Designed with a minimalist aesthetic, the iPhone 4S eschews a buttonheavy design in favor of simple controls and a slim figure. Here’s a how to use iPhone 4S and quick rundown of all the features on the device’s exterior.

a. Receiver

When not relying on headphones or the built-in speaker, this is where you place your ear to listen to incoming calls.

b. Front-Facing Camera

This .3-megapixel camera can shoot video and still images at VGA resolution (640 by 480 pixels). This camera was designed primarily for using FaceTime and snapping quick self-portraits.

c. Touchscreen Display

Like every iPhone model before it, the iPhone 4S has a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, designed for Multi-Touch input. It shares the iPhone 4’s 960-by-640-pixel Retina display, packing 326 pixels per inch into the space allotted. The display is made from optical-quality glass, which makes it highly scratch-resistant. It also has an oleophobic (oil-resistant) coating that makes it easy to wipe off smudges.

d. Home Button

The only physical button on the face of the iPhone 4S, the Home button provides a variety of shortcuts for accessing apps and iOS features.

Single Press A single press of the Home button can have several results, depending on how you’re using your device: Pressing the button wakes the iPhone from sleep mode, exits the currently-running app to return you to the home screen, brings you to the first home screen from a secondary one, and sends you to the iPhone’s Spotlight search mode if you press it while on the first home screen.

Single Press and Hold If you press and hold the Home button for at least two seconds, you’ll activate Siri. See How to Use SIRI

Double Press When the phone is locked or in sleep mode, a double press of the Home button will wake your device and bring up both the iPod controls and a shortcut for the Camera app. When you’re on a home screen or in an app, doing so will bring up the multitasking bar, showcasing your active apps.

e. Microphone

The internal microphone is located on the bottom left of the device. Unless you’re using an external microphone, you’ll use this mic when making calls, recording voice memos, talking to Siri, and more.

f. Dock Connector

The iPhone 4S uses Apple’s standard 30-pin dock connector to hook up with your computer and other accessories. That being said, your iPhone may not fit or work with all third-party accessories—especially older ones—thanks to its form factor and power requirements.

g. Speaker

On the bottom right of the iPhone 4S is a tiny speaker that’s responsible for projecting speaker-phone calls; music; movies; game noises; and any other miscellaneous noise. Because your device has just one speaker, it plays all audio in mono (a single channel).

h. Headphone Jack

The iPhone 4S has a standard 3.5mm audio jack. Apple includes a pair of white earbuds that allows you to listen to audio and speak on a call, but you can use any set of third-party headphones instead.

i. On/Off Button

Press the On/Off button to turn off the device’s screen. You can still take calls and play music, but the screen stays blank until a notification comes in or you wake it by pressing this button or the Home button. To turn the device off, hold the On/Off button down until the screen dims and the red Slide To Power Off slider appears. Slide your finger across the switch, and the iPhone powers down. (To turn your device back on, press and hold this button again until the Apple logo appears.)

You can also decline or silence calls, alerts, and alarms with the On/Off button; press it once to silence an incoming alert or call; press it twice in succession to send the caller to voicemail.

j. SIM Card Slot

The iPhone 4S is what’s called a world phone, which means that it can operate on multiple cellular frequencies: both the CDMA network (used in the United States by Verizon and Sprint), and the GSM network (used in the United States by AT&T).

If you’re subscribed to a carrier that uses GSM, you’ll need a micro-SIM card to identify the iPhone to your cellular provider; without an active card, you won’t be able to access call networks or cellular Internet, only Wi-Fi.

If you use a CDMA network, you won’t use a micro-SIM card in the United States, only when you connect to your network’s GSM partners overseas.

If you bought your iPhone from an Apple Store with a GSM or CDMA contract, the micro-SIM card should’ve been provided by default, so you shouldn’t need to fuss about with it.

If you’ve purchased an unlocked phone (one without a contract) and you want to switch to another GSM-based cellular carrier, or you’re planning a trip abroad, you can remove the current micro-SIM card with a handy paperclip. You can see Apple’s full list of supported spectrum bands on Apple’s iPhone webpage under “Cellular and Wireless.”

k. Back Camera and LED Flash

On the back of the device is the second of two cameras, as well as an LED flash. The camera sports an 8-megapixel CMOS backside illumination sensor, which snaps pictures at a 3264-by-2448-pixel resolution. (In real-world terms, that would translate to a high-quality 8-by-10-inch glossy print.) An attached hybrid IR filter provides better color accuracy, while the f/2.4 aperture offers improved low-light performance. The 4S can also capture 1080p high-definition video at up to 30 frames a second, with real-time video image stabilization and temporal noise reduction.

l. Ring/Silent Switch

The Ring/Silent switch—found on the left side of the device—does pretty much what you’d suspect: Flick it backward to silence the phone; flick it forward to activate the ringer. When you switch to Silent mode, you reveal a small orange stripe on the switch, and your device vibrates. Silent mode silences only rings and alerts, however; most games and music apps will continue to make sound through the speaker.

m. Volume Up/Down Buttons

Directly below the Ring/Silent switch is a pair of volume buttons. Press the plus-sign button (+) to increase volume and the minus-sign button (–) to decrease volume. In the Settings app, you can choose whether these buttons affect only noises from an app, or whether they control systemwide sounds as well.

How To Use iPhone 4S – Headphones

Your device comes equipped with a set of earbuds that include a microphone and remote built onto the right-side cable that can control volume, change tracks, answer and end calls, and activate Siri. You can use these controls to perform a variety of actions—just by knowing the right combination of clicks.

Single-Click A single click of the center button on the remote pauses or resumes music or video playback; it also answers phone calls, with an additional click to hang up when you’re finished with the conversation. And, if you have the Camera app open, you can click once on the Volume Up button to snap a picture.

Single-Click and Hold When you’re receiving an incoming call, a single click and hold declines it and sends it directly to voicemail; while on a call, you can do this to switch to a secondary incoming call. Otherwise, clicking and holding down on the remote will activate Siri.

Double-Click Click twice, and your song skips to the next track.

Triple-Click Triple-click the remote to skip back to the previous track

See Also:

• The New iPad Review
• How To Use iCloud | A New User Guide
• How To Use SIRI | iPhone 4S User Guide
• How To Use SIRI | Your Personal Assistant
• iOS 5 Features | Your In Depth Guide To iOS 5
• iOS 5 Features You Should Know About