Typing on a smartphone can be harder sometimes, especially if you’re using a phone with a relatively small screen. Still, a lot of manufacturer are loading up their devices with intelligent keyboards, able to make texting, taking notes or searching for stuff online way easier. If Android users are used with installing third party apps, iOS users seem to prefer the stock keyboard Apple offers.
The latest software update brought a few extras which will make using your keyboard easier than ever. So, without any extra introductions, here are the best iOS 8 keyboard tips every iPhone user should be aware of!
1. Set a shortcut for a specific phrase
This is one of our favorite iOS 8 keyboard tips, so we’re going to start the list with it. Let’s say that you have a specific phrase, like an address, for example, that you constantly use in your texts and emails. It’s pretty long and you’re tired to type it every time.
Well, you can set a shortcut for it. Just pick a word or phrase that will instantly insert the address, like address1, and you’re done.
In order to do this, go to Settings, head over to ‘General’, then ‘Keyboard’. Tap ‘Shortcuts’ then the ‘+’ sign on the top right corner.
In the ‘Phrase’ section, enter the address, or anything else you want, then in ‘Shortcut’, type the word or phrase that will trigger the expansion. (‘address1’, in our case). Simple as that!
2. Turn off predictions
Word predictions can be really useful, but sometimes, they can be pretty annoying too. Still, if you don’t want to turn them of permanently, as you need them, you can hide the QuickType function. As soon as it shows up, just touch it and pull down to hide it.
3. Turn on Caps Lock
Even though the iOS 8 keyboard doesn’t have an actual Caps Lock button, this doesn’t mean that you need to hit Shift every time you want to insert an uppercase letter. It’s way simpler than that. Just double tap shift and voila!, you’re now in Caps Lock mode and ready to shout at anybody on the Internet or via texts.
4. Insert special characters
Probably some of you guys aren’t native English speakers, so sometimes, a special character, like ‘é’, for example, is needed when writing something. In order to insert it, just long press on the letter ‘e’ and you’ll get a list with all the special characters based on that letter. Same goes for ‘ó’, ‘ñ’, ‘û’ and many other letters encountered in various languages around the world.
5. Insert emoji in your conversations
No matter how old you are, you just can’t hate those little pictograms that make every conversation way funnier. In order to use them, you need to add a special emoji keyboard, which can be done by going to Settings, then tapping on ‘General’, followed by ‘Keyboard’, then ‘Keyboards’ and finally, ‘Add New Keyboard’.
You will see a list with all the available keyboards, arranged in alphabetical order. Scroll down and tap on Emoji. That’s it, now it’s installed.
As for actually inserting them in your texts or emails, just tap on the globe icon on the keyboard, and you’ll have access to different sections, from cats to the Vulcan salute. By far one of the best iOS 8 keyboard tips!
6. Correct autocorrect
Yeah, this might sound a bit weird, but just think at all those hilarious autocorrect fails that are all over the Internet. You don’t want one of your texts to end up on one of those sites, right? Right.
If you write something and the function attempts to correct you, just tap the backspace key and the text you originally typed will appear again. No more ‘damn you, autocorrect’ situations from now on.
7. Quickly insert a number in your conversation
We all know that if you want to use numbers in your conversation, you have to switch the keyboard to the numbers and symbols mode. Still, in iOS 8, there’s no need to do this, as it can be done through less moves.
Hold the Number or Symbol button and the new keyboard will show up. Quickly drag your finger to the number you want to use and that’s it. After you’re done, remove the finger and the keyboard will switch back to letters.
8. Use the extended keyboard
Well, we don’t know if this is actually one of the best iOS 8 keyboard tips, as it only works if you have a specific phone. We’re talking about the iPhone 6 Plus, which, thanks to its 5.5″ display, allows you to enjoy the advantages of an extended keyboard.
You’ll have access to editing and formatting functions, arrow keys and many other stuff any texter will definitely love!
And this is where our list ends. Hopefully, our iOS 8 keyboard tips will help you improve your overall experience with Apple’s latest operating system, and, of course, save you time when it comes to sending texts or emails. After all, that’s why they’re called shortcuts, right?
If you know any other keyboard-related tips and tricks (and not only), feel free to share them with us, using the comments section below!
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