iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

Previously, whether your iPhone was muted or not, Siri's voice would loudly chime. With iOS 9, you can set Siri's voice to mute when your phone, too, is muted. This is easily changed in Settings and convenient when asking the new and improved Siri questions in quieter locations.

An interesting new feature of iOS 9 is auto email event suggestions for your Calendar. The software scans your emails to see if there are any events you haven't added to your schedule. This can be very helpful, especially if a lot of your emails contain pertinent events. However, if you find yourself with a cluttered calendar, you can easily turn off the automatic addition.

When your iPhone battery reaches below 20%, you will get a notification asking if you want to turn on Low Power Mode. Low Power Mode allows you to preserve your remaining battery by lowering the brightness on your screen, auto-locking the screen after 30 seconds of inactivity, and disabling other operations. But what if you want to preserve your battery before it reaches 20%? Here's how to turn on Low Power Mode.

If you’ve followed my Game Centered column, you’re likely already familiar with SteelSeries. The company makes some of the best gaming peripherals available for Apple devices and is a brand that I’ve included in my articles numerous times before, with good reason. Whether you are a casual Crossy Road player looking for an affordable but excellent pair of headphones, or a Vainglory gamer on the pro-circuit looking for a high-end pair of headphones, SteelSeries has you covered. The company also specializes in designing game controllers for the iPhone and the iPad, and now it's unveiled its latest controller, the Nimbus, designed specifically to deliver a console-type gaming experience on the new Apple TV. On the day of the Nimbus’ announcement, we interviewed the SteelSeries CEO Ehtisham Rabanni about the controller and his thoughts on the future of gaming.

While a medical alert bracelet or a medical ID card in your wallet may help in an emergency, there's one more tool you can use to ensure you receive the prompt care you need—your iPhone! Even if you keep your iPhone locked with a passcode or Face ID, it's still possible to have your Medical ID visible on your smartphone so that bystanders and emergency personnel can assist you in a medical emergency. Let's get started learning how to set up the Medical ID on iPhone.

I will probably upgrade to the iPhone 6s, but not for the reasons you might think. Yes, Apple claims "The only thing that’s changed is everything" and that's true. Almost every element of the iPhone 6 has been enhanced. The metal is stronger. The screen has 3D Touch. The camera is a big improvement. The processor is faster, as are the graphics and networking. If your job was to repair iPhones, there are almost no components from the older iPhone 6 that could be reused in the iPhone 6s. It is entirely new. Everything has indeed changed. Apple has a valid point and it is also trying to head off the inevitable "nothing's changed" criticism that comes with any "s" model.

It got barely a mention during Apple's action-packed announcement on September 9, but Apple now offers an iPhone Lightning Dock, in four different colors. And if you want one, it's one of the few items announced that is actually available to order and shipping within 1–3 business days. The dock is sold in silver, space gray, gold, and rose gold to match the latest lineup of iPhone 6s colors. The dock itself is compatible with more than the iPhone 6s, specifically the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 6, 6 Plus, 5s, 5c, 5, and iPod touch 5th and 6th generation. But it still may not be the Lightning dock for you.