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The iPhone is an impressive tool with hundreds of brilliant features, but there are several hidden features and tricks that you may not have realised existed – until now. Here, we've picked our favourite iPhone tips and tricks that can help you achieve things quicker and easier, and that you'll wish you'd known a long time ago. See also: iOS 8 review

1. iPhone keyboard tips #1
You've probably been using your iPhone's keyboard for ages without realising that it's actually easier than you thought to add symbols to your messages. Instead of tapping once on the 123 button and then again on the ABC button when you're done, you can tap and hold the 123 button, then slide your finger to select the symbol you want to insert. Once it's been added, your keyboard will automatically revert back to the letters keyboard.

That's not all! There are many additional symbols hidden within your keyboard that you may never have discovered. Tap the 123 button to go to the numbers and symbols keyboard, then tap and hold a symbols such as the pound sign to find other currencies.

3. iPhone keyboard tips #3
This one might sound simple but it's a massive time saver that I know many people don't know about. Instead of going to the symbol menu to find a full stop, you can double tap the space button. It'll add a full stop to the end of the word you've just typed and set you up ready to begin the next sentence.

In iOS 8, there are lots of new keyboard features to discover. Find out more in our article about using keyboards in iOS 8.

4. Shake to undo

This one can be a little awkward at times but it's also a bit of a life saver. If you've just typed a long sentence and accidentally deleted it, you can give your iPhone a shake to bring up the undo/redo button. Just make sure you're holding onto your iPhone tight before you shake it!

5. Tap to go back to the top
Just scrolled down a really long list in notes or a whole ton of emails? You can tap at the very top of the iPhone's screen to go straight back to the top. This works in most iPhone apps. See also: 7 new features in iOS 8 Mail

6. Delete the last digit in the calculator by swiping
If you use the calculator app a lot there's a handy time-saving trick you might not know exists. If you've just typed a long number and want to delete the most recent digit you entered, you can swipe left or right in the black area where your calculation appears.

7. Stop music with a timer

This is a cool trick for those of you who enjoy falling asleep to music. The problem with that is it'll still be playing when you wake up in the morning, and you've probably just drained most of your battery in the process. Using the hidden 'Stop Playing' timer, you can choose how long you want the music to play for as you drift off to sleep.

To set up the timer, go to the clock app and then tap 'Timer' in the bottom right of the screen. Choose how long you want your timer to last for (you can choose a matter of minutes or hours if you'd prefer) and then tap 'When Timer Ends'. Here, scroll down to the bottom of the menu and select 'Stop Playing'. Press start on the timer and then begin playing your music from the Music app. When the timer ends, the music will fade to a stop.

This trick will also work for audiobooks and other media.

8. Get your iPhone's flash to blink when you get a message

If you find that the vibration or sound that your phone makes when you get a message is not always enough to attract your attention, there's another element that you can add to the alert – light. By going to Settings > General > Accessibility and scrolling down to the 'Hearing' section (this feature is designed for people with hearing impairments), you can turn on 'LED Flash for Alerts'. Now every time you get a notification, the flash next to your iPhone's rear-facing camera will blink.

See also: Complete guide to iPhone and iPad settings in iOS 8

9. Triple Click shortcuts

Another accessibility setting that could come in handy is the Accessibility Shortcut, which can be found by going to Settings > General > Accessibility and then scrolling right down to the bottom. Tap 'Accessibility Shortcut', and you'll see a menu of options. From here you can activate the Home button triple click, which can be used to invert the colours of your iPhone for better visibility in low-light, zoom in to tricky-to-see parts of the screen and more.

See also: 10 annoying features in iOS 8 (and how to fix them)

10. Find words or phrases on a web page

If you're looking for a particular word or phrase on a web page, you can find it by typing the word or phrase in the search bar at the top of the screen. You'll see a list of search results, but you need to look at the bottom of that list for a section that reads: "On This Page."

Tap it, and you'll see that the results are highlighted on that particular web page in yellow. Tap the arrows at the bottom of the screen to go to the next instance.

Read next: Five tips for Safari in iOS 8

11. Switch directions in Panorama mode

You can change the direction of your Panorama photograph in the Camera app by tapping the arrow that appears in the middle of the screen in the Panorama mode. See also: iOS 8 photos and camera tips

12. Use your headphones to take a selfie
Selfies are all the rage right now (as we're sure you've noticed) so this handy trick can help you get a better shot. When the camera app is open on your iPhone, you can use the volume up button on your headphones to take a photo. Not only does this reduce shake, it also means you can take a more natural-looking photo from further away or take a photo hands-free.