staff@slashgear.com (Jordan Wirth)
2024-05-05 13:30:32
www.slashgear.com
iPhone’s press-and-hold function is effectively a right-click of sorts that brings up helpful contextual menus in iOS. Pressing and holding a link in Safari, for example, can bring up a webpage preview, open it in a new tab, add it to the reading list, copy it to the clipboard, and so on. In Music, the same action gives the option to share a song, add it to a playlist, and more. Most iPhone users are probably aware of press-and-hold, but there’s a way to make it even more useful from the home screen. Pressing and holding an app usually brings up the option to remove it from the home screen or delete it, but most apps add extra functionality.
For example, press and hold on an app that’s downloading or updating, then tap “Prioritize Download” to put it at the beginning of the queue so it downloads faster. Do the same on Apple Maps to quickly mark your location; that’s helpful if, say, your car’s in a huge mall parking lot. Use it to jump to a specific area of the Settings app, such as WiFi. Apple’s native apps aren’t the only ones with long-press functionality, either. Uber, as one example, lets you quickly hail a cab to one of your favorite locations to save yourself a few taps. We recommend trying out the press-and-hold on every app you regularly use to see what it can do for you.