Secretive iPhone Swipe Offers Enticing AirDrop Substitute
Rewritten Article:
Got a bit comfy with your Apple devices, you think? You've probably got your routines, habits, and hacks down pat. But over the years, Apple has jammed a whole lot of features into their flagship products - and yeah, we're talking about those hidden gestures you might not be aware of. As a friendly reminder from MacRumors, there's one nifty gesture that could speed up passing photos and videos across your devices, sometimes even beating AirDrop at its own game.
This gesture is ridiculously simple: Just open a picture or video, then take three fingers (your thumb, index, and middle finger) and pinch 'em in on the image. If executed correctly, a "Copy" pop-up should appear at the top of your screen. (You might also dismiss the image during the process, but as long as you've copied it, you're good to go.) You can also copy text or an image the old-school way, by highlighting text and copying it, or long-pressing an image and tapping "Copy."
Once copied, you can paste the photo or video wherever you want it to be by either tapping a text field and choosing "Paste," or by pinching out with three fingers instead of pinching in. But the real magic in this trick is to tap into Apple's Universal Clipboard feature which lets you copy and paste items across devices. So, you could copy a photo on your iPhone and instantly paste it on your Mac, or copy a video from your iPad and slap it on your iPhone. (Too bad this gesture doesn't work on Macs, those with trackpads included.)
For these magic tricks to work, your devices need to be signed into the same Apple Account and connected to the same wifi network, with Bluetooth activated. If you haven't already, enable Handoff on all devices. To find this setting, navigate to Settings > General > Airplay & Handoff on your iPhone or iPad. If you're on a Mac, go for System Settings > General > Airplay & Handoff.
Once you've got Handoff enabled on all devices, give it a whirl on your iPhone or iPad: open any picture or video and try a three-finger pinch. Then, paste it to another device you have open.
Next time you've got a photo or video on one device but need it on another, give this a shot over traditional methods like AirDrop or self-texting. Not only is it quicker to share the file, but you'll have already pasted the media in the right place. Double win!
- This hidden iPhone gesture is a tech marvel that can speed up the process of sharing photos and videos across devices, sometimes outperforming AirDrop.
- By opening a picture or video, then pinching in with three fingers (thumb, index, and middle finger), you can copy the item, a gesture that's part of our smartphones' suite of hidden features.
- In addition to this new gesture, you can still copy text or images the traditional way, by highlighting and copying or long-pressing and tapping "Copy."
- Once copied, this gesture allows you to instantly paste the photo or video onto another device using the Universal Clipboard feature, a highlight of modern gadgets and technology.
- To utilize this advanced feature, ensure all your devices are signed into the same Apple Account, connected to the same wifi network, and Bluetooth is activated, with Handoff enabled on all devices.
