Surprising Phone Camera Hacks
I recently read an article about snapshots you should keep in your smartphone’s photo album that I thought was quite interesting. But what I really found fascinating (and surprising) were all the OTHER great ideas included in the comments on that article!
I had no idea there were so many cool things to do with phone cameras, so I spent all afternoon reading and digesting them all. There were so many good ideas that I decided to create my own list of phone camera hacks, and that’s exactly what I’ll be sharing with you today!
Related: 11 Photos You Can Take That Will Make Your Life Easier
If you’re like me, you probably already use your phone to keep notes of things you want to remember. Writing this post helped me realize that not only is my phone camera faster and more accurate than taking notes, but the sheer number of ways you can use it is life-changing!
Check out the list below, and I think you’ll agree!
50 Uses for Your Phone’s Camera
Important Documents at Your Fingertips
1. Take pictures of the front and back of your credit cards and store them in a secure storage app on your smartphone, like Keepsafe or Lockit. Then when you’re buying things online, you can just take a look at the photos instead of having to get out your wallet.
2. Keep a photograph of your driver’s license and/or passport identification page in a secure storage app on your phone.
3. Take a picture of your wallet opened, showing just enough of each card so you can identify what each card is. Then if your wallet is ever stolen, you can refer to the photo to determine what cards you need to replace.
4. Snap a photo of your license plate for use when you are at the DMV or filling out a form for a parking pass. I can NEVER remember my license plate number when I need it, so this has been really helpful! :-)
5. Keep a photo of your pet and their ID and/or vet tags. That way you can report it immediately if your kitty or puppy goes missing, heaven forbid!
6. Take photos of your reward membership cards for store rewards programs. (Don’t forget to make sure your membership number or ID is visible in the photos!)
Remember the Things You Like
7. If you try a wine at a party or restaurant that you really like, take a photo with your smartphone! Snap a photo of the label on the wine bottle so you’ll be able to remember the brand and the year later on.
8. When you see a recipe in a magazine or on TV that you want to try out, snap a picture with your phone! Much easier than running to find a pen and paper.
9. If one of your friends or family members has a great playlist, snap a picture of the playlist using your phone.
More Ideas You'll Love
10. When walking through the bookstore, take photos of books that interest you. Then you can check to see if they are available at your local library before committing to buying them!
11. Take pictures of your favorite makeup and hair products, including brands, product lines, and colors or shades. Then if you see them on sale somewhere, you’ll have all the info you need to buy them right then and there!
12. Use your smartphone camera to snap photos of lovely gardens, interesting yard art, and cute holiday decorations that you see when you’re out and about. You can use those photos later on as inspiration for your own home decor!
13. When you find a new artist on Pandora or Spotify that you want to remember, take a screenshot for reference later.
14. Take photos of yourself in different outfits from your closet. Then on mornings when you’re in a rush and don’t know what to wear, you can use the photos for easy reference!
15. When shopping with the kids, take photos of the toys they want for Christmas or their birthday. Then later they can go through the pictures in your phone and make their lists.
Make Shopping for Home Decor & Furnishings Easier
16. Take pictures of furnishings you are considering buying, ideally with price tag showing. Use the photos to get a second opinion from your friends or partner.
17. When you’re shopping at IKEA, skip the golf pencil and use your phone’s camera to take photos of the product tags instead. It’s quick and easy, and you won’t waste any paper!
18. Another way to use your smartphone camera at IKEA is to snap a photo of the dimensions of your car’s tailgate. That will help you decide what will fit in your car, and what won’t!
19. When moving from one apartment/home to another, take pictures of your wall art so you can remember how you had grouped. Then you can duplicate those groupings in your new place.
More Ideas You'll Love
On Your Travels
20. While traveling, take a screenshot of any map routes you might need and save them to your phone. The photos will allow you to access the directions you need, even if you end up in remote areas with spotty cell service.
21. If you’re renting a car on your trip, take a picture of the car and its license plate. It’ll be a big help when checking in at hotels, and especially if you need to find it but can’t remember what it looks like!
22. Take pictures of each room you stay in for insurance purposes in the event of theft, fire, or other disaster.
23. When traveling out of the country, take a screenshot of a currency converter “cheat sheet.”
Food & Kitchen Ideas
24. I like to keep a dry erase board or chalkboard in the kitchen to keep a list of things that I need to get at the grocery store. Instead of transcribing it to a paper list, I just snap a photo of it with my phone before I head out to go shopping.
