8 iPhone Typing Tricks for Speedy Messaging

Learning how to type faster and more accurately on your iPhone is really about learning how to type smarter. We'll show you how to make use of simple iPhone keyboard settings and texting shortcuts to write the text you want to send with fewer taps on your keyboard. Let's get started!

How to Type Faster on Your iPhone & iPad

You can learn to type faster on your iPhone keyboard by taking advantage of a few simple tricks and settings. With these handy iPhone texting tricks, you'll be able to more easily access numbers and special characters and type full words with fewer taps on your iPhone. Let's take a look at the best ways to type on an iPhone.

Insert a Period from Your Character Keyboard

This ultra-simple typing shortcut is one of my favorite fast typing tips. At the end of a sentence, double-tap the space bar, and a period with a space inserted behind it will be added to your text message. While only a few seconds faster than the regular method of adding a period, it saves you from having to switch to your special character keyboard and feels far more efficient.

This shortcut is typically enabled by default; however, if it isn't working, open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and tap the toggle next to "." Shortcut. The toggle will be green when enabled and gray when disabled.

Set Caps Lock

When I want to celebrate with friends (or communicate an important point), setting the caps lock on my iPhone reduces the number of taps on my iPhone keyboard. This texting shortcut is easier and faster than tapping the shift button for each character. To do so:

1. Double-tap the Upward Arrow button to set caps lock.
2. Type the text you want to be capitalized.
3. Tap the Upward Arrow button again to disable caps lock and continue typing as usual.

This iPhone typing shortcut is enabled by default; howeverif it isn't working, open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and tap the toggle next to Enable Caps Lock. The toggle will be green when enabled, and now the shortcut above will work.

Quick Access to Numbers

If you're typing numbers, you often have to tap to switch to the numbers keyboard, tap the number (or series of numbers), and tap to return to the main characters keyboard. With this iPhone keyboard shortcut, we can shorten the process. This process becomes even faster if you want to type a single number or special character. To avoid switching keyboards, press the 123 button and without lifting your finger, slide to select the key you wish to type. Then, lift your finger to automatically return to the ABC keyboard.

How to Undo Typing

While this shortcut is about deleting typed text, I had to include this nifty setting because it is one of the easiest iPhone tricks I've come across. If you've typed up a lengthy text and have changed your mind about sending it, you can simply shake your iPhone to delete your last typed sentence (instead of pressing and holding the delete button).

SHAKE TO UNDO NOT WORKING - TEST AGAIN LATER

1. With the conversation containing your typed message open, give your iPhone one or two quick shakes.
2. Tap Undo.

The last sentence you've typed will be deleted from your text message draft. If this iPhone text shortcut isn't working for you, open the Settings app, select Accessibility, tap Touch, and tap the toggle next to Shake to Undo. The toggle will be green when enabled.

Select Words with Predictive Text

With your iPhone's text prediction, you can see word and phrase suggestions at the top of the keyboard. These are words your iPhone predicts you will type next, based on your past text conversations, writing style, and the websites you visit on your iPhone. Using predictive text, you can select an entire word, rather than typing your message character by character:

This iPhone text shortcut is enabled by default; however, if word options are not displaying at the top of your keyboard, open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and tap the toggle next to Predictive Text. The toggle will be green when enabled, and now the shortcut above will work.

Set Up Text Replacement Shortcuts

With this fast typing tip, you will be setting up shortcuts for phrases you often use. For example, I have a text replacement shortcut set up on my phone so when I type "bsy" and tap the space bar, my iPhone replaces this with "Busy, get right back to you". Follow the steps in our article on how to set up text replacement on iPhone for any commonly used phrases, and before you know it, you'll be sending texts more efficiently than you thought possible!

Use Slide-to-Type

When I started using it, I was startled by how much faster Slide-to-Type is than tapping to type on my iPhone. With slide-to-type, you simply slide your finger across the keyboard over the characters you want to type. Based on your gesture, your iPhone intuits the word you are typing and adds it to your text. If you hate trying to tap exactly on a particular key, this shortcut is for you! To use Slide-to-Type:

1. In one continuous motion, slide your finger across the keyboard to select the characters for a word. The example below illustrates the sliding motion to write "Hey."
2. Lift your finger and the word will be added to your text. Slide your finger to add the next word.

This iPhone texting trick is enabled by default; however, if it isn't working, open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and tap the toggle next to Slide-to-Type and Delete Slide-to-Type by Word. The toggles will be green when enabled.

Use the Space Bar to Select & Edit Text

The last iPhone texting tip in this list is this super simple way you can easily move your text cursor to a precise location to select and edit text. All you have to do is press and hold the space bar. The keyboard will become grayed out. Then, you can just drag your finger across the keyboard to move your text cursor to an exact location in the text.

Hopefully, these tips have helped you know how to type more quickly and accurately on iPhone. Once you learn to take advantage of the above shortcuts, you'll be much faster at texting in no time!

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