Most of us know that the iPhone has volume buttons that control, well, volume. However, did you know that they can do so much more?

From controlling your phone’s camera to rebooting your device, there is a whole range of hidden features that you can unlock if you know what to do!

Emergency services

In emergencies, the SOS feature provides quick access to help.

By holding either volume button with the side button, a menu pops up for Medical ID view or SOS Emergency call placement.

Additionally, your phone notifies your designated emergency contacts when an SOS call is placed.

Powering off and on your phone

Moreover, by holding the volume down and side buttons simultaneously for a few seconds, you can power off your iPhone or disable its Find My functionality while it’s powered down.

This feature ensures control over location data even when the phone is not active.

Control your camera

For photography enthusiasts and video content creators alike, these buttons are handy for snapping photos and recording videos in Camera mode.

This intuitive function mimics traditional camera functions while providing extra control and stability during capture.

Control your alarms

Interestingly enough, these same buttons can silence morning alarms or incoming calls at inconvenient times with one press.

This brings back a touch of nostalgia for physical snooze buttons and providing an easy solution for silencing disruptive ringtones.

Silence phone calls and Find My

Have you ever been in a meeting, and your phone starts blaring with a phone call? Did you know there’s a really quick and easy way to silence it?

All you need to do is press either volume button, and it silences the call!

Furthermore, you can silence a Find My notification in the same way.

Using apps

Despite Apple’s restrictions on developers altering hardware controls within apps, some have creatively incorporated volume button functionality into their apps.

It offers shortcuts for actions like counting up or down depending on the pressing of the volume up or down button.

For instance, a counter app allows people to move the counter up or down depending on which volume button is pressed.

Reboot your phone

Lastly, you can use the volume buttons to force a reboot.

All you need to do is press and hold both volume buttons and the side button at the same time. Your iPhone will eventually shut down.

Then, you can release the volume buttons while still holding the side button. You can release that button when the Apple logo appears on the screen.

Your iPhone’s volume buttons can do so much if you know its capabilities.

These shortcuts can make it far more efficient when using your phone!