Published Feb 10th, 2024 10:33AM EST
Image: José Adorno for BGR
The iPhone has been around for 17 years now, but it still surprises me with little-known tricks. For example, this keyboard tweak I’m going to share with you makes typing numbers so much faster that it’ll probably change your life once you start using it.
In a Reddit post, a user said they switched from an Android to an iPhone after a year. They say they forgot “how garbage the keyboard is.” While I thought this discussion would attract a ton of people arguing back and forth about the various smartphone keyboards, we instead received a surprising lesson on an obscure keyboard trick.
Another Reddit user suggested the following iPhone keyboard trick: “Have you tried to long press the 123 button then drag the number you want? Doing it this way automatically changes the keyboard back to the letters after you select the one you want.”
Not only does this feature work, but it’s actually pretty handy. Another user also went a step further and gave this iPhone keyboard trick another tweak: By holding the 123 button with one finger, you can use another to type any number or symbol you might need before letting the button go. Once you do that, you’re back to the main keyboard.
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I mean, how cool is that? And since this is not something related to an iOS update, even if you have an older iPhone, you can take advantage of this feature. I’m sure it’s going to be easier and quicker to type messages to your friends and family members when they ask how much a bill was, for someone else’s number, or even for an address.
This isn’t the only iPhone keyboard trick you can learn today, either. Recently, BGR covered a few tips on how to make the most of your iPhone keyboard, according to an ex-Apple employee. Their findings have been shared by my colleague Chris Smith.
José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.
