Personally, all those clicks start to drive me a little batty after a text message or two.

One quick solution is to silence your iOS device by flicking the “mute” switch just above the volume controls, but doing so muzzles all your system and app sounds, not just the keyboard.

You can silence the keyboard on your iOS device by tweaking a single setting.

Luckily, there’s a simple setting that’ll keep the iPhone’s (or, again, the iPad’s) keypad quiet without silencing your entire handset in the process.

Here’s how…

• Tap Settings, then Sounds.
• Scroll all the way to the very bottom of the screen, then flick the Keyboard Clicks setting to “off.”

Now, go ahead and tap out a new text or email message—and when you do, you’ll hear nothing but the sweet sound of silence.

Still have questions? Post ’em below, or send me an email.

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here, or click here for help with your iPad.

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The solution: “AssistiveTouch,” a helpful iOS feature that lets you create a custom menu of multitouch gestures that you can perform with just a few taps, no pinching or swiping required.

Indeed, once you’ve got AssistiveTouch up and running, you can do just about anything on your iPhone (or iPad, or iPod Touch) with a single fingertip, or even a stylus.

Tap the little translucent circle and a menu of AssistiveTouch buttons will appear.

To turn on AssistiveTouch, you just…

• Go to the main iPhone/iPad home page and tap Settings, General, and Accessibility.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page, tap the AssistiveTouch option (it’s under the Physical & Motor heading), and tap the “On” switch at the top of the following screen.

Once that’s done, you should see a translucent square in the top-left corner of the display; tap it, and a menu with four icons—Siri, Favorites, Device, and Home—should appear.

Tap the “Device” icon, and you’ll see a series of five more one-touch options: Lock Screen (which essentially locks your phone with a tap), Rotate Screen, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Unmute/Mute.

Thanks to AssistiveTouch, you can snap a screenshot, “shake” your iPhone, reveal the multitasking bar, and more—all with a simple tap.

Tap the More button, and you’ll get a few more AssistiveTouch options: Gestures (we’ll get to that in a moment), Screenshot (yep, for one-touch screenshots), Multitasking (to reveal the iOS multitasking bar without double-clicking the actual Home key), and Shake (perfect for using the iPhone’s “shake to undo” feature without actually shaking the handset).

Visit the AssistiveTouch “Gestures” menu to try two-, three-, four-, and even five-finger gestures with just a single fingertip—handy for those nifty iPad gestures that let you (for example) switch from one app to another with a four-finger swipe.

The “Favorites” icon is where you’ll find the famous iPhone “pinch” gesture, most often used for zooming in on a web page or a photo.

Tap “Pinch,” and a pair of blue, fingertip-sized dots connected by a thin bar will appear; just tap and pull with one finger to “pinch” the screen.

Four- and five-finger iPad gestures get a whole lot easier with AssistiveTouch on the case.

Even better, though, is the option to create your own gestures. Tap the “+” sign to “record” any gesture you want—say, a downward swipe.

For example, to scroll up on a lengthy web page without actually swiping, you could just call up the AssistiveTouch menu, tap “Favorites,” and then the icon for your new “swipe down” gesture.

Now tap the screen, and it’ll obediently scroll down just as if you’d swiped it.

The “Siri” button will, as you probably guessed, activate the iPhone/iPad’s “intelligent assistant” without having to “long-press” the Home key.

And speaking of which, the AssistiveTouch feature has its own Home button, which does just what it says: it sends you straight to the iPhone’s home screen.

You can also double-tap the Home icon to reveal the iPhone’s multitasking bar at the bottom of the page (assuming you don’t want to both with AssistiveTouch’s dedicated Multitasking button).

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here, or click here for help with your iPad.

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But after a recent (and quasi-accidental) Passbook-assisted trip to the movies, my interest is suddenly piqued.

Passbook, as you may recall, is basically a digital wallet that lets you store concert tickets, coupons, loyalty cards, boarding passes, and more, all in a single iPhone app.

The list of Passbook-friendly apps is limited, but (slowly) growing.

Well, not all your tickets and coupons, unfortunately. One of the biggest limitations of Passbook is that it only works with Passbook-supported iPhone apps, of which there were only 10 or so when Passbook launched last fall.

The Passbook app situation has improved somewhat in the past several months; there are now more than 30 Passbook-friendly apps, ranging from American Airlines and United to Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks.

Still, I hadn’t bothered to fiddle with Passbook again until just a few days ago, as my wife and I were heading to the movies.

