Download, Watch, and Read In-Depth Guides

Your iOS device is packed with a ton of potential—so much so that you may scarcely know what to do with it! That’s where our in-depth video guides come in. In this section, learn everything you need to know about the library of guides that you have access to as part of your premium subscription.

What Are Insider Video Guides?

These step-by-step videos help you better understand a variety of Apple’s core features—everything from the basics of setting up your iPhone for the first time to getting the most out of Apple’s new operating system. Each guide will have a particular theme. For example, we have a guide devoted to the Apple Watch, the iPad, and even one on editing your iPhone photography. Within each guide we will include educational videos, as well as a PDF version of the guide that you can follow along with. We release around four guides a year, so you will have plenty to keep you busy over the course of your membership.

How to Access Guides & Watch Videos

Accessing our archive of video guides is simple: first make sure you're logged in to Insider.iPhoneLife.com, and then select Guides from the navigation bar at the top of the Insider webpage. From here you will see all our guides starting with our most recent guide. To view the videos within a particular guide, just select the guide you would like to view.

Once you’ve selected the guide that you would like to delve into, you’ll see a list of videos divided up into sections. It’s best to start with Lesson 1 and go from there. To begin a video, simply select it and then tap/click on the Play icon. 

We recommend watching videos on your computer and then following along with your iDevice in hand. However, you can watch videos on your iPhone or iPad too. To watch your video in landscape mode on your iPhone or iPad, first open Control Center and make sure that Portrait Orientation Lock is off. Then select the Full Screen icon, turn your phone sideways, and press play. Once you’ve finished your video, press the X icon and proceed to the next video.

Enable Closed Captions

We offer closed captions in order to make it easier for you to follow along as you watch the video. To enable closed captions, select the CC icon at the bottom right of the video frame. 

How to Download the PDF Version of a Guide

You have the option to download a PDF version of every guide we create. This is useful if you would like to follow along with the videos or if you would like to take some time to read over the guide on your own. To download the PDF version of the guide, just select the guide you want to download and then tap Download PDF at the top of the page. You will then be taken to the PDF version of the guide. From here, you can navigate to whatever section of the guide you want without having to scroll through its entirety. Just go to the Table of Contents and tap on the section you would like to jump to.

If you would like an easier way to the view the PDF version of the guide, we recommend copying it to the Books app or other reading app. To do this, tap the Share icon along the bottom of the page and select Books (or any other relevant app) from the list of app suggestions. If the app isn’t listed, tap More and then select Copy to Books. Now open the Books app and tap the Library tab. You should see your PDF listed here! 

How to Use the Books App to View Guide PDFs

When you select your PDF in the Books app (by going to Library and selecting it from the list), you will find a variety of ways you can get the most out of the Insider guide. Here are a few of our favorites tips:

Highlighting Text

If you would like to highlight valuable pieces of information, for instance, you can tap the pen icon at the top of the screen and select your tool of choice. Then just run your finger along the text to mark it up. 

Bookmark Pages
You can bookmark particularly useful pages by tapping the bookmark icon. You can then access your bookmarked pages by tapping the list icon and selecting the bookmark icon again to view a list of your bookmarked pages.

Keyword Search
If you have a particularly topic in mind that you want to search for, then that’s where this feature comes in handy. You can search for keywords in the Insider PDF by tapping the magnifying glass icon and entering your keyword into the Search bar. You’ll then see a list of the pages that include your keyword and you can quickly jump to them by tapping the relevant item in the list.

The great thing about the guides is that you can learn at your own pace. So, if at any point you are feeling overwhelmed, you can come back later. 

How to Print Guides

Sometimes it’s most convenient to have the guides printed out. To do this, select Guides from the navigation bar at the top of the Insider webpage and then open the guide that you would like to print. Tap Download PDF. If you are printing the guide from your iOS device, tap the Share icon and select Print. Then select your printer and hit Print again. If you are printing from your desktop, then go to File > Print and select your printer before clicking Print.