If you’ve ever wished your iPhone or Apple Watch could be a little easier to use, these five quick, practical tips are for you. They save time, reduce frustration, and make everyday tasks simpler—especially for seniors who want straightforward, reliable ways to get things done.
What you’ll learn
- How to add folders to keep your Mail app organized
- How to silence your Apple Watch instantly with a gesture
- How to open your most recent photo with a single tap
- How to choose the best frame from a Live Photo
- How to resend an email without copying or retyping
Tip 1 — Add an email folder on your iPhone or iPad
Keeping email organized makes it much easier to find things later. Create folders (called “mailboxes” in the Mail app) for family, bills, recipes, or anything else.
- Open the Mail app (pull down on the Home Screen and type “Mail” in the search bar if you don’t see it).
- Tap Mailboxes in the upper-left, then tap Edit.
- Tap New Mailbox in the lower-right, give it a name (for example, “Recipes”), and choose the mailbox location (iCloud, Gmail, etc.).
- Tap Save. Your new folder will appear under the chosen account—move emails there to keep your inbox uncluttered.
Tip 2 — Mute your Apple Watch with a simple gesture
When your watch dings at the wrong moment—church, dinner, or during a nap—there’s a fast, discreet way to silence it.
- When the watch starts making noise, cover the entire watch face with the palm of your hand for about three seconds. You’ll feel a tiny tap and the sound stops immediately.
- To make sure this works, open the Watch app on your iPhone (or your Apple Watch settings), go to Gestures, and turn on Cover to Mute.
Tip 3 — Open your most recent photo with a single tap
No need to dig through the Photos app when you just took a great picture. Use one of these fast shortcuts:
- Press and hold the Photos app icon on your Home Screen. When the pop-up menu appears, tap Most Recent (it shows a thumbnail of the last photo you took).
- Or open the Camera app and tap the small thumbnail in the bottom-left corner—the same recent photo instantly appears with options to zoom, edit, or share.
Tip 4 — Choose the perfect frame from a Live Photo
Live Photos capture a few seconds of motion. If the default frame isn’t the best (someone blinked, looked away, or moved), pick a better one.
- Open the Photos app, scroll to Media Types and tap Live Photos.
- Open the Live Photo you want, tap Edit, then tap Live to see all the frames captured.
- Scroll through the frames, select the one you like, then tap Make Key Photo and Done. That frame now shows in your album.
Tip 5 — Resend an email on iPhone the easy way
If you need to send an email again—maybe to another family member or because the first recipient didn’t receive it—you don’t have to copy and paste or rewrite anything.
- Open the Mail app and tap Mailboxes in the upper-left.
- Open your Sent folder and find the message you want to resend.
- Open that message, tap the curved arrow icon, and choose Send Again. Edit the recipient if needed and tap the blue send arrow.
Quick recap
These small tricks make daily use of your iPhone and Apple Watch smoother and quicker: organize mail with folders, silence your watch instantly with a palm gesture, open your latest photo in one tap, pick the best frame from a Live Photo, and resend emails without retyping.
If these tips helped you, consider subscribing to Ellen’s Tips for iOS for more easy, senior-friendly guides—and sign up for the free weekly PDF guide to go along with these tips.
Thanks for reading—see you next time for more simple, practical Apple tips!
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