Did You Know Your iPhone Can Help You With Your Laundry?

There are more than a few of us out there that simply do not understand laundry care symbols. The icons might be obvious to some, but to others, they’re gibberish. As it turns out, however, you have a translator on-hand at all times, in your iPhone.

No, your iPhone’s Translate app won’t do the job for you. (Yes, your iPhone has a translate app.) Instead, this feature works with your iPhone’s Photos app, and is similar to the feature that lets you identify plants, animals, and landmarks.

To use it, take a photo of your clothing item’s laundry care tag, making sure to get those symbols in focus and in frame. Then, open the image in Photos, then tap the (i) icon. You should notice an option to “Look Up Laundry Care.” Tap that, and iOS will pull up a list of corresponding icons with their definitions:

You can tap on any of the entires to launch Safari, which will pull up a web page with more information on your selection. But for quick reference, this page might be all you really need.

You can also use this same feature to decipher the warning lights that pop-up in your car. If you aren’t sure what something means, you can snap a picture, tap the (i), and tap “Look Up Auto Symbol.” Hopefully, you need the feature more for laundry care than automobile care.