iPhone 13 starter guide: Setup, accessories, features and more

(Epitome credit: Future)

The latest iPhone thirteen models include the all-time iPhones Apple'southward always made. So if you've just opened the box to reveal ane of Apple's phones, consider yourself a very fortunate person.

Getting started with the iPhone can be as simple equally making sure it's fully charged, pressing the power push button and and so following the on-screen instructions to get everything set up up. But there are some boosted steps you can take when setting upwards your iPhone xiii to brand sure you're getting the most out of Apple's telephone.

If the iPhone 13 is your introduction to iOS devices because you've made the switch from Android, we're here to help make the transition a smooth one. And even if you've been upgrading from iPhone to iPhone for years now, our iPhone 13 starter guide still has a few tips and suggestions on settings to tweak and features to try that you might have overlooked.

Let's get started exploring what the iPhone 13 has to offer.

Role ane: iPhone thirteen settings to change

As nosotros said, Apple equips its iPhones with a guided setup that tin plow fifty-fifty the most novice iPhone owner into an expert in no time at all. We advise following all of Apple'south setup instructions and not using the commands to skip ahead, tempting equally it may be to dive into your iPhone 13 right away.

In item, make certain you prepare up Confront ID — that's the system for unlocking the iPhone with your face. You will also desire to railroad train Siri to recognize your vox and set up the Wallet app with a credit carte so that you can use your iPhone 13 equally a mobile wallet. All three of those activities are included in Apple tree's gear up-up tutorial, and they'll come up in handy sooner rather than later in your regular iPhone use. So make sure you complete them.

Apple's setup screens also include instructions on migrating from another phone, whether it'southward an Android device or an older iPhone. For anyone upgrading from an iPhone, we recommending using Apple'southward Quick Start feature to set up your iPhone xiii. It's a no-muss option to wireless transfer contacts, apps, settings and data from one iPhone to some other.

Hither are another settings, you'll want to adapt every bit you become started with your iPhone 13.

Focus mode

A feature that's new in iOS 15, Focus way is Apple'southward try to eliminate the constant barrage of notifications and interruptions that seem to come with mobile devices. With Focus mode enabled, y'all can command which notifications and alerts make it through to yous; you can even decide which apps to have front and middle when you're at work or relaxing.

To set up a Focus mode, head to Settings and select Focus. From there you can create a focus for work, night fourth dimension or just about any period you tin can call back of. Then follow our instructions on how to apply Focus fashion to selection the people and apps you don't mind getting alerts from when y'all're trying to focus.

Assuming you oasis't ready a specific time or location for your Focus mode to launch, you tin manually activate Focus mode from the Control Center, which you reach on an iPhone 13 by pulling downward from the meridian right corner of your home screen. Focus mode is the icon with the crescent moon labeled "Focus."

You're able to edit your iPhone xiii's home screen just by pressing on one of the app icons until everything starts jiggling. This allows yous to drag app icons around and place them wherever you similar, but the existent value of editing your habitation screen is calculation widgets.

iPhone 13 widgets — (Prototype credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Widgets became a function of the iPhone home screen starting with iOS 14, and that'south continued with iOS 15, which comes preinstalled on your iPhone xiii. A widget is a trivial snippet of an app that shows at-a-glance info, saving you from having to launch the app. I've got a Atmospheric condition app widget on my habitation screen that displays the current temperature, for case.

Widgets can too be combined into what Apple calls a Smart Stack, featuring Apple tree's built-in apps. Swiping up on the widget changes what information is displayed, and in some cases, the Smart Stack even changes dynamically to show relevant info — almost mornings, for example, I see a Agenda widget that displays my appointments for the day.

When the characteristic outset arrived in iOS 14, we put together a guide on how to add a widget to your iPhone'southward home screen. Nada's changed almost the process for iOS 15, except that Apple has added even more than widgets for its built-in apps, and 3rd-party app makers have had a full year to create widgets of their own. Having a few well-placed widgets certainly makes your iPhone thirteen a lot more useable.

