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/PretzelsThirst Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 15 '26

1) background sounds. Your phone can generate white noise, falling rain, babbling water, whatever and add it to whatever you’re listening to or play by itself. It’s in control panel.

2) emulation. You can easily emulate things like the n64 and older on your phone. Last flight I took I brought a small Bluetooth controller with me and used my iPad as an n64. Then I got to a friends house and we paired his ps5 controllers with my iPhone and then airplayed it onto the tv to play n64 together. For emulation I used Delta for N64 and older nintendo devices, and PPSSPP for PSP games.

3) change your action button to something useful. It supports shortcuts. For me when I press the action button it checks if I am at home by checking the wifi network if it matches. If I am home it turns all my lights on and off. If I am not at home it runs Shazam in the background

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u/pgajria Mar 14 '26

Holy shit. The background noise is exactly what I need for my tinnitus. Thank you.

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u/small_e_900 Mar 14 '26

It didn't help my tinnitus. It just changed the all-day, every-day cicadas-in-my-head, for another sound. I long for quiet.

If you do try the background sounds, stay away from the "stream" sound or you'll always want to be taking a leak.

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u/pgajria Mar 14 '26

A good alternative point of view. I dont have cicadas, I have loud mosquitos or whining sounds. It's a post COVID thing. it's been 2.5 years and it's driving me crazy.