Compared to a computer, where you have a mouse to make precise selections, tapping in the right place on an iPhone (or iPad) is much harder. That is, until you learn about the hidden trackpad thats been right under your finger all along.
Compared to a computer, where you have a mouse to make precise selections, tapping in the right place on an iPhone (or iPad) is much harder. That is, until you learn about the hidden trackpad that's been right under your finger all along.
Precise text selection made easier
We all know the frustration of trying to tap a specific part of a word to correct a spelling mistake, only to have your iPhone jump to the beginning or end of the word. Next time, don't fumble around with multiple taps before you get to the right spot.
Instead, activate the trackpad, which is part of the iPhone keyboard. To do this, press and hold the space bar for a moment. When the text on the keys disappears, you can freely slide your finger across the entire keyboard area. As you do so, the cursor will move around the current text box.
This is a much more precise method than tapping on the text and hoping it will stop at the right place. This method is similar to using a trackpad on a laptop, which works like a mouse.
Note that this method works on the default iPhone keyboard; if you are using one of the best third-party iPhone keyboards, the way it works may be different.
Other Trackpad tips
The trackpad isn't just for moving the cursor; enabling the trackpad also makes it easier to select text.
Hold one finger on the keyboard to activate the trackpad, tap the keyboard area with a second finger to activate a selection. Just tap lightly - then release the second finger.
Then, as you move your first finger around the trackpad, you'll select text. When you want to select a lot of text, this makes it easier to scroll through the entire document, with trackpad-like precision for small selections.
Once you've selected text using this method, you can use your usual methods to copy, cut, or perform other actions. Tap the block you've selected to bring up a menu that lets you cut, copy, and paste, along with other options depending on where you've selected the text. This is just one of many tips to help you type faster on your iPhone .
If you want, there's another text selection trick hidden on your phone that isn't on the keyboard. Instead, you can tap and hold inside a text box to control the cursor. This has the added benefit of bringing up a magnifying box, making it easier to see what's under the cursor.
If you use this feature often, consider using the handy accessibility options on your iPhone to increase text size.
Tip: For long blocks of text, you can tap and hold the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to quickly move up and down. This is much faster and less tiring than constantly swiping with your finger.
The best ways to use the trackpad on your iPhone
Using the trackpad instead of trying to tap in the right place is useful in many situations. Many people use the voice dictation feature on their iPhones because it's faster than typing. While this feature is useful, it does have some common errors that can be difficult to fix.
Trackpad is useful in these situations because you can swipe over the misspelled words to quickly fix them before sending the message. Consider using this feature the next time you need to do any of the following, here are some of the most common issues:
- Add autocorrect apostrophe
- Correct the spelling of someone's name
- Add a colon to the time (when saying "five thirty" and not mentioning the colon, the phone will display "530")
- Jump to the position where you want to add a line break
- Easily place the cursor before a double space to delete it.
Try using the trackpad whenever you're working with text, and you'll definitely find it more useful. While it won't revolutionize the way you type and edit text on your phone, it's one of those little tips you'll wish you knew about on your phone sooner.