The iPhone is a success not because over 500 million of them have been sold (or, I should say, not only because over 500 million of them have been sold; that’s a lot of phones!), but because the iPhone, in just a few years, has reached the status of a cultural icon. Even people who don’t care much for gadgets in general and cell phones in particular know about the iPhone. And for those of us who do care about gadgets, the iPhone elicits a kind of technological longing that can be satisfied in only one way: by buying one (or, in my case, by buying all six versions!).

Part of the iconic status of the iPhone comes from its gorgeous design and remarkable interface, which makes all the standard tasks — surfing, emailing, texting, scheduling, and playing — easy and intuitive. But just as an attractive face or an easygoing manner can hide a personality of complexity and depth, so too does the iPhone hide many of its most useful and interesting features.

When you want to get beyond the basics of iPhone and solve some of its riddles, you might consider making an appointment with the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store. More often than not, the on-duty genius gives you good advice on how to get your iPhone to do what you want it to do. The Genius Bar is a great thing, but it isn’t always a convenient thing. In some cases, you may even need to leave your iPhone for a while (No!) to get the problem checked out and, hopefully, resolved.

What you really need is a version of the Genius Bar that’s easier to access, more convenient, and doesn’t require tons of time or leaving your iPhone in the hands of a stranger. What you really need is a portable genius that enables you to be more productive and solve problems — wherever you and your iPhone happen to be.

Welcome, therefore, to iPhone 6 Portable Genius. This book is like a mini Genius Bar all wrapped up in an easy-to-use, easy-to-access, and eminently portable format. In this book, you learn how to get more out of your iPhone by accessing all the really powerful and timesaving features that aren’t obvious at a casual glance. In this book, you learn about all of the amazing new features found in the iPhone 6 and in iOS 8, such as Handoff and Continuity, Wi-Fi Calling, the iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Drive, Family Sharing, Apply Pay, and much more. In this book, you learn how to prevent iPhone problems from occurring and (just in case your preventative measures are for naught) how to fix many common problems.

This book is for iPhone users who know the basics but want to take their iPhone education to a higher level. It’s a book for people who want to be more productive, more efficient, more creative, and more self-sufficient (at least as far as the iPhone goes). It’s a book for people who use their iPhone every day but would like to incorporate it into more of their day-to-day activities. It’s a book I had a blast writing, so I think it’s a book you’ll enjoy reading.