Speed Up iPhone Typing With This Simple Keyboard Trick - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Speed Up iPhone Typing With This Simple Keyboard Trick

by

iPhone users often find themselves toggling between different keyboard layouts to type messages, emails, or fill out forms. This can slow down communication and disrupt your flow. But there are ways to streamline the process. If this quick tip is new to you, it could revolutionize the way you type on your iPhone and save you precious time.

speed up iphone typing trick
Switching away from the alphabetic keyboard layout when you need to type a number or symbol is an all-too-often occurrence on ‌iPhone‌, so here's a quick tip for making the transition super-swift.

Rather than tap the "123" key in the bottom-left corner to switch to the number/symbol keyboard, hold down on the key and then slide your finger over to the number/symbol that you want to type, then let go.

This single action types the number/symbol and automatically switches you right back into the alphabetical layout, avoiding the need to perform three separate taps to achieve the same result.

notes
So next time you find yourself needing to insert a number or symbol, remember this trick and you can type away without pause.

Top Rated Comments

26 months ago
Today I learned.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iZac Avatar
26 months ago
If this thread is going to be a keyboard tips-and-tricks compendium then I’ll add something that took me years to learn.

If you hold your thumb on the spacebar it activates the cursor, offset without your finger being in the way of the text block.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trainwrecka Avatar
26 months ago
I still can’t believe with how much the screen has grown, we still don’t have the number row by default.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 months ago

Which key are you talking about? I press the 123 key and the numbers come up. What is more efficient than that?
Your solution:

1 press the 123 key
2 release the 123 key
3 select a number
4 press ABC key
5 release the ABC key

compared to:

1 press and hold the 123 key;
2 slide your finger to desired number;
3 release the numeric key and you are back to the alphabetic keyboard.

technically you save two actions. Whether that makes your day, is up to you. :)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 months ago
In notes app on iphone in bullet list you can tap shift+enter to go to the next line without bulleting.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coffeemilktea Avatar
26 months ago
After years of reading Internet articles, I'm glad I finally found one that offered a genuinely helpful "One Simple Trick™" to improving my life :cool:
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
airpods pro 3 pink

New Apple Card Holders Can Get Free AirPods Pro 3, But There's a Catch

Monday May 18, 2026 8:11 am PDT by
Apple today launched a new promotion offering new Apple Card holders the chance to earn back the cost of AirPods Pro 3 through monthly cash rebates, but there is a recurring spend requirement attached. Customers who open a new Apple Card account and purchase AirPods Pro 3 directly from Apple by June 15 will qualify. Starting July 1 and running through April 30, 2027, cardholders can earn $25 ...
wwdc apple park in person

Apple Announces WWDC 2026 Schedule, Sends Media Invites

Monday May 18, 2026 10:23 am PDT by
Apple today provided a schedule for its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference, which starts on June 8 and ends on June 12. Apple also sent out invites to members of the media who have been invited to attend an in-person keynote viewing at Apple Park. Both the invites and schedule confirm that the keynote will begin at the standard time, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time or 1:00 p.m Eastern Time....