We’d decided to stop for coffee and I figured I’d go ahead and buy the tickets (for “Before Midnight”—loved it, but whoa) while we were sitting at the counter.

Have a movie ticket stored in Passbook? When you approach the theater, a banner will appear on your iPhone’s screen; just swipe it to access your tickets.

I opened the Fandango movie app, bought our tickets, and was about to slip my iPhone back in my pocket when I noticed an “Add this ticket to Passbook” button. What the heck, I figured.

I tapped the button, opened Passbook (you’ll find the Passbook app on one of your iPhone home screens, provided you’ve updated your handset to the latest iOS 6 software), and a digital ticket for our movie slid into view, complete with theater details and a QR code.

So far, so good—but I was even more impressed when a banner that read “Fandango: Nearby” flashed on my iPhone’s lock screen as we arrived at the theater.

Tap the little “i” in the bottom corner of a Passbook card to see details and notification settings for your ticket or coupon.

Approaching the box office, I swiped the Fandango banner on my iPhone, and our tickets appeared on the screen.

The usher pulled out a handheld scanner, “dinged” the QR code on my iPhone’s display, and that was that. Easy.

Now, just to be clear, you can’t buy tickets at every movie theater with Fandango—and for that matter, Passbook won’t do you much good if you’re shopping at Walmart (although Target has a Passbook-ready app), nor will it help with daily deals at Rite Aid (but Walgreens is a go).

That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly and efficiently Passbook works when it’s in its element—and indeed, I used Passbook again a couple of days later for another movie night (“Star Trek Into Darkness”—loud, lots of punching).

So, got questions about Passbook, or a Passbook story you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Bonus tips

• You can change the notification settings for your individual Passbook items by tapping the little “i” icon in the bottom corner of the digital card.
• The settings screen also displays the venue’s location, as well as instructions on how to redeem your ticket or coupon.
• Also: Want to see the current list of Passbook-compatible apps? Just open Passbook, then tap the “Apps for Passbook” button on the Welcome card.

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here!

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Well, good news: Street View just landed on the mobile-friendly version of Google Maps, and it works just fine on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Update [12/13/12]: And here’s even better news: Google Maps with Street View is now available in the App Store.

You can launch Google Maps by clicking on this link on your iPhone or iPad. Once Google Maps loads, search on an address and then tap its “pin” on the map, or tap on any labeled business or landmark.

Just tap the third button in the bottom-right corner of the screen to launch Street View in the iPhone’s Safari browser.

When you do, a little white ribbon should appear along the bottom of the screen, complete with the name and details on the location you tapped and one, two, or three buttons to the right.

The button with the arrow is for turn-by-turn directions, while an icon with the phone handset will appear if there’s a phone number to dial.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll see a third button stamped with a little human figure—and yes, that’s the Street View button. (If you don’t see a Street View button, that’s probably because the location you tapped hasn’t been shot by Google’s roaming army of Street View cars yet.)

Tap it, and a new tab will launch in Safari, complete with a 360-degree image of the street. Swipe left, right, up or down to pan the image, or tap one of the white arrows to take a virtual stroll down the lane.

Street View looks particularly striking in “landscape” mode on the iPhone, especially if you turn on Safari’s new full-screen mode. (Tap the arrows in the bottom-right corner of Safari to go the full-screen way.)

Finished looking around? Just close the Street View tab, then return to the original Google Maps tab.

Unfortunately, Street View on Safari won’t let you double-tap to zoom in as you could on the iPhone’s old Google-powered Maps app, or as you can right now on Google Maps for Android.

Still, though, Google Maps with Street view on Safari should be able to tide us over until Google comes out with a full-fledged Google Maps app for iPhone/iPad—sooner rather than later, I hope.

Bonus tip

 
Rather use Street View in an app than on Safari? There are a few options available, although none of them are from Google yet. Click here for more details.

Looking for more iOS 6 tips? Click here!

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Specifically, she’s enamoured of Koi Pond, an app that turns my iPhone’s display into a virtual fish pond, complete with lily pads and fish food.

My daughter’s eyes go wide whenever she manages to splash the water or scare the fish with a well-aimed swat at the screen.

Once you activate Guided Access mode, you can disable touch input anywhere on the screen by tracing an area with your fingertip.

Not so fun, though, is when she accidentally hits the tiny “?” icon in the corner of the display, which interrupts the koi pond action with a boring how-to diagram.

Whenever that happens, my little one quickly loses interest in the fish and switches to a more absorbing game, called “Put the iPhone in Your Mouth.”

Well, fellow parents, good news.

