One of the gambles Apple took with with the iPhone was doing away with a physical keyboard and instead featuring a full QWERTY soft keyboard.
Some still find it to be a deal breaker but long time iPhone users will vouch for the way their iDevice has helped them enhance their productivity.
If you've just started using an iDevice then you may have still not exploited the complete functionality that the iPhone keyboard offers.
Here are a few useful iPhone keyboard tricks:
Add An International Keyboard
If you need to communicate with your colleagues and family in different languages, the iPhone offers a one-tap solution to toggle between the different keyboards. To get started, navigate from the Home Screen to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> International Keyboards to add a new language to your active keyboards list. Once done, you simply have to tap on the globe icon beside the space bar on the keyboard to switch to another language.
Add Special Symbol
Can't find the € symbol on your iPhone keyboard? To insert this symbol, you simply have to tap and hold the $ key. You will be shown a list of alternate currency symbols, including €, to pick from. You can use the same trick to insert many other symbols like an inverted exclamation, longer hyphens,etc by tapping and holding the corresponding keys.
Quick Way To Start A New Sentence
This is a very popular trick although a few of us may still not be aware of. The iPhone keyboard lets you add a period and start a new sentence by simply double-tapping the space bar. This trick is particularly useful while you type long paragraphs of text. In case this feature is not enabled by default on your iPhone, go to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> "." Shortcut and turn the feature on.
Quickly Insert Punctuation
This is another trick that is commonly missed. Many users tend to tap on the "123" key to view the list of numbers and symbols to pick. Once done, they tap on the "ABC" key to revert back to the alphabet keyboard. You can avoid this by instead tapping and holding the "123" key. This will show the symbols keyboard from where you may pick the punctuation mark you need. Once you select the symbol that you want to add and release your finger, the iPhone will automatically revert back to the alphabet keyboard.
Quickly Change Domain Name Extension
The Mobile Safari browser comes with a handy .com key for users to easily suffix the domain name extension to the URL in the address bar. You can also use this key to add other extensions like .ORG or .NET. To do this, tap and hold the .COM key to view the alternate extensions to pick from. Interestingly, this list will also include specific country-code extensions if you have the corresponding languages added to your International keyboard list.
Delete Text Using Gestures
The iPhone offers a pretty interesting way to delete text. Instead of holding the delete key to remove the typed text, you may simply shake the iPhone (once to your left and back). This will prompt you with an option to 'Undo Typing'. Tapping this button will automatically delete your recently typed text.
Hope you enjoyed these tricks. Do you have more tricks to share? Write to us in the comments below.
I think most the people who been using the Iphone for sometime know all of this..
Stupid article. What's next? 6 SIM card tricks you should know about?
Lame!!! Someones running out of things to write about. Lol
Guys comeone… some people might not know all this…
One thing I'd like to know is… does anyone know about this or is there a hack to change the keyboard when wanting to write a new text message and tap on the number to press, you get that keyboard instead of the number keypad….
Let me know…
from the beginning of the article:
"If you've just started using an iDevice then you may have still not exploited the complete functionality that the iPhone keyboard offers."
I think they were pretty clear about who this article was intended for; So why complain?
thanks. this article really helped since im new to the iPhone. Took a bit of getting used to especially the ‘undo typing’ feature as well as understanding a lot about jailbreaks and unlocks. I have a dilemma I was hoping someone could help me out with.
I have a used iPhone 4 (GSM) I bought off my friend with an AT&T connection that I want to use with another service outside the U.S. The iPhone was accidentally restored to 5.0.1 via iTunes 10.5 with a baseband of 04.11.08. As far as I know its never been jailbreaked, and isnt unlocked I suppose because when I insert my other GSM sim into it, I get a “No Service” where I should see signal bars. I only have some idea it has something to do with my baseband version and the fact Im stuck with 5.0.1. Ive read a lot of blogs and posts about people have serious issues from downgrading firmwares in an attempt to Jailbreak using previous versios, with or without using custom ISPW’s, and then getting stuck in boot loops and worse. This has all been very informative as Im still new to all this (got it a week ago). Ive discovered “POD2Gs” existence a few days into it, which led me to this website and his blogs and links, as well as reports and analysis on his progress.
Im not sure given my situation whether, how to properly Jailbreak my iPhone 4. Should I use a custom ISPW, restore my iPhone using Redsn0w via untethered methods (Redsn0w, green poison, Corona??). If so, whats the best step-by-step process for my situation?
(I believe there is no Gevey sim available for my current baseband/firmware at the moment, dunno when I might expect to find one in the market.)
I have more questions than answers as theres a clutter of information I cant seem to get past.
Is Jailbreaking advisable and what is the best method with iOS5.0.1 with baseband 04.11.08. If someone could help with this that would be gravVYY!!
