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My iPhone can do what? 12 surprising features

compass level — Hang that picture straight It’s hidden in the iPhone’s built-in Compass app — swipe left and you’ll find a level that can help you make sure the photos on your wall aren’t crooked. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

passcode — Make it tougher on crooks You’re not limited to the 4-digit passcode you used to set-up your phone — a phrase, or letter-number combination is more secure. In Settings>General>Passcode Lock, turn off Simple Passcode. With iPhone 5 or 6, it’s located in Touch ID & Passcode. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

panoramic — Change direction for Panorama shots With Panorama, you can capture an ultra-wide angle view. The default setting of Panorama has you panning left to right. If you tap on the arrow while in Panorama mode, you can change directions and pan right to left. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

airplane — Charge in a hurry If you need to charge your iPhone as quickly as possible, in Settings, turn on Airplane Mode. You temporarily won’t be able to get calls or surf the web, but your phone will charge almost twice as quickly. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

volume — Turn up the photos Sometimes it’s not convenient to press the white button while taking pictures in the iPhone Camera app. You can snap photos by touching the Volume controls on the phone, or on the standard-issue iPhone ear buds. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

format — Put some pizzazz in your emails Even without resorting to emojis, you can add some emphasis to your emails. While typing in the body of your email, highlight the text you want to format. By pressing on the option arrow, look for BIU. When you click on that, you can choose from bold, italics, or underline. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

speak — Tell me a story, iPhone If you’re driving or multi-tasking, your iPhone can read highlighted content out loud. To activate Text-to-Speech: Settings>General>Accessibility>Speech>turn on Speak Selection. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

preview — You weren’t supposed to read that Do you have a coworker or family member that always seems to “accidentally” read your incoming texts, when your phone is unattended? Here’s how to stop texts from popping up on your screen: Settings>Notifications>Messages>turn off Show Previews. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

text — What time did I send that text? If you want to know the exact time and date you sent a text, touch the SMS message, and drag it to the left. Voila! (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

invert — Make it easy on the eyes Browsing in a totally dark room can be harsh on your eyes. Rather than turning down the resolution, you can invert your screen colors. Additional fun: It makes your photos appear as negatives. Go to Settings>General>Accessibility>turn on Invert Colors. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

Stop the music Many of us like listening to music in bed, but it kinda defeats the purpose if you have to rouse yourself to turn off the iPhone. You can set the phone’s timer to turn off the music. In the Clock app>Timer>choose how long you want to hear music. In When Timer Ends, choose Stop Playing. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

When your phone battery is about to die Few things are as frustrating as your iPhone running out of power at a crucial moment. When you need to squeeze every last drop of juice out of your battery, choose these settings. You will still be able to receive phone calls and text messages. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

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Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.

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