A feature in the new iOS 6 software update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch can temporarily “lock down” an app, freezing all the hardware buttons (including the “Home” button) and letting you draw zones on the screen that won’t react to taps or swipes.

The “Guided Access” feature will work on any iPhone or iPad that’s been updated to iOS 6, and you can turn it on though the Settings menu.

Here’s how to get started…

• On your iPhone or iPad home screen, tap Settings, General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Accessibility.
• On the next page, scroll down again to the Learning section, tap Guided Access, then flip the Guided Access switch on.
• If you want to, you can also set a passcode for unlocking your device once you’re done with the Guided Access mode (tap “Set Passcode,”) or keep the Power button active during Guided Access for putting the screen to sleep (flip the “Enable Screen Sleep” switch to “On.”) Rather leave those options alone? No problem.
• Next, open the app that you want to babyproof—Koi Pond, in my case—then triple-click the Home key. The app should freeze and a frame of Guided Access controls should appear.
• Now, draw a circle anywhere on the screen to disable taps or swipes in a specific area. Once you’ve drawn your circles, you can drag or resize them with your fingertips (which I had to do a few times, after my baby kept swatting the “?” icon in Koi Pond), or tap the little “x” to delete a touch-free zone.
• At the bottom of the screen, you can switch off touch and motion input altogether (on an iPhone, tap the Options button to reveal those settings).
• All set? Tap the blue Start button in the top-right corner of the screen, then let your tyke loose.

Once you’re done letting your baby swipe away on her favorite iPhone or iPad app, you can turn off Guided Access mode by triple-clicking the Home key again.

And when she’s ready to tap again, your device will remember your Guided Access settings from last time.

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here!

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Hi Thea! So, the just-released iOS 6 update for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch comes with a new “Do Not Disturb” feature that blocks incoming calls, alerts, and other notifications with the flick of a switch, or on a predetermined schedule.

Yes, the new “Do Not Disturb” mode in iOS 6 will block incoming calls and alerts—but only when your iPad or iPhone is locked and asleep.

Sounds like the answer, right?

Here’s the thing, though: the new “Do Not Disturb” mode only blocks notifications when your iPad or iPhone is locked and asleep.

Now, that’s fine if you want to silence your iDevice while you’re taking a nap or sitting in on an important meeting.

But if you’re actively surfing on your iPhone or watching a movie on your iPad, calls and notifications will continue to roll in, even with the “Do Not Disturb” mode (which you can access in the Settings menu on your iPhone or iPad home screen) turned on.

And no—there’s no universal “pause all alerts and banners” switch for iPhone or iPad, like there is on the Mac.

Ugh.

So, what’s the best way to keep banners, alerts and beeps at bay while, say, you’re watching a video on your iPad?

Well, there are a couple things you can do.

1. Turn on Airplane mode

If you really want to shut off your iPhone or iPad from the outside world, you can switch on Airplane mode, which cuts off all wireless access to and from your device. That means no incoming calls, texts, FaceTime alerts, or e-mail messages—and hence, no ring tones or message notifications.

Just flip the “Airplane Mode” switch to shut off all wireless access to your iPhone or iPad.

To turn on Airplane mode, open the Settings app, then flip the “Airplane Mode” switch.

Once you do, the wireless signal bars in the top-left corner of your screen will be replaced by a little airplane icon.

Ready to start getting calls again? Just go back to the Settings menu and switch Airplane mode off again.

So, Airplane Mode will take care of incoming calls and message notifications while you’re watching an iPad movie. But what about so-called “local” reminders and calendar alerts, which will continue to sound even without a Net connection? For those, you’ll have to…

2. Tweak specific notification settings

Tap Settings, Notifications on your iPad or iPhone, and you’ll find a huge list of settings for all the notification-happy apps on your device.

To disable “local” alerts, you’ll have to dig into the notification settings for specific iOS apps, such as Calendar and Reminders.

Select any one of them—say, Calendar—and you’ll find options for whether the app displays its notifications as banners or pop-up alerts, or sounds an alert tone.

To silence “local” alerts that don’t depend on a wireless connection (I’m thinking mainly of Calendar and Reminders, although there may be others), you’ll need to dig into the notification settings for each of those specific apps and disable their alerts.

Make sure to select the “None” option under “Alert Style,” and switch off Sounds—or, in the case of Calendar and Reminders, tap “Calendar Alerts” or “Reminder Alerts” and select “None.”

And get this: once your movie is over, you’ll need to go back and re-enable all the notification settings you just disabled.

