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Products With Hidden Features That Most Folks Don't Know About

Reddit user Independent-160 asked: 'What common product has a feature you’re not sure everyone is aware of?'

Smart watch display
Photo by Rachit Tank on Unsplash

When a new product is set to release, no matter what it is, the marketing team behind it will highlight certain features much more than others.

That's why sometimes a person will buy a product and not even realize the full range of what it can do!

But there are some product features that consumers really wish more people knew about.

Ready to take notes, Redditor Independent-160 asked:

"What common product has a feature you're not sure everyone is aware of?"


Lifetime Warranties

"Lifetime warranties on consumer goods, like Columbia jackets and Jansport backpacks."

"If your zipper fails or the material separates or is no longer repelling water, file a claim online and pay for shipping to the factories. They will either repair it or ship you a comparable new version."

"Companies like this use your returns to identify weak points in their products while retaining lifetime customers."

- ThrowmeawayAKisCold

Needle Maintenance Unlocked

"The little pepper-looking thing that hangs off of most pin cushions is filled with emery powder to help clean/sharpen your pins and needles."

- ChaoticCryptographer

Apple Camera Translations

"Apple camera comes pre-installed with a feature that translates those laundry symbols."

- Maria-Stryker

"It will identify species of birds and some other animals in photos, too."

- mp2146

"It can also convert measurements. If you’re on a website, take a picture, and then go into the picture, tap and hold on to the particular measurements, and it will bring up a selection of conversions (ml > oz > tsp > cups, etc.)."

"If you’re looking at printed text, you don’t need to take a picture. Just get it in the viewfinder and then tap and hold."

- Hatespickingnames

The Hidden Fitness Genre

"Netflix has a Fitness or Exercise genre where you can watch and workout alongside videos."

- TalkS**tGetWitt

Musical Accompaniment

"Barilla Pasta has a Spotify list. Each specific song has a duration to match the relevant pasta’s cooking time."

- toasted-marshmallow0

Automated Windows

"I recently found out that if I press and hold my car key to unlock the car, all the windows open automatically."

"Not so impressive but some people might try it out."

- JohnnyBanana

"This also works with holding the lock button to close all windows/sunroof on some cars."

- Bose82

Improved Selfie Experience

"If the camera app is open on your cell phone, pressing the volume button will take a photo. It's handy for when you’re trying to get a group selfie and the on-screen button is in an awkward position."

"Also: holding the volume button will record video."

- NatCairns85

Adjust That Brightness

"You can turn your brightness lower than the lowest brightness setting."

"Go to Settings —> Accessibility —> Display & Text Size —> Reduce White Point."

- 6teeee9

Don't Risk Forgetting to Text By Waiting Until an Appropriate Time

"So, one that kinda blows my mind, and I use it all the time now."

"But you can program your phone to send texts at later times depending on the software."

"You hold the send button and see if any prompts come up, it's insanely handy for calling out sick on a job (if you know your boss's phone number anyway) or checking in with somebody when you think of them but know right now is a bad time to text, etc."

- Ghostbuster_119

Recover Accidental Closures

"Closed an important tab accidentally? Press CTRL+SHIFT+T to bring it right back."

- The_Architect_7

"Also, if you close a whole window, press CTRL+SHIFT+N to bring it right back *(in Firefox)."

- Darkphases

Window Switching Capability

"On a Windows computer, WinKey + Tab brings up a virtual desktop switcher."

"At the top of the screen, hit the plus (+) icon to make a second desktop. You can then use Ctrl + WinKey + L/R arrow to switch back and forth quickly."

"I keep all my browsers on one desktop, and Spotify/Discord/Reddit on the other and swap back and forth all day at work."

- LogicWavelength

Unscented Febreeze

"A lot of people think that Febreze just covers up odors with perfume."

"It's actually an excellent odor remover and there's an unscented version that works extremely well and leaves no smell behind. It's just that when they first brought it to market, a lot of people didn't like it because they associate 'smelling clean' with perfumed products."

"They found that adding a perfume to it increased their sales. It's hard to find in stores, but you can still order the unscented version on Amazon."

- jmurphy42

A View of the Universe

"A regular pair of binoculars pointed at Jupiter will reveal four of Jupiter’s moons! Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto."

"Try viewing when there is no moon and hold the binoculars very steady, you’ll see one to four tiny spots of light."

- musichorn

Perfect for the Next Move

"The nub on the edge of a tape dispenser (the red one for moving boxes) is meant to find the edge of the tape. Press it down and move the tape around and it’ll peel it up."

- stowRA

Travel Destinations

"With Google Maps on your phone, when traveling to someone, you can let them know exactly where you are so they can track your progress."

"Open maps, tap your account icon at the top right, tap location sharing, and you have the option to share your location for a set amount of time (like an hour). You can then tap to send this location sharing directly to a person or to send it through a text message. The other person can now know where you are along your journey. This way they can better prepare for your arrival."

- gt24


It's amazing how much our products can do, whether it's advertised to have certain features or not.

Hopefully, more people will learn about these features so they can make the most of their purchases!

Do you know of any we missed? Let us know in the comments.