If you have a new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you’re probably more excited about the new, sleek look of the phone’s body than anything else. We’ve already talked at length about all the new major features of iOS 8, some big some small—but here are five more small changes to the functionality of the iPhone that have changed this time around.
The good news is that these are all things you can do in iOS 8, so as long as your software is up to date, you’ll be able to do each one of these.
1. Battery life usage
Knowing what apps are draining your battery is something that Android users have enjoyed for quite some time, but in iOS 8, you can now do that as well. Just go to Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage to monitor your battery usage and see which apps are sucking up that valuable
2. Hide photos
Flipping through photos is great and all, but not every photo you take is for everyone to see. This handy feature let’s you hide photos from view so that you have control over which can be seen just flipping through. This hides the photo from the timeline view, but keeps it in the albums view. It’s as easy as long-pressing a photo, which gives you this helpful option.
Integrated into the messaging apps is now a feature that lets you quickly share your location with contacts. The really cool thing is that you have the option of changing how long you are sharing your location with an individual (an hour, a day, or forever). This one can be really helpful if you are trying to meet up with someone in a crowded location or give someone directions to where you are.
4. Grayscale mode
This is perhaps the least helpful feature on your iPhone, but perhaps the most least known one. Just head over to Settings > General > Accessibility > Vision. It hasn’t proven to extend battery life unlike power saving modes on other devices thanks to the LCD screen (unlike the Galaxy Note 4), but it should still shock your friend if you grab her phone when she isn’t looking and flip on grayscale mode.
5. Time Lapse Mode
The most unique new photography feature in iOS 8 is Time Lapse mode, which lets you take awesome super speed time lapse videos with the tap of the button. You’ll find the setting just left of Slo-Mo and it works pretty well. You won’t have the same creative control as you might have in an app like Hyperlapse, but it’s a pretty cool feature to have right there in the camera app.