Pretty annoying, no question.

Anyway, Thea, I wish I had a better answer for you.

Still have questions? Or does anyone want to chime in with a suggestion? Post ’em below in the comments.

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Wondering what happened to Google Maps and those tremendous “Street View” panoramas now that you’ve installed iOS 6 on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch?

You’re not the only one.

Sure, the iPhone and iPad still have a Maps app under iOS 6, but it’s no longer pulling its maps from Google’s massive, comprehensive mapping service.

Instead, Apple has replaced Google Maps with its own, snazzy-looking digital maps, which boast true turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D “flyovers” of major metropolitan areas.

All well and good, but a few key Google Maps features are missing. For example, you can’t get public transportation directions from the iOS 6 Maps app (or at least, not without downloading some third-party apps first), nor can you pull up Google’s eye-popping, 360-degree “Street View” panoramas.

Related: How to launch iPhone-friendly Street View in Google Maps for Safari

Making matters worse, some users are already complaining that the search engine for Apple’s new Maps app isn’t nearly as good as Google’s, with the New York Times noting that Maps on iOS 6 is far less forgiving of misspellings and abbreviations.

So, what to do? Well, one option is to stick with iOS 5 on your iPhone or iPad—a perfectly workable solution, although you’d be giving up all the other handy new features in iOS 6.

An alternative, however, is to access Google Maps on the web, or try some apps from the App Store that replace Google Maps’s best features.

(In case you’re wondering, there’s no official Google Maps app in the App Store—or at least, not yet.)

Let’s start with…

Getting Google Maps through Safari

Google offers a reasonably good version of Google Maps for mobile browsers, including Safari on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

You can still get public transit, walking, and even biking directions through the mobile web version of Google Maps.

To access it, just visit maps.google.com, and you’ll instantly jump to the mobile version of Google Maps—complete with the same digital maps you know and love, plus a large search form at the top of the screen.

Tap the compass icon at the top to jump to your current location (a pop-up will ask for permission to access your location data), while the street sign icon will draw up directions for drivers, public transit, walking, and even biking.

A little menu button in the top-right corner of the screen reveals even more options, including “places” that you’ve starred on searched on in the past, plus the ability to view map overlays with traffic, satellite imagery, and more.

Want to make it easier to access the web version of Google Maps without digging through your bookmarks? Just add Google Maps to your iPhone or iPad home screen:

• Visit Google Maps on the web, then tap Safari’s “sharing” button. On the iPhone and iPod Touch, the icon looks like a box with a little arrow snaking out, and you’ll find it near the bottom of the screen. On the iPad, the sharing button sits near the top of the screen, just to the left of the Safari address bar.
• Tap the “Add to Home Screen” button, label your new icon however you wish, then tap the blue Add button.
• Presto! The Google Maps button will appear on your home screen. Go ahead and drag it wherever you like or add it to a folder.

With just a few taps, you can add a home-screen icon for Google Maps on the web to your iPhone or iPad.

Nice, but what about Street View? Unfortunately, there’s no Street View feature in the mobile web version of Google Maps (Update [10/4/12]: Well, now there is; click here for details!), but you could always…

Grab a Google Maps-friendly app from the App Store

Several third-party navigation apps gather their mapping data from Google Maps, and a portion of them also offer Google’s impressive Street View feature.

Do a quick search in the App Store and you’ll find dozens of options, ranging from free (and often somewhat sketchy) mapping apps to pricey, full-on navigations packages.

I eventually found a 99-cent app called Live Street View (pictured above) that did a reasonably good job at replicating the Street View experience.

Just fire up the app, tap a location, and within a few seconds, you’ll get a Street View image that you can swipe and rotate (provided Street View is available for the location you tapped, of course). Live Street View is a bit sluggish compared to Street View on the old Maps app, but hey—it’s better than nothing.

Also, don’t forget the official (and free) Google Earth app on the App Store, which lacks Street View and turn-by-turn directions but boasts beautiful 3D maps and Google search.

Got more suggestions?

Happen to know other favorite mapping apps or online services that help bring Google Maps back to the iPhone or iPad? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Post your suggestions—or questions, of course—in the comments below.

Correction: In the original version of this post, I wrote that walking directions aren’t available in Apple’s new Maps app; as it turns out, turn-by-turn walking directions are available. Sorry for the goof.

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Update: Looking for tips on installing iOS 7 to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch? Click here!

Apple just pushed the iOS 6 update live on its servers, and you can install it on your iPhone or iPad wirelessly, in just a few taps.

