A new feature hidden in one of the apps on your iPhone will change the way you travel, for the better — alleviating stress and rendering some other apps redundant
How to convert currency on an iPhone
A new hidden iPhone feature could completely change the way you travel for the better.
Going on holiday normally costs a lot, even before you even got there. Once you’ve arrived, working out how much things cost between the destination’s currency and your own can be tiresome. Fortunately, there is a little-known iPhone feature that can help with exactly this.
The calculator app now allows you to convert currencies with just a couple of taps. The new feature was introduced in September 2024 and it is simple to use. Just head to the Calculator app on your iPhone, tap the Calculator Mode button which should be at the bottom left of the screen and toggle on ‘Convert’.
Then, choose your preferred currency from the menu at the top of the screen, enter a value in either field, and the conversions will appear as you type. The same feature also allows users to convert other measurements, for example area, from square foot to square metres. Other options include angles, data, energy, force, fuel, length, power, pressure, speed, temperature, time, volume and weight.
These measurements can also be useful when travelling. For example, you may weigh your suitcase on a house scale in pounds and want to know what it is in kilograms. Another use would be converting speed limits from kilometres per hour to miles per hour.
The feature was added as part of the iOS 18 update, which means you will need an iPhone XR/XS or later to use it. The hack, which was shared in a video on Instagram, has gained a lot of attention from travellers. One person commented: “Wow!!! I am so excited to never have to use my converter app with advertisements — ever again!! This is game changing for sure.”
Another added: “I never knew a calculator can excite me this much.” A third user joked: “This is the best thing I’ve seen on the internet today.”
Another hack worth knowing for iPhone users, that only requires your messages app or notes app, is getting flight updates.
If you want to know the status of your flight, or get updates in the future, there is a simple fix. All you need to know is your flight number and the official two-figure code for your airline. For example, British Airways is BA. Perhaps your flight is British Airways flight 0285 — in this case you would open your Messages app and text BA 0285, with a space between the airline code and flight number.
Once you have sent it to yourself or someone else, your iPhone will then underline the airline code and flight number, indicating that it has been turned into a link, which you can then tap and then tap ‘preview flight’.This will bring up a live map of the flight’s current location and details including its airports with the correct terminals, departure and arrival times, flight duration, gate numbers and baggage claim locations — if announced.
For some flights, you can swipe left to a second page, which gives more details about future legs of the journey or the flight details for tomorrow’s flight. You can do the same process on your notes app by typing BA 0285 into a note. After this, highlight that code and flight number and in the bar that appears, tap the right arrow until you get to ‘look up’. Tap this, and the result will be the flight you are searching.
