If you’ve got a shiny new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus for Christmas, and can’t wait to use it, here’s our guide on how to set it up, configure it, install the best apps and games, and learn about all its features.
Setting up your new iPhone
We’ve posted a detailed step-by-step walkthrough of the things you need to do when you switch-on your iPhone for the first time.
Transfer your data
Getting your data from your previous phone to your new iPhone is one of the most important tasks in order to take advantage of the iPhone. Here are our detailed guides to migrate your data depending on which phone you owned previously:
- How to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus
- Transfer Data from an Android phone to iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus
- Transfer Data from Windows Phone to iPhone
Configure Touch ID fingerprint sensor
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus home button also acts as a fingerprint sensor, called Touch ID, that you can use to quickly unlock your phone, and make iTunes purchases. You’ll however have to set up Touch ID first, by following these instructions.
Select the resolution with Display Zoom
Home screen in Standard mode vs Home screen in Zoomed mode on iPhone 6 Plus
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the new higher resolution iPhones come with a new feature called Display Zoom. You will be prompted to configure this feature when you set up your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus for the first time. You can also configure or change this settings via the Settings app by navigating to Settings > Display & Brightness > View. You have an option to set it as either Standard or Zoomed.
In the standard mode, the iPhone 6 Plus runs at 2208 x 1242 pixel resolution, which at 3x resolution works out to 736 × 414 points. In the standard mode, the iPhone 6 runs at 1334 × 750 pixel resolution, which at 3x resolution works out to 667 × 375 points.
In zoomed mode, the iPhone 6 Plus acts like a virtual iPhone 6 display, but running at 3x retina resolution, which works out to 2001 × 1125 (virtual) pixels. Here are some screenshots which gives a good idea of the difference between the zoomed and standard mode on the iPhone 6 Plus. In zoomed mode, the iPhone 6 acts like a virtual iPhone 5s display, but running at 2x retina resolution, which works out to 1136 × 640 pixels.
So the zoomed mode makes each iPhone show the same UI as the standard mode of the next smaller iPhone (eg. iPhone 6 in case of the iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 5s/iPhone 5c/iPhone 5 in case of iPhone 6). It basically means that instead of seeing more content, the content will be larger, which is great for people who want to see slightly larger text, app icons, text labels and user interface elements. I just went with with the standard mode. Follow our guide to find out how to use Display Zoom.
➤ How to use Display Zoom on your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus
Setup Apple Pay
Along with Touch ID, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have a feature called Apple Pay, that lets you pay retailers and online stores with your iPhone instead of your credit card. Apple Pay works only in the US currently, and you can find instructions on how to set it up by following this link.
Install apps
iOS is known for its great app ecosystem, which has over a million apps listed on the App Store. Here are some of our favorite apps you should install after you’ve set up your iPhone to make the most of your device:
How to use new iOS 8 features
The iPhone comes preinstalled with iOS 8. Right now, the latest public version of iOS is iOS 8.1.2. You can check if you’re on the latest version by opening the Settings app and navigating to General → About → Version. If you’re not, you can update by going to Settings → General → Software Update.
iOS 8 comes with a ton of new features, the most notable of which are:
Here’s a complete guide on how to use the new features in iOS 8:
iPhone tips and Tricks
If you’re new to the world of iOS then here are some tips and tricks you should know to use your shiny new device, including tips on how to extend your iPhone’s battery life.
Jailbreak your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus
Apple likes to control the experience of using your iPhone by regulating the App Store and preventing the installation of apps from third-party sources. But if you feel adventurous and want to tweak and customize with your device, you can jailbreak your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. You can have a look at our top reasons to jailbreak iOS 8. Follow our guide if you need help.
Best Accessories
If you haven’t bought a case or a dock for your iPhone yet, then check out our favorite cases and docks for it.
- The Best iPhone 6 Cases
- The Best iPhone 6 Plus Cases
- The Best Rugged cases for iPhone 6
- The Best Rugged cases for iPhone 6 Plus
- The best iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus docks
Let us know how it goes. Please feel free to drop us a line in the comments if you’ve any questions.
