting?

Audio messages by default expire after 2 minutes. To prevent this, go to 'Settings > Messages' and change the 'Expire' setting from 'After 2 Minutes' to 'Never.'

What should I do if my alarm volume is too low due to the 'Attention Awareness' feature?

The 'Attention Awareness' feature may lower the alarm volume if you're not looking at the phone. You can disable this feature by going to 'Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Passcode' and turning off 'Attention Awareness Features.'