These iPhone secret codes can come in handy…

Apple’s iPhone comes with so many surprises that users who have been in love with their gadgets for years still have no idea that their mobile phones have several secret functions embedded in them.

Just recently, Apple announced the latest update for its iOS devices — iOS 10 — due this fall. As with all the other updates, Apple’s iOS 10 also comes with ‘hidden’ features that iPhone users are inclined to like.

But what’s interesting is that there are actually iPhone secret codes that majority of the phone’s users probably know nothing about.

And here’s some of them:

*#06*

This code is a little more obvious than all the other iPhone secret codes we have at hand. If you dial *#06* and press ‘Call’ on your phone, a series of numbers will pop up on your screen. These numbers didn’t come up at random. The series of numbers on your screen is actually the IMEI number of your phone.

An IMEI number is a number unique to each phone no matter the manufacturer, and information about this number may come in handy in case you lose your phone, or if you need to call up your wireless carrier for technical assistance.

#31#

Probably the most sneaky of these iPhone secret codes, #31# lets you mask your phone number, so that whoever it is that you’re trying to call won’t be able to see that the call is actually coming from you. To use this code, simply dial #31# + the phone number that you’re trying to reach and then press ‘Call’. This code turns off your caller ID, and the party you’re trying to reach will not be able to see your number on their phone screen while you’re calling.

*3001#12345#

This secret code allows your phone to enter a so-called ‘Field Test Mode’ and gives you precise data on how strong your signal strength really is. While signal bars have always given us assurance that our phone signal’s just fine, the truth is, information displayed on these bars are often inaccurate.

So to get an accurate, real-time status of how strong your phone signal really is, simply dial *3001#12345# on your phone and then press ‘Call’. You will be directed to a screen that says ‘Field Test Mode’ on top, simply ignore that part and then press and hold your phone’s power button, and then press the ‘Home’ button to get back to your home screen.

On the upper left hand corner of your phone screen, you will see a number displayed right beside the part where your wireless carrier’s name is displayed. This number indicates your phone’s actual signal strength. If the number indicated is anywhere between -40 to -80, you are still good.

*33*PIN#

Want to bar outgoing and incoming calls on your iPhone while you leave it to someone you don’t trust? No problem. Simply dial *33* + a four digit PIN that’s easy for you to remember, and then press #. Entering this code will disallow all incoming and outgoing calls from your phone without the person in temporary possession of it ever suspecting a thing. To disable this feature, simply dial #33* + your PIN and then press #.

*43#

Want to enable Call Waiting feature on your phone but don’t want to go through all the hassle of finding out how to do that using the Settings app? Don’t worry. There’s a solution. Simply dial *43# and then press ‘Call’ on your iPhone to enable Call Waiting.

Find this feature annoying? No worries. Simply dial #43# and then hit ‘Call’ to disable the feature.

Unsure whether you’ve previously enabled or disabled this feature? No problem. Just dial *#43# and then press ‘Call’. Entering this code will give you an update of your Call Waiting feature status.

Do you have any more iPhone secret codes we know nothing about? Let us know in the comments below! 🙂