Mobile devices are must-have items for everyone, but levels of technical expertise vary from one person to another. At one end of the proficiency scale are those who can barely turn on the smartphone or tablet, and at the other end are those that can code, configure and even assemble mobile devices. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of the scale. The middle isn’t a bad place to be because we can perform most tasks without getting locked out or having to call an 800 number. However, the middle has many shades of techno-gray within its spectrum of users. That is why the list of 10 things was created. Most in the middle can do most of the things, so I’ll cover them all regardless of one’s relative tech savviness. In the end, all you really need to know is when to tap, push or slide (buttons or screen).

1. Understand the settings — the settings dictate whether or not you get email, connect to a wireless network or get software updates. The settings also manage alerts, security codes and user IDs. Being comfortable with navigating the various functions that reside under settings will make using your mobile device a breeze.

2. Move email around — sometimes an email gets thrown in the trash by mistake. Retrieving that message is not impossible, it’s just a matter of knowing where the various folders (inbox, trash, drafts, outbox, junk) are located and retrieving/relocating the item to the inbox. This also applies to messages in any of the other types of folders listed. Additionally, a person likely has more than one email account. Messages from one account’s inbox may be moved to another etc. This level of manipulation can help organize the mail for the user’s convenience.

3. Quit apps — opening up email after YouTube does not automatically quit the YouTube app. Managing apps optimizes data usage as well as device performance. Quitting apps is as easy as a home button double click and a finger swipe, in that order.

4. Group apps into folders — as your app downloads become more numerous, it becomes difficult to locate a particular app if it isn’t located on the dock or on the first couple of screens. To bring some level of efficiency to this process, apps can be grouped according to similar functions such as games, entertainment, communication, etc. Holding your finger on an app until wiggling begins allows for app mobility or even deletion (x in upper left corner). Move an app to overlap another app of the same kind, and a folder will be created with both apps inside it and a title aligned with their function. One click of the home button stops the wiggling.

5. Take a screenshot — this is a fairly simple task; there may be something on a website, an image, or some text from an email or social media site you want to forward. Pushing the home and power buttons simultaneously will capture whatever is showing on your screen and save it as an image.

6. Save images from email or web — once again a touch of the finger will achieve this for you. Hold your finger down on the image until you see Save Image and select that. Your image will go directly to Photos.

7. Attachment opening options — any document sent as an attachment can be opened using the available and appropriate app of your choice by holding your finger on the attachment until you see the icons for all compatible apps. Just pick the one you want and that app will launch and open the document.

8. Disable sync options — if you want information that is created or captured on one device to remain on that device only, a visit to iCloud under Settings will manage this. You may select which items sync and which ones don’t. There is also a Family Sharing option; be very careful with personal or confidential correspondence while in this mode. You will also manage storage at the same time if you don’t sync everything across devices.

9. Hard reboot — sometimes your device freezes, slows down or does something out of the ordinary. A hard reboot may resolve the matter — hold down the home button and the power button for approximately 10 seconds, you will see the screen turn off and then you’ll see the logo. When the logo appears let go of the buttons, your reboot is done.

10. Permanently delete apps — deleting apps from your mobile device doesn’t make them completely go away; the tech savvy know that you must delete them from your laptop or desktop iTunes account to get rid of them completely.

Hope this was helpful and increased someone’s iOS tech savviness level.