Hidden iPhone upgrade lets you text so much faster – only true typing pros know full list of six iOS keyboard tricks
STOP texting so slowly – it’s painful and unnecessary.
You’ve been texting for years. Maybe even decades. But there are some mistakes you need to fix right now.
If you’ve got an iPhone and you aren’t typing at the speed of light, well there are some perfect iOS tricks you’ll need to learn. Tap tips, if you will.
IPHONE TYPING TIP #1 – SWIPE TO TYPE
First, stop tapping out individual letters.
Go to Settings then General then Keyboard and toggle on Slide to Type.
Then to type a word, just touch the initial letter and quickly drag your finger between all the letters of that word.
Bam. Instant word. It’s a huge upgrade and much faster.
IPHONE TYPING TIP #2 – QUICK SWAP
Second, never type your email or home address out. It’s a huge waste of time.
Go into Settings then General then Keyboard and hit Text Replacement.
This lets you set up text shortcuts that change short phrases into long chunks of text.
So you could save two @ symbols as your email address to quickly enter it.
Or save add! to shortcut to your home or work address. This is far quicker for long chunks of text you find yourself regularly wanting to type.
IPHONE TYPING TIP #3 – HIDDEN TRACKPAD
Right, third. Let’s say you’ve written some text but you spot a typo in the middle of a word, or further down a website link in the Safari address bar.
Trying to tap a specific point can be difficult, so just use the secret trackpad instead.
Hold your finger down on the spacebar and voila, trackpad! Slide it around to place the cursor exactly where you need it to go. This is much more efficient.
IPHONE TYPING TIP #4 – SHRINK IT!
Fourth, use the mini keyboard.
Texting one-handed is a real pain, especially if you’re holding onto a pole on a bus or train, or wielding a steaming hot cup of coffee. Delicious, but a texting nightmare.
Open your keyboard, then hold your finger down on the globe or emoji icon.
Then hit the little keyboards with the left or right arrows.
This will cause your iPhone to enter one-handed mode with a small keyboard that’s very mighty. You’ll be texting with one hand much faster like this.
IPHONE TYPING TIP #5 – FAST NUMBERS
Fifth, there’s a way to type numbers more quickly.
If you’re trying to type a single digit, you don’t need to tap on the 123 then hit a number then tap back on the ABC.
Instead simply touch and hold the 123 then drag your finger to your chosen number – and release.
It’s magical and a little bit faster.
iPhone tricks to try today
Here are some of the best...
- Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
- Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
- Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
- Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen, then tap in the bar and type a currency (like €200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
- Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
- Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
IPHONE TYPING TIP #6 – QUICK STOP
And finally, ditch the period (or the full stop, for the Brits).
If you go to Settings then General then keyboard, you can turn on the period shortcut.
This lets you double tap the space bar to insert a period followed by a space.
It’s a fraction of a second faster than the other way, but it’ll speed you up over time.
If you combine all five of these tips, you’ll become a true texting powerhouse.