Time-Saving iPhone Keyboard Typing Shortcuts you should know

One of the biggest catchphrases in the digital marketing world is mobile armageddon. A term used to describe the growing popularity of mobile devices (majorly smartphones and sometimes tablets) as the device-of-choice to consume digital content. While it may remain true that mobile devices are the most convenient tools to consume digital content, one cannot very well argue that they are the go-to tools for the creation of digital content.

When was the last time you Typed a Book on your iPhone?

You have probably grabbed your phone to read newsletters, articles, blogs, journals, watch a movie, and even play games. But when was the last time you wrote an article on your phone? Perhaps even a blog, or coded a game using your phone? The answer is likely to be, never. Why exactly is that the case?

Well, the biggest hindrance to mobile devices being used as a platform to create content is the fact it’s keyboard and screen are simply not convenient. This article is going to take a look at the iPhone in particular and how you can up your typing game on the Apple mobile device.

How to Speed Up Typing on an iPhone Keyboard with Shortcuts

You might have wished you could type faster on an iPhone. As it could help you get that article, journal, or blog post written while you are on the move. You might even get it done while in your daily commute. Additionally, you will not need to carry around big, bulky, delicate, and expensive devices like a laptop. Below are some useful shortcuts you might need to up your typing speeds on an iPhone:

1. Enable the Important Settings in your Keyboard

The iPhone keyboard by default does not turn on all the important settings that might improve your typing speeds. So the first thing you want to ensure is that all-important settings on the keyboard are enabled.

From the screenshot above, we’d say all keyboard settings are important. So go on and enable each one.

2. Double-Tap Space for Period then Auto-Capitalize

With the “.” shortcut you have enabled above, double-tapping the space bar on the keyboard will automatically insert a period at the end of a sentence. The next letter, at the start of a new sentence, will also be automatically capitalized thanks to the ‘Auto-Capitalization’ setting in the screenshot above.

3. Domain and Email Extensions Quick Access

If you are typing a website URL or an email address on your iPhone, you can let your keyboard deal with the semantics of the tasks. That is, have the “.com, .org, .ed, .net” and the sorts be typed out automatically. The domain name extensions will pop up based on your geographical region.

4. Shake it, Shake it all off

Did you know you can shake your iPhone to undo whatever you have just typed? You would also be surprised at just how many people don’t know about this typing feature. When you are typing, and you want to undo the last typed words/sentences. Simply give your iPhone a shake, and a pop-up window will appear giving you the ‘Undo Typing’ or ‘Cancel’ option.

5. ‘123’ Tap for the Numbers/Symbols then Release to go back to Letters

Typing on the AlphaNumeric keyboard can be tasking. If you want to change from typing letters to typing numbers/symbols, you need to tap on the “123” icon on the keyboard. To switch back to typing letters, you, again, need to tap the “ABC” icon on the keyboard.

Well, that is the long route. A shortcut would be to tap once on the “123” icon and then sliding your finger to the number/symbol you want. Then lift your finger away from the screen. That way, you avoid the clunky process of tapping the ‘123’ icon each time you want to type a number/symbol in between typing letters.

The same can be done if you want to capitalize one letter in the midst of your typing. Just tap on the ‘Shift’ button, and without lifting your finger, slide to the letter you want to be capitalized. Once you lift your finger, the keyboard will automatically type small caps for the next letter input.

6. SHOUT IT IN ALL CAPS

If emojis are not enough to express your dissatisfaction, why not SHOUT AT THEM IN CAPS? To type words in a sentence in CAPS, simply double tap on the Shift key.

7. The Special Symbols

When you tap and hold on a key on the iPhone keyboard, a different variation of the letter (and sometimes symbols) pops up. For instance, if you tap and hold on the hyphen key, you get the option of a bullet point or em-dash. Tapping on the period key, you get the option of adding ellipsis. If you tap on the zero key, you get the small degree circle (e.g. 80

8. Replace Short Phrases with Longer Text

The iPhone has an inbuilt feature that lets you ‘speed dial’ (or speed type) words. For instance, you can set the abbreviation for:

• ‘JLO’ to type out as ‘Just leaving the office now’
• ‘Brb’ to type out as ‘Be right back’
• SUS to type out as ‘see you soon’

Basically, it is you to determine what abbreviation will automatically type out as which words. That way, you can use abbreviations for your most commonly texted words, especially for chats, emails, and SMS.