Purchased a new iPhone and struggling to understand the jargons used in iOS? Whether you are new or an existing iOS user, there are lot of technological terms you may need to understand. This is necessary in order to enable or disable the required features on your iPhone. Here are most popular iPhone glossary terms for you to get benefit.
0 – 9
| 3D Touch | Pressure sensitive technology to press the screen to see preview or access shortcuts. This is only available on the iPhone models from 6S onwards. |
A
| AirDrop | A feature that allows quick file sharing between Apple devices using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. |
| Airplane Mode | Used to disable internet connection when flying in Airplane. You can also use this for disabling Wi-Fi connection. |
| AirPlay | A technology for streaming audio, video, and screen mirroring from an iPhone to compatible devices, such as Apple TV. |
| AirPrint | Apple’s technology to print documents wirelessly. |
| Animoji | Animated emojis created using facial expressions using camera in iPhone X or later. |
| Apple Account / Apple ID | A personal account used to access Apple services like the App Store, iCloud, iMessage, and more. |
| Apple Pay | A contactless payment system that uses the iPhone for purchases. |
| App Library | A space that organizes all apps on your iPhone into categorized folders, accessible from the home screen. |
| App Store | A digital distribution platform for iOS apps managed by Apple. |
| App Switcher | Helps to view apps running in a background and choose the required app. Double tap the home button to access, on iPhone X use 3D Touch feature – press the left edge and swipe right. |
| Assistive Touch | Soft button shown on the display for accessibility purposes. You can customize the options to have home button, notifications, Siri, etc. Enable from ‘Settings > General > Accessibility’. |
B
| Background App Refresh | A feature that allows apps to update content in the background. |
| Back Tap | An accessibility feature that lets users perform actions by tapping the back of the iPhone. |
| Battery Health | A feature in settings that displays the capacity and performance of the iPhone’s battery. |
| Beta Software | Pre-release software provided to developers and testers to identify bugs and refine functionality. |
| Biometric Authentication | Unlocking the iPhone or authorizing actions using Face ID or Touch ID. |
| Bluetooth | Wirelessly connect your iPhone with another Bluetooth enabled device in near proximity. |
| Bookmark | Bookmarking webpages for future reference in Safari. |
C
| Camera Roll | The default storage for photos and videos taken with the iPhone’s camera. |
| CarPlay | A feature that integrates your iPhone with your car’s infotainment system. |
| Cinematic Mode | A camera feature for recording videos with a shallow depth of field, similar to portrait mode for photos. |
| Cellular | Cellular network service when using SIM card for calling and browsing. Customize options under ‘Settings > Cellular’. |
| Control Center | A quick access menu for controlling device settings and features. |
| Crash Detection | A safety feature that detects severe car accidents and offers to call emergency services. |
D
| Digital Touch | Use Digital Touch to send handwritten / drawn sketches, messages in Messages app. You can also write when recording and send the video clip. |
| Do Not Disturb | A mode that silences calls, alerts, and notifications. You can customize to receive calls from favorite callers. |
| Dynamic Island | A feature on newer iPhone models with a pill-shaped cutout for notifications and app interactions. |
| Dashboard | A term often used to describe a user interface for accessing app features or data. |
E
| Emergency SOS | A feature that contacts emergency services by pressing a combination of buttons. |
| Emoji | Emoticon and smileys for inserting in messages and documents. iOS keyboard has emojis symbols to insert. |
| eSIM | A digital SIM that allows activation of cellular plans without a physical SIM card. |
F
| Face ID | A facial recognition technology used for authentication and unlocking the iPhone. |
| FaceTime | Video and audio calling app supports up to 32 people on one call. |
| Family Sharing | A feature that allows family members (6 members) to share purchases, subscriptions, and storage. |
| Files | Files is an app helps to browse all files and folder on your iPhone and cloud storages. |
| Find My | An app to locate lost Apple devices or share your location with others. |
| Flyover | 3D city tour in Maps app. |
G
| Game Center | A social gaming network for iOS that provides leaderboards, achievements, and multiplayer functionality. |
| Genmoji | A next-generation version of Memoji, offering advanced customization features, enhanced animations, and integration with augmented reality (AR) for interactive expressions and gestures in apps like Messages and FaceTime. |
| Guided Access | Accessibility feature to control the screen area of a single app. You can use this for child lock purposes to lock the phone within an app. |
H
| Handoff | A feature that allows users to start a task on one Apple device and continue it on another. |
| Haptic Touch | A feature that provides feedback through vibrations when interacting with the screen. |
| HDR | High Dynamic Range camera setting that helps to improve lighting. |
| Home | Home app helps to connect all HomeKit enabled devices on your house. |
