15 Smartphone Hacks That Will Change Your Life

Our smartphones have become an essential part of our daily life. We use them to communicate, to get us from here to there, to entertain us, to wake us up, and to lull us to sleep. From Apple to Android, it seems there isn’t anything they can’t do – but, what if you could help them do better? Here are some 11 clever hacks to make your smartphone even more indispensable:

1) Use your sunglasses or reading glasses as a stand. It can get frustrating trying to prop your phone up against a wall or other object when you’re without a stand. Just turn your glasses over, cross the ear pieces, and place your phone on them. Now you can watch movies without worrying about your phone slipping.

2) Turn your iPhone into a medical response alert. If you have medical issues such as allergies, having that information on your phone could be a life saver in the event of an emergency. If your phone is an iOS 8 or later, you can add vital medical information to your phone that can be accessed without a pin number.

3) Mount your smartphone to the back of your car seat. Watching your favorite video from the back seat is easier when it’s at eye level. Place your phone into a sturdy plastic zippered bag and poke a hole in the center top. Remove the front seat headrest and slide the plastic bag over the post, then replace the headrest.

4) Save time and aggravation. Type commonly used phrases, addresses, or directions to your home quickly by creating keyword shortcuts on your phone. For example, with keyword shortcuts you could type “CM” on your Android instead of “Call me when you get home”.

5) Can’t hear your audio? Create a nifty speaker out of an empty toilet paper roll. Cut a rectangle the thickness of your phone out of the side of the roll. Angle four push pins on the other side for legs. Place your phone in the slot to amplify the volume.

6) Keep losing your phone and charger cables off the side of your bed or couch? Apply the hook side of an adhesive-backed Velcro strip to your night stand, wall or table. Cut small tabs from the loop side of the tape and apply to the back of your smart phone and charger plug connectors. Just stick the phone or cable to the tape to keep them off the floor.

7) Heavy sleeper? If your phone’s alarm feature isn’t loud enough, place it in an empty drinking glass to pump up the volume.

8) Hands-free operation while driving. Loop a thick rubber band around one of the center air conditioning vent fins. Thread your smartphone through both the loops to hold it securely.

9) Left your wall charger at home while traveling? Many hotel TVs have a USB slot in the back that will charge your phone.

10) Charger cables keep getting bent and broken at the USB end? Remove the spring from a ball-point pen and feed it around the cable. Slide it down to the plug to allow flexibility without breakage.

11) Create a lamp. For hands-free reading while camping, turn your phone’s flashlight mode on. Place your phone flashlight side up. Set a full plastic water cup (with tightly-capped lid) on top. The bottle will disperse the light better than the torch beam.

12) Left your phone stand at the office? Dig around in your drawer for an old cassette case. Open the case, flip the back all the way around, and set your phone in the title slot for hands-free operation.

13) Find your parking place. Ever find yourself in a parking lot full of a sea of vehicles, and no clue where in the lot you left yours? Next time, before leaving your car, take a snapshot of a nearby identifying landmark, post, etc., to make finding your car a cinch.

14) Make sure your phone is returned. Afraid you might lose your phone while on vacation and not have it returned? Write your contact information on a piece of paper with a short plea for its safe return. Take a snapshot of the message and make it your wallpaper.

15) Avoid getting lost if when your battery is running low. Screenshot your travel directions, then close the location services to retain battery life.

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