iPhone For Dummies. Bob LeVitus

little secret (especially on the first page), the truth is you’ll get pretty far just by exploring the iPhone on your own, without the help of this (or any other) book.

      Okay, now that we spilled the beans, we’ll tell you why you shouldn’t run back to the bookstore and request a refund: This book is chock-full of useful tips, advice, and other nuggets that will make your iPhone experience all the more pleasurable. So keep this book nearby and consult it often.

      But before you do that, let us tell you a bit about how we go about our business. iPhone For Dummies makes generous use of numbered steps, bullet lists, and pictures. Web addresses look like this: www.boblevitus.com. For those reading the e-book version, links are live so you can click them.

We also include sidebars with information that is not required reading, but that we hope will provide a richer understanding of certain subjects. Overall, we aim to keep technical jargon to a minimum, under the guiding principle that with rare exceptions you need not know what any of it means.

Foolish Assumptions

      Although we know what happens when you make assumptions, we’ve made a few anyway. First, we assume that you, gentle reader, know nothing about using an iPhone or iOS — beyond knowing what an iPhone is, that you want to use iOS, that you want to understand your iPhone and its operating system without digesting an incomprehensible technical manual, and that you made the right choice by selecting this particular book.

      And so, we do our best to explain each new concept in full and loving detail. Perhaps that’s foolish, but … oh, well.

      One last thing: We also assume that you can read. If you can’t, please ignore this paragraph.

Icons Used in This Book

      Little round pictures (icons) appear in the left margin throughout this book. Consider these icons miniature road signs, telling you something extra about the topic at hand or hammering a point home.

      Here’s what the five icons used in this book look like and mean.

      

This text contains the juicy morsels, shortcuts, and recommendations that might make the task at hand faster or easier.

      

This icon emphasizes the stuff we think you ought to retain. You may even jot down a note to yourself in the iPhone’s Reminders app.

      

Put on your propeller beanie hat and pocket protector; this text includes truly geeky stuff. You can safely ignore this material, but we wouldn’t have bothered to write it if it weren’t interesting or informative.

You wouldn’t intentionally run a stop sign, would you? In the same fashion, ignoring warnings may be hazardous to your iPhone and (by extension) your wallet. There, you now know how these warning icons work, for you have just received your very first warning!

      

Denotes a feature that’s new in iOS 15 or the latest and greatest iPhones — the iPhone 13 family.

      What do we mean by new? Mostly that a particular feature wasn’t available last year (and wasn’t covered in previous editions of this book).

Beyond the Book

      For details about significant updates or changes that occur between editions of this book, go to www.dummies.com, search for iPhone For Dummies, and open the Download tab on this book’s dedicated page.

      Also, the cheat sheet for this book has tips for mastering multitouch; a list of things you can do during a phone call; info on managing contacts; where to find additional help if your iPhone is acting contrary, and more. To get to the cheat sheet, go to www.dummies.com and type iPhone For Dummies cheat sheet in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

      Where to turn to next? Why straight to Chapter 1, of course (without passing Go).

      In all seriousness, we wrote this book for you, so please let us know what you think. If we screwed up, confused you, left something out, or — heaven forbid — made you angry, drop us a note. And if we hit you with one pun too many, it helps to know that as well.

      Because writers are people too (believe it or not), we also encourage positive feedback if you think it’s warranted. So kindly send an email to Ed at [email protected] and Bob at [email protected]. We’ll do our best to respond to reasonably polite emails in a timely fashion.

      Finally, we want to thank you for buying our book. We hope it delights you — if it doesn’t, please let us know.

Part 1

      Meet Your iPhone

IN THIS PART …

      Get a big-picture overview of the iPhone and a quick tour of its hardware and software.

      Activate the phone, turn it on and off, unlock and lock it, and master its multitouch interface.

      Synchronize (sync) your data — contacts, appointments, movies, songs, podcasts, and such — between your computer, your iPhone, iCloud+, and other iDevices.

      Make and receive calls on the iPhone — even video calls — use visual voicemail, select a ringtone, and ignore, juggle, and merge calls.

Chapter 1

      Unveiling the iPhone

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      

Looking at the big picture

      

Touring the outside of the iPhone

      

Checking out the iPhone’s apps

      Congratulations. You’ve selected one of the most incredible handheld devices we’ve ever seen. Of course, the iPhone is one heck of a wireless telephone, but it’s actually four handheld devices in one. At least it’s four devices right out of the box. Add some iPhone apps, and your iPhone becomes a personal computer, an e-book reader, a handheld gaming device, a memory jogger, an exercise assistant, and ever so much more.

      We discuss optional apps — how to obtain, install, and delete them — throughout the book and particularly in Chapters 15, 17, and 18.

      But first let’s focus on the four awesome handheld devices your iPhone is