| Home Screen | Similar to desktop screen on the Mac, shows all apps and widgets when you open the iPhone. |
| HomeKit | A framework for integrating and controlling smart home devices (through Home app). |
| Hey Siri | A voice command to activate Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant. |
I
| iBooks | Book Store library to view all your books purchased from Apple. |
| iCloud | Cloud storage for syncing your photos, media files and iPhone backup. You can purchase storage space to have additional content. |
| iMessage | Apple’s proprietary messaging service for texts, photos, and videos. |
| iMovie | Digital movie and video app from Apple. You can create small videos using iMovie. |
| In-App Purchase (IAP) | A mechanism for purchasing content, subscriptions, or features within an app. |
| iOS | Apple’s mobile operating system for iPhone. |
| iTunes (Music) | Apple music store for purchasing media content. Now called Music app. |
J
| JSON | JavaScript Object Notation, a lightweight data-interchange format often used in APIs. |
K
| Keychain | A secure storage system for managing passwords and sensitive data. |
L
| Live Photos | Photos that include a few seconds of video and sound before and after the picture is taken. |
| Location Services | Allow apps to use your location to provide custom features. Used in Maps and many other apps. You can disable this under ‘Settings > Privacy & Security’. |
| Lock Screen | The screen that appears when the iPhone is locked, showing time, date, notifications, and widgets. |
| Low Power Mode | This is battery feature that helps to reduce background activities like app downloads and email fetching. Enable this option from ‘Settings > Battery’. |
M
| Memoji | A customizable avatar used in Messages and FaceTime. |
| Memories | Photos app will automatically generate a slideshow based on the date or occasions. |
| Messages | Messaging app on your iPhone used to send SMS. |
| Magnifier | An accessibility tool that uses the camera to enlarge objects or text. |
| Multi-Touch | A technology that recognizes multiple points of contact on the screen for gestures like pinching and swiping. |
N
| Notifications | Alerts from apps like Messages, Facebook, etc. You can notifications by swiping the screen down from top. It is also possible to disable notifications entirely or for specific apps. |
| Notification Center | The interface for viewing and managing notifications. |
| Night Mode | A feature that adjusts screen brightness and color to reduce eye strain in low light. |
| Night Shift | A display setting that shifts screen colors to warmer tones at night. |
| Numbers | Spreadsheet processing app like Microsoft Excel. |
O
| Objective-C | An older programming language used for iOS development, often alongside Swift. |
| Onboarding | The process of guiding users through initial app setup and usage. |
P
| Pages | Word processing app like Microsoft Word. |
| Panorama | Wide photo taken by moving the iPhone’s camera. |
| Peek and Pop | A 3D Touch feature to quickly preview the hyperlinks. Press to peek the content and harder again to pop it. |
| Personal Hotspot | Allows to share your iPhone’s cellular connection with another device. |
| Podcasts | Apple app to browse and subscribe to audio and video podcasts. |
| Portrait Mode | A camera feature that blurs the background for a professional photo effect. |
| Picture-in-Picture (PiP) | A mode that allows video playback in a small floating window while using other apps. |
| Push Notification | A notification sent to the device from a remote server. |
Q
| QR Code | Machine readable barcode that iPhone’s camera can read and interpret to follow the action. |
S
| Safari | Default web browser for iPhone. |
| Screen Time | A tool for monitoring and managing how much time you spend on your iPhone. |
| Settings | Settings is an app on your iPhone which contains all customization related options for iOS. This is a default app that comes with your iPhone, you can’t delete Settings app. |
| SharePlay | A feature for sharing content like music, videos, or games during FaceTime calls. |
| Signature | Email signature added in all your emails sent from iPhone. |
| Siri | Apple’s virtual assistant that responds to voice commands. |
| Spatial Audio | A sound technology that creates a 3D audio experience with compatible headphones. |
T
| Touch ID | Fingerprint recognition for unlocking the phone and authenticating purchases (on models with a Home button). |
| True Tone | A display feature that adjusts the screen’s color temperature based on ambient light. |
| Tapback | A quick reaction option for messages, such as thumbs up or heart. |
| Trackpad | Finger trace pad for carrying activities that are generally done using a mouse. |
V
| Voice Memos | An app for recording and editing audio clips. |
| VPN | A Virtual Private Network feature for secure internet connections. An icon will be shown in the top menu bar. |
W
| Wallet | An app for storing credit cards, boarding passes, tickets, and IDs. |
| Wallpaper | Background image showing in lock and home screen. You can set different wallpapers for home and lock screen in ‘Settings > Wallpaper’. |
| Widgets | Small apps or tools that provide quick access to information directly from the Home or Lock Screen. |
| Wi-Fi | Wireless network connection. |
| Wi-Fi Calling | A feature that allows you to make phone calls over Wi-Fi instead of cellular networks. |
Z
| Zoom | An accessibility feature that magnifies the iPhone screen for easier viewing. |