25. If you’re going grocery shopping for ingredients for a recipe, snap a photo of the recipe before you leave the house. You’ll be able to easily reference it while shopping, so you can be sure you have everything you need.
26. When buying from a bulk bin at the grocery store, snap a picture of any cooking instructions on the bin.
27. Take a picture of your spice drawer or rack before heading out to restock. That way you don’t end up with 5 bottles of dill, but no cinnamon! (Not that that’s ever happened to me…) ;-)
28. Take a picture of the contents of your fridge before going grocery shopping. You can refer to the photo to see what you do and don’t have.
Frequent Purchases
29. Snap a photo of your printer cartridges, making sure you can see the model numbers.
30. Take a picture of all of your appliances, including the manufacturers logos and serial numbers, for future service calls.
31. Take a picture of the cable placement on any audio/video gear before unplugging anything!
32. Take pictures of the tag, bar code, or product info for items you’re interested in buying. You can often find the exact same items online for a cheaper price.
33. Take a picture of all the hardware and software specifications on your computer screen and save it on your phone.
Help for Emergencies
34. Snap a picture of your kids when you are heading out to a crowded amusement park, mall, sporting event, etc. If anyone gets separated, the photo will help you accurately describe their hair, what they are wearing, etc.
35. Take a screen shot of your ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact information, and set the photo as the lock screen for your phone. That way if you’re in an accident and incapacitated, someone can easily access your iCE info.
36. In case of a minor fender bender, pull out your smartphone. Use the camera to document the damage, and snap pictures of insurance cards and drivers license information. It could help avoid a much more serious situation!
Stay Organized at Work & School
37. Help out your classmates or coworkers by sending them photos of relevant information if they’re late to a meeting. (If it’s a lunch meeting, text them a photo of the restaurant menu and ask if you can place an order for them!)
38. Use your phone’s camera alongside the Evernote app to get really organized. Use the Notes app to scan documents into PDF files, then upload the files to Evernote. Evernote Premium accounts have access to optical character recognition software that makes text within PDFs searchable.
39. Keep a running Shopping or To Do list while at work on a pad of paper, then before you leave, snap a photo and put it as your screensaver. Instant list that can’t be lost or misplaced!
40. A helpful tip for students is to take pictures of that particular night’s homework assignment. That way you don’t have to pack all your books home!
41. Another tip for students is to take photos of your homework before you hand it in. This is especially helpful for students with forgetful teachers that have a tendency to “misplace” schoolwork.
Keep Important Information Handy
42. Keep a photo of your home’s wireless network and password to text to visitors.
43. Keep a photo of the ever-changing monthly class schedule at your local spa, gym, recreation center, etc.
44. Take pictures of the business hours posted on the door of places you go to occasionally, like the library, post office, etc.
45. Snap a picture of the class list on the 1st day of school to help learn your child’s classmates’ names.
Miscellaneous & Silly Things
46. Take pictures of your friends with the stuff they borrow from you so you’ll remember who has what.
47. Take pictures of “Help Wanted” signs to send to your kids.
48. Take a picture of your coat check ticket if you have a tendency to lose little things!
49. Before leaving the house for a trip, take a photo of your stove, hair straightener, or coffee maker in the “OFF” position. (This prevents those “freak out” moments when you start wondering if you left it on!)
50. Keep a copy of your best “selfie” shot for emergency updates to your Facebook profile. ;-)
Protect Your Sensitive Photos and Documents!
- Due to the inherent risks of taking photos of sensitive items like credit cards, financial information, and important documents, it’s a good idea to store those photos in a secure place.
- Apps like Keepsafe provide a secure “locker” for photos and documents that is separate from your phone’s main photo gallery.
- Photo lockers are typically pin or password protected so that you are the only one who can access it.
- Keeping your personal information secure only takes a little bit of extra effort, and it could help protect you from identity theft and other forms of fraud.
More Phone Tips And Hacks
What else do you use your phone’s camera for?
Hi! This suggestion for taking a photo came from an ER nurse-
Take a photo of all the medication a parent has to take each day, if you take your parent to the doctor. That way, should they need you to fill that out on a form, or they ask you during an ER visit or a regular doctor visit, you can just refer to the photo.
Some medication schedules are different- one medication is only taken in the morning, one only at night. If there are instructions give to the parent, you can take a photo of it, to refer to for the doctor or the parent should they lose the list.
