Spotlight

Searching on the iPhone can be quick and easy with a downward swipe on the Home Screen. Spotlight on iOS indexes almost everything on your device. With a single search, results from apps, Notes, Maps, Safari, Photos, Messages, and more are returned. With iOS 16, Apple has added a Search button directly on the Home Screen.

This Search field appears above the Home Screen dock, replacing the dots that indicate how many Home Screens are configured on the iPhone. For some, this change may feel like overkill. After all, the downward swipe over the Home Screen is simple enough.

Apple's most recent major software update for iPhone has been out for a few months now, but many users are still unaware of how to take advantage of iOS 9's most useful features. Here are few to tips to help you get the most out of iOS 9.

Spotlight on Apple mobile devices received a major upgrade with the launch of iOS 9. As usual, users can swipe down on the home screen to invoke Spotlight. With iOS 9 installed, a more detailed search screen can be displayed be swiping left to right. Spotlight provides everything from Siri app suggestions to news and specific search results by category, such as nearby food and shopping. Wouldn't it be great to have access to Spotlight from anywhere in iOS 9?

Smart Search brings iOS 8 inspired enahncements to Spotlight search on jailbroken iOS 7 devices. A range of different sources can be searched, with results leading directly to any relevant, installed apps. This greatly improves the speed and versatility of the stock iOS Spotlight.

Once installed, a list of Plugins will be enabled under Settings -> Smart Search. These will correspond to available buttons within the Spotlight itself. Swipe down on the home screen to see these buttons, which will direct Smart Search to send the search term to the right place.