8 Keyboard Tricks Every iPhone User Should Know to Make Typing Much Easier

 8 Keyboard Tricks Every iPhone User Should Know to Make Typing Much Easier

At first glance, the iPhone keyboard looks much the same as it did a decade ago, but a lot has changed under the hood. Beyond long-standing hidden features, Apple has gradually introduced features and gestures designed to make typing a bit easier.

If you are still shaking your iPhone to undo text, it is time to take a closer look. These 8 tricks can help you get the most out of typing on your iPhone.

1. Keyboard Haptics for a Physical Keyboard Feel

Typing on the iPhone's glass surface can feel a bit uninspiring, especially if you are accustomed to typing on a mechanical keyboard on a Mac. While there is no way to get a physical keyboard on an iPhone (unless you use an accessory like the Clicks Keyboard), you can certainly replicate the feel of one.

The iPhone features a built-in "Taptic Engine" that provides subtle vibrations during interactions with the device. Although most people experience this with notifications, calls, and scrolling through iOS elements, it can also be enabled for the keyboard. To do this, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback and enable Haptic Feedback.

2. A Hidden Gesture to Type a Number from the Main Keyboard

When you type on the iPhone keyboard, you see only letters. To type numbers or symbols, you usually have to switch to the "123" keyboard layout—unless you use this hidden gesture. In reality, a number or an alternative symbol is already hidden behind each letter.

To access this, simply swipe from the "123" key. Once you do, the keyboard will display the numbers and symbols. Just drag your finger to the desired number or symbol and release it; the keyboard will then revert to its standard layout.

3. Double-tap and triple-tap to select words, sentences, or paragraphs

You can select text by simply dragging the iPhone's cursor. However, instead of struggling with the small cursor point, try tapping the screen.

Double-tap a word to select it quickly; triple-tap to select the entire sentence. Tapping four times selects the whole paragraph.

4. Gestures for quick editing

After selecting text, pinch in with three fingers to quickly copy it. Pinch out with three fingers to paste the text. You can also swipe left with three fingers to undo your last action.

For precise text selection, nothing beats the trackpad hack. You might already know that pressing and holding the iPhone keyboard's space bar turns the entire keyboard into a trackpad. However, you can also use this feature to select text. Keep one finger on the space bar and use another finger to move the cursor and select text.

5. Improving suggestions and resetting the keyboard dictionary

Sometimes, the iPhone keyboard can act up. Autocorrect might constantly suggest words you never type, or it might repeatedly bring up specific informal words used in group chats that you don't want to use again.

If you are frustrated with the keyboard suggestions, there is a solution. You can reset everything and rebuild the suggestion library from scratch. To do this, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary.

6. Typing in two languages ​​using a single keyboard

If you are multilingual, you might often have to switch between keyboards to type in your desired language. Now, you don't have to do that anymore. You can enable "Multilingual Support" to type in different languages ​​using the same keyboard. When you enable two languages, the iPhone keyboard automatically adapts.

It detects which language you are typing in and provides suggestions based on that specific language. To set this up, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard. Select a language, and then choose whether you want to add a new keyboard or add the language to an existing keyboard.

7. One-Handed Mode for Typing

If you have an iPhone with a large screen, typing with one hand can be quite difficult. In such cases, you can use the keyboard's "One-Handed Mode." To do this, press and hold the globe icon. Then, select either "Left" or "Right" from the available options to position the keyboard on the left or right side of the screen.

If this option does not appear, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > One-Handed Keyboard and select "Left" or "Right." Once enabled, the keyboard appears in a smaller size on one side of the screen. You can switch its position between the left and right sides by tapping the arrow button on the keyboard.

However, unlike Android's Gboard, the iPhone does not offer an option to manually resize the keyboard. Nevertheless, One-Handed Mode makes typing with one hand significantly easier. ...

8. Proofreading before sending a message

You shouldn't rely on AI to do the actual writing for you, but you can use it to check the linguistic accuracy of and edit the text you have drafted yourself. Plus, there is no need to pay for an AI subscription.

If your iPhone has Apple Intelligence built-in (iPhone 15 Pro and later models), you can use the "Writing Tools" feature instead. Writing Tools is integrated into the Notes app, the Mail app, and essentially anywhere else you write text.

To use this, select the text and choose "Writing Tools" from the pop-up menu. From there, you can ask the tool to shorten the text, format it to sound more formal, and check for grammar and spelling errors.