Based on studies, the average person spends 4 hours and 37 minutes on their smartphone each week. While that number doesn’t sound too large, that figure comes to 32 hours each week. While you probably spend plenty of time texting and using social media apps, you're probably missing out on features designed to streamline your day - including some of the best hidden iPhone settings.

Whether you’re constantly juggling tasks or just looking for ways to spend less time glued to your screen, these hidden iPhone settings can make a big difference. Here are six hidden settings that can help you save time and optimize iPhone performance without downloading a single app.

Back Tap Shortcuts

Hidden deep within your iPhone’s accessibility settings is a feature called Back Tap. This time-saving feature allows you to double-tap or triple-tap the back of your iPhone to trigger specific actions like opening apps, taking a screenshot, or turning on your flashlight.

Enabling this feature is quite simple. Just go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. Once there, you can start assigning shortcuts to these actions for instant access. This is one of the best hidden iPhone settings available, and most people don’t even know that it exists.

Text Replacement for Faster Typing

Are you constantly typing the same addresses, phrases, and emails into your iPhone? If so, you need to implement hidden iPhone settings to change your workflow. This option allows you to set up custom shortcuts that automatically expand into full phrases. For instance, typing “addr” can automatically fill in the rest of your mailing address when you’re placing an online order.

Simply head to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement to add custom entries. This little-known feature is a game-changer for boosting iOS productivity when you’re messaging, emailing, or shopping.

Customize Control Center for One-Tap Access

If you set your Control Center up the right way, it can be the quickest way to reach some of your phone’s vital functions. Most users have no idea that this is one of the hidden iPhone settings they can completely customize to only include the apps and features that they actually use. If you’re tired of swiping through apps that you rarely or never use, take more control of your phone by adjusting your one-tap access.

To do it, go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. Add things like Low Power Mode, Notes, or Voice Memos for fast one-tap access. This saves you from having to scroll and swipe through multiple menus, making it one of the most effective hidden iPhone settings to change.

Silence Unknown Callers

No one wants to deal with spam and robocalls. These calls, which always seem to come at the worst time, are persistent, and when you’re dealing with a robot on the other end of the line, you can’t even request to be added to a no-call list. Fortunately, there’s a way for you to set up your phone to filter out calls from unknown callers. Use the Silence Unknown Callers feature - one of the best hidden iPhone settings - to cut out those annoying calls from your day.

The calls will automatically be sent to voicemail, which means you can still check your voicemail box to see if someone you don’t know is trying to contact you for a legitimate purpose. Obviously, if you’re a business owner, you may not want to enable this feature, but if you have one phone for business use and another for personal use, this is a great feature.

To set up this feature, go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Calls. Your phone won’t even ring when callers who aren’t in your contacts call you. Instead, those calls will just silently get funneled to your voicemail, allowing you to check any messages at your own convenience.

Use Focus Modes for Smarter Notifications

Apple’s Focus Mode takes the platform's Do Not Disturb feature to another level. You can take more control of your device, setting up personalized modes for work, sleep, driving, and other custom categories. You can filter out notifications, hide certain apps, and set your phone to automatically respond to messages.

This feature is one of the hidden iPhone settings to change if you struggle with staying focused while being constantly disturbed by text messages, phone calls, and emails. It’s also a welcome reprieve for those who lack the self-control that they need when they should be doing something productive instead of scrolling social media or playing games.

Set this incredibly handy mode up by going into Settings > Focus. From there, you can automate when certain modes activate. For example, you can turn on Work Focus from 9 AM until 5 PM every day, and fine-tune your notification settings. If your goal is to optimize iPhone performance during key moments of the day, this is one of the most powerful tools Apple has introduced.

Set Up Automations in the Shortcuts App

Apple’s Shortcuts app is a goldmine for hidden functionality. You can set up custom routines that run automatically based on preset triggers like time of day, location, or even when you use a specific app. You can even make your phone more convenient by telling your device to automatically start playing your favorite playlist as soon as your phone connects to your headphones.

Just go into the Shortcuts App > Automation > Create Personal Automation, and set up your triggers and their associated actions.

More Control, More Time

By taking more control over your phone, you can free up time throughout the day. Whether you need to set up a system that keeps you from wasting valuable time playing games or you want to cut down on typing the same words over and over again, these iOS productivity tips are the answer.