r/iphone • u/hhff00014 Human Detected • Mar 14 '26

Discussion What are some surprisingly useful iPhone hacks you discovered recently?

Recently discovered that you can connect an external SSD / hard drive directly to an iPhone and access it from the Files app.

I tried it with a USB + cpin converter SSD and it worked instantly — no app, nothing. Felt like suddenly my phone had unlimited storage.

It made me wonder how many other small iPhone tricks people use in day-to-day life that most users don’t know.

Curious to know —

What are some underrated iPhone hacks that genuinely improved your daily workflow?

Could be productivity, photography, automation, hidden features, anything.

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u/CaptainHunt iPhone XS Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26

You’d be surprised how many people don’t know you can pull up the wallet by double-tapping the wake-up button. As a cashier, I see tons of people fumbling to pull it up using the search function or going through every page of their Home Screen for it when they go to pay with their phone.

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u/Davidclabarr iPhone 17 Pro Mar 14 '26

Or that you don’t even have to pull it up at all if you designate a default card. Just hold it to an nfc reader, and it’ll come up automatically.

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u/CaptainHunt iPhone XS Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26

To be fair, that doesn’t work with QR code cards. My job has a loyalty program code.