Why bother with the upgrade? Well, I can tick off at least seven nifty new features right here, including turn-by-turn car navigation through the new Maps app, full-screen web surfing, a “do not disturb” mode for calls and alerts, the ability to decline a call with a text message, easier Photo Stream sharing, and more.

A red badge should appear on your iPhone’s (or iPad’s) Settings app once iOS 6 is available to download. After that, all you’ll have to do it tap the “Download and Install” button, and your device will take care of the rest.

That said, there are a few things you should do before updating iOS on your iPhone or iPad to the latest and greatest version, starting with…

1. Update iTunes

Apple recently issued a new version of iTunes to go along with iOS 6, and while there’s nothing earth-shatteringly new about the update, iTunes 10.7 is designed to play nice with iPhones and iPads running the iOS 6 software update.

Given that, it’s probably a good idea to update your copy of iTunes before taking the iOS 6 leap. Here’s how to do it.

For iTunes on a Mac:

• Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, then select Software Update.
• The Mac App Store application on your Mac should open automatically, and it will scan your system for software that needs to be updated. Near the top of the list, you should see an entry for iTunes; just click the Update button.

For iTunes on a PC:

• Open iTunes, click the Help menu, then select Check for Updates.
• After a few seconds, a window should appear prompting you download the new version of iTunes; go ahead and click the “Download iTunes” button.

2. Back up your iPhone/iPad

The process of updating an iPhone or iPad is usually a smooth one, although snafus have been known to happen—particularly last year, with the rocky release of iOS 5.

Indeed, a stalled iPhone/iPad update could freeze your device or corrupt its data, including your photos, contacts, music and apps.

That’s why it’s critical you back up your iDevice before beginning the iOS 6 installation process. Here’s how:

Using iCloud

If you’re using Apple’s free iCloud service on your iPhone or iPad and you have iCloud backups enabled, your device should be backing itself up automatically whenever its locked and connected to a Wi-Fi network.

It’s a good idea to check the date of your most recent iCloud backup before installing iOS 6 on your iPhone or iPad.

Nice, but it’s still a good idea to check the date on your most recent iCloud backup—and if the backup file is more than a few days old, you should probably perform a manual backup before proceeding.

• Tap the Settings icon, then tap iCloud, Storage & Backup.
• Scroll to the bottom of the next screen and check the date of your last backup. Was it more than a day ago? If so, tap the “Back Up Now” button to manually create a new backup file.

Using iTunes

Still syncing your iPad or iPhone with iTunes? If so, iTunes creates a backup of your iDevice with each and every sync, and it’s worth it to perform one last backup before installing iOS 6.

• Connect your iPhone or iPad to iTunes on your desktop using its USB sync cable. Or, if you’re using Wi-Fi to sync your device with iTunes, you should see it already listed in the left column of the iTunes interface.
• Click the “Sync” button on iTunes, sit back and wait; within a few minutes or so, iTunes will have created a new backup of your iPhone or iPad data.

3. Plug your iPhone or iPad into a power source

One thing you definitely don’t want to happen during the iOS 6 update process is have your iPhone or iPad run out of juice midway through the installation; it’s a sure-fire way to corrupt your device’s data, or worse.

With that in mind, make sure to plus your iPhone or iPad into a wall outlet using its power adapter or connect it to a powered USB port on your PC or Mac before you install iOS 6. Better safe than sorry, right?

4. Be patient

Whenever there’s a major new iOS update available for download, a stampede of eager iPhone and iPad users tends to slow Apple’s servers to a crawl—and when that happens, downloads that normally take minutes could take an hour or more.

Relax: you’re not the only one staring impatiently at the “Preparing Update” message.

Also, the actual installation process may take a good 30 minutes-plus, after the initial download.

And if you find yourself staring impatiently at a seemingly endless “Preparing Update…” message while iOS 6 is busy installing itself on your iPhone or iPad, relax—you’re not the only one. (For the record, it took about half an hour for my iPhone 4 to move past the “Preparing Update” step.)

All told, it took nearly an hour and a half to update my iPhone to iOS 6, so make sure to set aside at least that much time before taking the plunge yourself.

My advice: be patient if the iOS 6 download and installation process takes longer than expected—and whatever you do, don’t interrupt it in mid-stream.

And if you’re willing to live with iOS 5 for a little while longer, consider waiting a day or so before pulling the trigger on iOS 6.

Bonus tip

You can check for the iOS 6 update manually on your iPhone or iPad by tapping Settings, General, Software Update.

