One of the best ways to extend the life of your iPhone is to keep its operating system up to date. While a new iOS doesn’t get the play of the new iPhone each fall, Apple usually upgrades its software with new features and offers backward compatibility for about six years. Last September’s release of iOS 15 works with iPhone 6s (2015) and newer. Keep in mind that not all features will work on older phones — the 2018 Memojis, for instance, that rely on iPhone X facial recognition capability — but most will and will breathe new life into your phone. Here are three things you can do now.

Email privacy is a concern shared by most of us. At the top of this list is Hide My Email, introduced with iOS 15. Maybe you’ve seen it pop up when you’re signing up for a new account online with your iPhone, but didn’t know what it was or how to use it. Hide My Email will generate fake email addresses and passwords. The emails will still arrive in your connected inbox, but the companies won’t have your real email address, which means they can’t sell it to third parties.

It’s easy to use and no set up is required. First step is to make sure you’ve updated your iPhone to the iOS 15 series. Check by going into “Settings” and then “General.” Tap “About” to see the software version; you should also see that an update is available in “Software Update” if you’re not caught up — we’re currently on 15.5.

When you are signing up for a new account online, an app, a newsletter or something similar that asks for your email, once you click on the email address box you will see the option to hide your email. Tap it and Apple will create an email address and password for you, which you then save to the iCloud Keychain. You can also use this feature when you’re sending an email from the Mail app. Tap the “From” field and you’ll again see the option to Hide My Email.

You can manage Hide My Email in “Settings.” For instance, you can specify which email the massages are sent to, generate new addresses, and delete old ones you no longer use. Try it by going to “Settings,” “iCloud” and then “Hide My Email.”

Next up is a little-known feature that’s part of Apple’s accessibility suite. You can program your phone to activate certain tasks when you tap on the back of it. Back Tap options include opening the camera, opening the Control Center, putting your phone on mute, turning on the flashlight, activating the magnifier, capturing a screenshot and turning the volume up or down. You can choose one for a double Back Tap and a second for a triple Back Tap.

To set up Back Tap, open “Settings,” select “Accessibility,” then “touch” and scroll down to Back Tap. Choose the actions you’d like to access with Back Tap. I had no trouble using this feature with the case on my phone.

There are two shortcuts to use with your Camera app. First, you can use the side volume buttons to snap a photo, which can be easier when you want to take a photo with one hand. You can also capture a still photo while you’re recording video. Once you tap the red record button for video, you’ll notice a white button appears to the right of it. That’s for taking a photo! These photos will be less sharp than those taken in the regular way but can come in handy when video is your priority.

A related feature to the camera tips applies to your Photo app. Have you ever spent what seems like forever scrolling through your camera roll to find a specific photo to share with someone? If the photo is not recent, try searching instead of scrolling. Apple’s photo search is pretty good for generic terms like cake and cat, but if you want to make a photo of an important document immediately find-able, just add a keyword like “passport” or “insurance” as a caption. Next time you need it, you’ll just type in the name (keyword) and it will pop right up.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness, and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.

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