iLounge

Sure, audible alerts are great and all, and yes, vibrating alerts can be handy as well. But what if your phone is across the room, and you don’t want to hear or feel it going off, but see it instead? Apple has you covered, letting you make your LED flash serve as an alert indicator. Here’s how.

Open the Settings app, tap on General, then tap on Accessibility. Scroll down, and you’ll see an option for LED Flash for Alerts. Turn this on, and all new phone calls and other alerts will trigger the LED on the back of your iPhone, letting you know about incoming calls and messages without adding its own noise to the cacophony of modern life. Just don’t forget to place your phone screen-side down—the alerts don’t shine too well through solid material.