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here, or click here for iPad tips.

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So, annoyed that your good-as-new iPhone already looks obsolete next to the just-announced iPhone 5 and its jumbo-sized touchscreen? 

Well, good news: your old iPhone is about to get a fresh coat of paint.

Besides the iPhone 5 and its snazzy four-inch display, Apple has another trick up its sleeves: a brand-new version of “iOS,” the software that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Slated to arrive on September 19, iOS version 6 (or “iOS 6” for short) packs in a slew of must-have features, including a revamped Maps application, easier Photo Stream and Facebook sharing, on-the-go FaceTime calling, and a long-overdue “do not disturb” mode.

(And yes, your iPhone will alert you when the “over-the-air” update is ready to download.)

Best of all, you don’t need an iPhone 5 (which is set to go on sale September 21, by the way) to take advantage of the goodies in iOS 6.

Indeed, most of the new iOS 6 features will work on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and even the three-year-old iPhone 3GS, not to mention last year’s iPod Touch and the two most recent iPads. (Yep, lots of confusing makes and models, I know…)

I’ll have in-depth coverage and tips on many of the new iOS 6 features in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, though, let’s take a quick tour of the highlights, starting with…

1. New and improved Maps app with turn-by-turn driving directions

Apple has rebuilt the iPhone’s Maps app from the ground up, adding nifty new features like eye-popping 3D “flyovers” of major metropolitan areas, smoother map scrolling, and real-time traffic alerts.

In addition to turn-by-turn car navigation, the new Maps app in iOS 6 also features real-time traffic alerts.

Best of all, through, the native Maps app is finally getting true, turn-by-turn navigation complete with spoken directions, just like on the latest Android phones.

The catch? Turn-by-turn directions and 3D “flyovers” will only work on last year’s iPhone 4S and the new iPhone, not the iPhone 4, 3GS or any other prior iPhone models.

Update: Hate the new iOS 6 Maps app? You’re not the only one, and even Apple has apologized for its patchy, glitchy map data. Luckily, there is a way to get Google Maps back on your iPhone.

2. A full-screen version of the Safari web browser

Want web pages on your iPhone to fill the entire display? With iOS 6 on board, you’ll be able to tap a new “full screen” icon when you’re holding your iPhone in a “landscape” orientation. Nice.

3. A “do not disturb” mode for calls, notifications and alerts

Want a little peace and quiet? A new “do not disturb” mode will shush all those insistent beeps, ring tones, banners and other alerts from the iPhone’s Notification Center, perfect for keeping your iPhone quiet at the movies or while you’re trying to get some shut-eye.

Just activate the iPhone’s new “do not disturb” mode to take a break from beeps, buzzes, and other alerts.

You’ll also be able to set the “do not disturb” mode to turn itself off and on automatically at certain times of the day, as well as designate specific contacts who will always be able to get through, no matter what.

4. Photo Stream sharing

Want to show off the latest snapshots in your iPhone’s Photo Stream? The latest version of iOS makes it much easier to share Photo Stream pictures with fellow iPhone and iPad users: just tap the photos you want to share and choose some names in your contact book.

You’ll also be able to share Photo Stream photos over the web, or comment on the Photo Stream images that your pals have shared with you.

5. Vastly-improved Facebook sharing

Annoyed that you can’t post your latest snapshots to Facebook without opening the Facebook app or composing an email? Well, thanks to iOS 6, you’ll be able to post photos directly from the iPhone’s camera application or your photo albums.

You’ll also be able to sync the profile photos and personal info of your Facebook pals with the iPhone’s contact book, as well as add Facebook birthdays and other events to the calendar.

6. Decline calls with a text message

With iOS 6 on your iPhone, you’ll be able to send a text message at the same time you’re declining a call.

Android phone users have long had the ability to decline a call and send a text message to the caller at the same time—and now iPhone users will have the same nifty feature, plus the option of getting a reminder after turning down a call.

7. FaceTime over cellular data

Until now, FaceTime video chat on the iPhone and iPad has been restricted to Wi-Fi only. Starting with the release of the new iOS software, however, you’ll be able to make FaceTime calls over cellular 3G and 4G data networks on the new iPhone, the iPhone 4S, and the new iPad.

Unfortunately, owners of the iPhone 4 or earlier iPhones will still be stuck with Wi-Fi when it comes to FaceTime.

Also, don’t forget that mobile data isn’t free, and that some carriers (such as AT&T) may demand you switch to a new plan before making mobile FaceTime calls.

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here!

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