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Hidden iPhone and Android settings worth turning on

Phones ship with useful switches turned off or tucked three menus deep. These are the ones worth finding: a charge limit that saves the battery, a spam filter Android leaves off, a private space for apps, a flash for calls, and a lock that kicks in if the phone is snatched.

  1. How to turn on flash notifications on iPhone

    Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > LED Flash for Alerts and turn it on, then turn on Flash in Silent Mode if your phone lives on silent. On iOS 26 the row is called Flash for Alerts, and you can pick the LED, the screen or both.

    Use it when: Use it when your phone is on silent most of the day, sits face down on the desk, or you're somewhere too loud to hear it ring.

    iPhone · Easy · 1 min · Full steps

  2. How to stop spam calls on Android

    Open the Phone app, tap the three dots > Settings > Caller ID & spam and turn on Filter spam calls. Calls flagged as spam stop ringing and go to your call history instead. On a Samsung Galaxy the switch is under Settings > Caller ID and spam protection.

    Use it when: Use it when the same kind of calls keep coming: fake deliveries, car warranties, Suspected spam on the screen three times a day.

    Android · Easy · 1 min · Full steps

  3. How to turn off Auto-Brightness on iPhone

    Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, scroll to the bottom and turn off Auto-Brightness. The screen then stays at whatever level you set with the slider in Control Center.

    Use it when: Use it when the screen keeps getting darker while you read, or the brightness jumps around every time you walk into another room.

    iPhone · Easy · 1 min · Full steps

  4. How to speed up animations on Android

    Turn on Developer options by tapping Build number seven times in Settings > About phone. Then open Settings > System > Developer options and set Window animation scale, Transition animation scale and Animator duration scale to 0.5x. Every animation plays twice as fast.

    Use it when: Use it when your Android feels a beat slow every time you open an app or go back, even though nothing is actually lagging.

    Android · Easy · 2 min · Full steps

  5. How to set an 80 percent charging limit on iPhone

    On iPhone 15 or newer, go to Settings > Battery > Charging and pick 80%. On older iPhones, turn on Optimized Battery Charging under Battery Health & Charging. It holds at 80% overnight and finishes before you usually unplug.

    Use it when: A battery that sits at 100% every night ages faster than one that stops earlier.

    iPhone · Easy · 1 min · Full steps

  6. How to turn on Theft Detection Lock on Android

    Go to Settings > Google > All services > Theft protection and turn on Theft Detection Lock. If the switch is greyed out, your phone doesn't support it.

    Use it when: A stolen phone that locks immediately is harder to rummage through than one that stays open.

    Privacy & Security · Moderate · 2 min · Full steps

  7. How to hide apps on Android with Private space

    Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Private space, set it up with your screen lock, and install the apps you want inside it. The space opens from the bottom of the app drawer.

    Use it when: A second set of apps can stay hidden and signed into a different account.

    Privacy & Security · Moderate · 5 min · Full steps

  8. How to show battery percentage on iPhone

    Go to Settings > Battery and turn on Battery Percentage. The number appears inside the battery icon at the top of the screen.

    Use it when: A icon that looks half full is not a number you can plan an afternoon around.

    iPhone · Easy · 1 min · Full steps

  9. How to turn on the camera level on iPhone

    Go to Settings > Camera and turn on Level under Composition. In the Camera app, a line in the middle turns solid yellow when the phone is level.

    Use it when: You stop cropping a tilted photo later to hide the crooked horizon.

    iPhone · Easy · 1 min · Full steps

  10. How to use Back Tap on iPhone

    Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap, pick Double Tap or Triple Tap, and choose an action like Flashlight or Screenshot. Then tap the back of the phone firmly.

    Use it when: Flashlight, camera, or a shortcut opens without finding the icon.

    iPhone · Easy · 1 min · Full steps

Questions people ask

Will any of these slow the phone down?

No. They're all built into the phone. The Android animation tweak actually makes it feel faster.

Do I need to root or jailbreak anything?

No. Every setting here is in the normal Settings app. The animation speed one lives in Developer options, which you switch on by tapping Build number seven times.

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