Adjusting Safari's tab bar

iOS 15 contains a surprise for long-time Safari users. Apple tree's congenital-in browser moves the tab bar from the meridian of the screen to the lesser. Apple made the switch as office of an overhaul of Safari across its different platforms, and putting the tab bar nigh your pollex in iOS 15 Safari makes it easier to reach one-handed, particularly on the larger screens of the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone xiii Max.

An iPhone 13 Pro Max showing Safari in iOS 15 with the URL bar on the bottom of the screen — (Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Merely some people simply don't like the change, and Apple heard their complaints, giving them the power to undo that tab bar relocation. To switch things dorsum to how they were, go into Safari and tap the "aA" push on the left side of the tab bar. On the subsequent popular-up menu, select Show Superlative Address Bar. You'll be back to browsing in that old, familiar way in no time.

Like other iPhones earlier information technology, the iPhone thirteen has an Emergency SOS feature yous can use when you're in problem. Press down on the Wake button and one of the ability buttons simultaneously, and slider appear for shutting down the iPhone and for contacting medical emergency services.

iPhone 13 emergency sos screen — (Epitome credit: Tom's Guide)

In improver to calling emergency services, your iPhone can also send a text message with your GPS location to designated emergency contacts. To designate someone equally a contact, go into your iPhone's contacts app, tap the proper name of the person y'all're picking, and tap the Add to Emergency Contacts button.

That shutdown screen with the Emergency SOS slider also has a Medical ID slider that paramedics can access if you lot're not-responsive during an accident. To fill in that information, you can add together Medical ID info in the Health app on your iPhone.

Part two: Accessories to buy

Y'all may have noticed, there's no charger included with your iPhone thirteen purchase. Apple stopped adding that with the iPhone 12 in 2020, every bit part of a motility to make the phone more eco-friendly. Apple figures yous probably have plenty of chargers lying around from previous iPhone purchases.

If y'all don't, though, you're going to desire to buy an iPhone 13 charger. And since the iPhone xiii supports wireless charging, it might exist a skillful thought to selection up that accessory as well, peculiarly 1 that'south made to support Apple's MagSafe charging technology. And of form, as durable as the iPhone thirteen is, picking up a example to protect your iPhone 13 from drops wouldn't be a bad idea either.

We've rounded up the best iPhone 13 accessories, but here's a few selections that volition assist yous become the nigh out of your new phone.

Every bit for cases, apart from the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, Apple's other models all feature different sizes. Then when shopping for an iPhone 13 case, make sure you're eyeing something that fits your particular iPhone model.

We're rounded upwards the best cases for the iPhone 13, as well as iPhone 13 mini cases, the all-time iPhone 13 Pro cases and top cases for the iPhone xiii Pro Max. Here are our meridian picks for each iPhone model.

Part 3: Features to attempt

So you've set upwards your iPhone 13 and yous've loaded upwards on the necessary accessories. It's time to dive into only what this phone can do. Here are some of our favorite features, some of which are sectional to the iPhone thirteen and others that are powered past the iOS xv update.

Cinematic manner

No affair what iPhone 13 model you own, you tin can shoot Hollywood-fashion videos with shifting focus thanks to the new Cinematic Manner. With Cinematic Manner enabled, your videos have depth of field, and the focus can alter, depending on the activeness you're capturing. (If the person yous're shooting turns to talk to someone else in the video, for example, that person will wind up in focus.)

iPhone 13 cinematic mode — (Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

Cinematic Mode happens automatically, more than or less. Information technology'southward at present a defended mode in the iPhone 13'south camera app, alongside Video, Portrait and others. You tin can leave the focusing to your phone if you prefer, simply you can also tap objects as you capture video to shift the focus.

Be enlightened that Cinematic Mode footage is capped at 1080p, so your dreams of shooting 4K video using this feature are on hold for now.

Photographic Styles

Another iPhone 13-specific feature is Photographic Styles, which some people might draw as fancy filters, though that's non a fully accurate description of what this characteristic can practise. Instead of applying effects after the fact, you tin turn to Photographic Styles in existent-fourth dimension, which lets you see how the photo volition wait earlier you press the shutter button.

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