Obviously, I have an elderly parent. The above could also be done for other family members, but for some reason it seems to make the most sense with elderly relatives, such as a parent.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Did you mention:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Take a picture of your car showing its location in a large parking lot, like at the airport or a mall.
Hi Jillee,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just wanted you to know that you are absolutely one of the best things that have ever happened to me. I swear by all of your information and recommend you to everyone I know that loves this type of information, and who doesn’t right?
Keep up the good work.
I hope you and yours have wonderful and safe holidays to come.
That is so sweet – thank you Nan!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Take pictures of your medications for when you go to the doctor or a new doctor.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great ideas! My brother is really good about taking pictures of important things to remember with his phone and I always think ‘what a smart thing to do’ and then forget 75% of the time to do it myself. Lol Do you have suggestions for how to file and store all of these photos so you can find them easily when you need them? That’s my problem with the ones I do remember to take, I just don’t take the time to weed them out (erase or replace when the wifi code changes) and file them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What fantastic ideas! So many good things to use the camera for. Thanks all!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Brilliant! There are so many hints we can use now, and when we travel, and every day! Thank you! LOL!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Use your phone to take photos before and after of your apartment of house. The before photos will show what the place looked like when you moved in and the after photos will show how you left it. This could be important because landlords can withhold your security deposit if they claim you have damaged the property beyond normal wear and tear. Also if you see someone damage another car snap a pic of the car and most importantly their license plate.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Take a photo of small print on documents so you can enlarge it to make it legible.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you have an IPhone 7s you can go to camera, press home 3x and there’s your magnifying glasses. Love that!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No. 20 While in Hong Kong the first time we took pictures of bus timetables etc so when we went back we could get around ourselves on public transport by referring to our photos.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I purchased a comforter for my bed, but wasn’t sure if I was really going to keep it. I took many pictures of unfolding it from the package. This way if I wanted to return it to the store, I could follow the pictures in reverse and get it properly back in the packaging.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It is free – here’s a link: https://www.camscanner.com/user/download :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Take a pic of your parking Aisle and space number in th parking garage and also the floor number when getting onto the elevator. You’ll never deal with a “lost” vehicle again.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.BiG Thanks you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When my children were babies, I would take photos on my phone of their outfits as soon as I brought them home from the store. That way, when I did their laundry, I could fold the outfits together and never had to wonder what went with what!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Take phone photos of all your furnishing in your house/apt. for insurance purposes in case of fire, flood or burglary or other disasters. The chances are more than likely that you’ll have your phone on you for access………………….
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Some directions/ingredients are in such small print that I can’t read it, even with a magnifier, so I snap a pic of it with my phone camera and then I tweak witj my fingertips to enlarge the print as large as
Please log in or create a free account to comment.needed to read ir. Works for me!
If you are looking for something on a high shelf or hard to reach place and don’t have a step stool handy you can turn on movie mode and hold the camera up to scan the shelf.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had this tip given to me by an ER nurse- if you are taking a close adult relative to the ER, you can take a quick photo of all their current medications. Then when they ask what medications the relative is taking, you can offer this camera photo. OR you can make up a list of all the medications and how they are to be taken and take a photo of that list, and this post the list on the refrigerator in case of paramedics coming in to the house to transport or give medical help to the adult relative. I had to do this for my father.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Snap a photo of any claim checks for luggage or valet parking. You will always have your phone handy before you can find those little slips of paper!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I find that sometimes the print on things is too small for me to read i.e. medicine bottles, tags and labels. I take a picture of the item with my phone and then zoom in on the image to read the text easily. Saves my pride too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always use my phone camera when doing minor house repairs such as changing a light switch, fixing a sink mixer, replacing toilet tank fittings, etc. I can put things back together properly by looking at the ‘before’ photos of electrical wires or plumbing parts.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What great ideas to use the camera on our phones. I get tired of sometimes having to copy my list over again.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When renting a car (or other piece of equipment) take a picture… don’t want to be charged for damage you didn’t do.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This year I snapped pics of progress in my garden so later I could tell when I planted, when plants started sprouting, when they bloomed or fruited (or when I finally gave up and threw them on the compost pile.) It will save me some guesswork next time I try a garden.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is a combo of the Ikea hint and the bulk aisle hint: When the pencil or pin is missing and you can’t write down the product number, take a pic of the bin label. Most cashiers accept this when you’re checking out.
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