Thank a lot, i`m a new user of Iphone, so it`s info very usefull!
and helpfull for me!
I'd like to know if there is a way to turn off the "Shake to undo". I never use it. I've had that message pop-up when I didn't want it to more than actually undoing text.
I didn't know the part about quickly entering punctuation. However, if you just press space after numbers it will revert to ABC which I would use more anyway.
I also highly doubt it has increased their productivity either as a opposed to a hardware keyboard. The only touchscreen method that I can see beating hardware keys is Swype. Haven't used it so I don't know whether it is.
you can also hold the globe button when you have multiple keyboards set and it will pop up a menu so you can choose the one you want, instead of having to press it repeatedly to get the one you want.
well i just want to say thanks. i knew most of them but most of the time you forget and don't use it. this is just a reminder to make your life easier.
I know most of those, but the one about .com and other extensions I didn't. Thanks!
On the iPad only, there is the possibility to fill in the most common umlaut or special letter with just swiping with the finger from a letter upwards.
Is there a way of using keypad with predictive text rather than keyboard?
6 bumper case tricks you should know.
THE POWER BUTTON – IT PRESSES THE PHONE'S POWER BUTTON
THE VOLUME UP BUTTON – IT PRESSES THE PHONE'S VOLUME UP BUTTON
etc…
Anyway to make the space bar larger? I keep hitting the "b" instead of a space and thus can have a number of words run together. None of the spell checker pick up on this and recognize a word with a b or an n joining them together.
I didn't know about the numbers/symbols one, very handy!
There is only 1 trick that I found that was not in the list of iOS features or in any articles that I've read! If u press the off button and the home button at the same time it takes a screenshot and adds it 2 ur photo. Very handy trick
is there a hack on the 4.0 to get a 5 row Keyboard yet, I use the 5 row keyboard on the 3.0 and it was great, i sure miss it. if not is there somewhere I could make a request for, I would pay for it!
And by the way, that touch keyboard did help me to type faster, my daughter has a hardware keyboard and the time I spend pressing on it reduce the typing speed for me and really I would have a heck of a time to go back to a hardware keyboard.
But that could be only me??
If screen switching to Landscape whilst typing bugs you, double press Home button and swipe left to access screen orientation lock (& iPod controls)
For quick notes, use SBsettings & access Fast Notes toggle
Holding the International key let's you quickly switch keyboards.
Kewl
El Barto+Z+Dannyyyyyyy IMHO you are a bunch of arrogant and stupid idiots
Found another trick but not sure if it was mentioned but say u have 2 or more international keyboards set up and u have to tap the globe key to get to it, simply hold the globe key and a list of international keys will pop up and you cam choose which one you need the wickets way.
I've been an iphone user since the $600 2g came out. I never knew about the holding on to the 123 deal or the changing the domain name extension. pretty cool!
this is terrific…i didn't know about the 123 key or the shake to delete, thanks!
quickly punc insert doesnt work for me..
Useful article, thanks. I think Apple should help make this kind of knowledge more easily available. I linked to your article and added an idea or two of my own:
http://www.keyboardformac.com/keyboards-for-mac/6-useful-iphone-keyboard-tricks
Jerk. Get a life. My mom is new to iPhone and finds these basic tips helpful.
Sad, bitter jerk.
Did posting this comment make you feel less insecure?
El Barto is a f**king idiot
Another interesting way to improve text edtion is using some specialized 3rd party apps. I recomend you fastmail (I use it) but there are another specialized apps which you can try.
well for pll who just got an iphone!! all this is preeeti cool!!!
VERY HELPFUL!!!! THANK YOU!
Quickly Insert Punctuation – I can't get the 123 to return to ABC. If I tap 123 and hold, it does nothing, but if I hit 123, then tap the above button, #*=, then hold that 123 it will automatically return me to 123, when I release it, but not ABC…
ABC should be easy as 123, per MJ damn it!
if some of you already know all this, why even click on the link and add your dumb opinions? have a nice day!
I think they should have added Emoji, a free app from the APP store, that lets you goto your Preference Keyboard and add a Emoji keyboard, so you can make chatting/texting fun!!
Despite what some of the morons say above, thank you. I'm new to the iPhone, like 2 weeks in. I knew about the double click space bar (changed from a blackberry) but the other ones i didn't know.
So thank you!
And as for you other people who just think you're all that by trying to be tough on a website, get a life
Thanks for the info
Ahahahahahaa
)))
Add in another trick on rejecting a incoming call when on standby mood. Double press the power button if you want to reject the incoming call will do the trick !
by mistake added a “wrong” type of international keyboard… How to remove it again so I only have 2 and not 3 to toggle between?
Very Simple to remove keyboards.
)
Settings>General>International>Keyboards…. There’s an “Edit” button in the top right corner….. Now you’re able to delete
yuppy great thanks for this tips.