Command Keyboards

Typing in iOS is pretty self-explanatory, but a few tricks are easy to miss. The keyboard gains a few new tricks in iOS 11, including the capability to autofill logins in apps and the option to push the keyboard to the left or right of the screen to make one-handed typing easier.

To learn about special features of the iPad keyboard, see Keyboarding on the iPad.

Look at Special Keyboard Parts

Let’s take a look at some of the iOS keyboard’s special keys (Figure 36):

• QuickType bar (A): This automatically suggests words as you type. Tap one to insert it. The iPad offers shortcuts here for common actions like cut, copy, paste, undo, and redo.
• More/Numbers (B): Tap here to view numbers and special characters.

  

• Next/Emoji (C): This key appears only if an extra keyboard is installed. Tap it to switch keyboards. Hold it to see a list of installed keyboards. If the only other keyboard installed is Emoji, this key shows a smiley face. If some other keyboard is installed, the key shows a globe.
• Dictate (D): Tap to speak words, and have iOS transcribe them, instead of typing.
• Period (E): Hold this key while typing a URL in Safari or an email address in Mail to see shortcuts for domains, such as .com and .net.
• Hide Keyboard (F): Tap here to dismiss the keyboard.

Learn Basic Keyboard Functions

Here are some basic keyboard functions every iOS user should know:

• Display the insertion point: Tap in a text area.
• Move the insertion point: Tap where you want it to go.
• Trackpad mode: On newer devices, you can use the keyboard area like a trackpad. See Use 3D Touch to Select Text and Use Trackpad Mode.
• Move the insertion point with precision: Touch and hold typed text until a magnifying glass appears. Slide the insertion point where you want it.
• Type in multiple languages: You can type in multiple languages in iOS. To add a new keyboard, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, tap Add New Keyboard. To remove a keyboard from the list, swipe left on it and tap Delete. Tap the globe key to switch between languages. Alternatively, touch and hold the globe key to see all available keyboards.
• QuickType: As you type, the QuickType bar suggests words. Tap one to insert it. QuickType can also suggest things like emojis, names, phone numbers, and places. If you have multiple language keyboards enabled, it can also suggest words in those languages.
• Hide QuickType: Go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn off Predictive.

Save Time Typing

Typing on a piece of glass can be frustrating, but iOS includes some features that make working with text faster:

• Text replacement: You can enter commonly used bits of text, such as your email address, by typing only a few characters. For example, I’ve created a shortcut where, when I type xtb, it’s replaced with TidBITS.

  To create a new shortcut, tap Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement and tap the plus button in the upper-right corner. In the Phrase field, type the text you want to be entered; in Shortcut, type a shortcut for it. Tap Save.

• Copy text: Touch and hold the text until a magnifying glass image appears. Release your finger and a popover appears. To select all text, tap Select All. Or, tap Select and then drag the handles to highlight the text you want to copy. Tap Copy on the popover (Figure 37) or tap the Copy button on the QuickType bar if it’s available on your device.

  

• Paste text: Touch and hold in the text-entry area where you want to paste text to reveal the magnifying glass image. Release and tap Paste on the popover or tap the Paste button on the QuickType bar if it’s available on your device.
• Special characters: Typing special characters, like è or ü, is easy in iOS. Touch and hold the base letter on the keyboard—for example, e for è—until a popover appears, then tap the character you want to type.

Dictate Text

iOS lets you dictate text using your device’s microphone. Here’s how:

1. Tap where you want your text to go.
2. On the keyboard, tap the Dictate key .
3. If you have multiple language keyboards enabled, tap the globe icon to switch between dictation languages.
4. Talk. Be sure to explicitly speak punctuation and spaces (for example, “Hi comma Tony period”).
5. Tap the keyboard icon when you’re done.

Unfortunately, you can’t delete or edit text using dictation—saying “delete” or “backspace” just types those words.

Master Emojis

Invented in Japan, emojis are small pictographs. With emojis, for example, instead of typing a colon, hyphen, and parenthesis :-) to indicate a smile, you can type a cute smiley face !

Enable Emoji

The emoji keyboard is now enabled by default, but just in case it’s not enabled on your device:

1. Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
2. Tap Add New Keyboard.
3. Select Emoji from the list.

Type Emoji

Tap the Next/Emoji key. It looks like either a globe or a smiley face, depending on whether other keyboards are enabled or not. On larger-screen devices, you may see both keys at once, in which case the globe key is the Next/Emoji key and the smiley face key is a shortcut to the emoji keyboard.

Swipe left and right to scroll through emojis.

Type One-Handed

On the iPhone and iPod touch, when you touch and hold the Next/Emoji key, you now see three icons used to adjust the keyboard’s position (Figure 38).

Tapping one of those icons shifts the keyboard’s position, so if you tap the right-hand button, it shifts the keyboard to the right so you can easily access all the keys with your right hand (Figure 39).

You can also set the keyboard’s orientation in Settings > General > Keyboards > One Handed Keyboard.

Autofill Passwords

For years, Safari has been able to create and manage logins for websites. In iOS 11, this functionality has been grafted onto the keyboard so you can use that data when logging in to apps. Here’s how to take advantage of this:

1. When logging into an app, tap a login field. If you see a login in the QuickType bar, tap it to insert it (Figure 40).

   

2. If you don’t see a relevant login, tap the key icon on the QuickType bar. If you don’t see it, you’ll have to enter the password either manually or copy it from a password manager like 1Password.
3. After tapping the key icon, choose Other Passwords. When prompted, authenticate with Touch ID or a passcode.
4. iOS displays your stored logins, and places logins at the top it thinks will be useful for this app. You can use the search box at the top to whittle down the list of logins.
5. Tap a login to autofill it in the app’s login prompt.

Manage your stored logins in Settings > Accounts & Passwords > App & Website Passwords.

Install Third-party Keyboards

Does the iOS keyboard not do it for you? The good news is that Apple allows third-party developers to create system-wide keyboards that users can install.

To enable a third-party keyboard:

1. Install the app containing a keyboard, such as Gboard, from the App Store.
2. Open Settings and tap General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
3. Tap Add New Keyboard.
4. Choose the keyboard from the Third-Party Keyboard list.
5. Most keyboards require Full Access to be fully operational. To enable it, still on the Keyboard screen, tap the keyboard’s name and turn on the Allow Full Access switch. An alert warns you that with Full Access, the developer can see anything you’ve typed. Tap Allow or Don’t Allow.

To switch keyboards, tap the Next/Emoji key to cycle through keyboards, or touch and hold the Next/Emoji key to see a list of installed keyboards. (This behavior may change depending on the keyboard in use.)

Use 3D Touch to Select Text

With 3D Touch, the keyboard can be used like a trackpad to move the text cursor and select text:

• Move the cursor: Press the keyboard with your finger to feel it “click” and then slide your finger to move the cursor (Figure 41).

  

• Select text: Slide your finger over a word and press more firmly (release slightly and press again) to select the word and see drag handles. Drag to expand the selection, if desired. Let go to finish or press more firmly again to cancel.

See Use Trackpad Mode to learn how to do this on an iPad.