How to Increase Typing Speed on iPhone with Built-in Text Expansion

iPhone text expansion has interesting features to make your typing far easier than before. As iOS 14.6 is out in the market now, the iPhone is becoming more smart and intelligent. No doubt, it is true for its keyboard as well.

Can you imagine you’re typing a whole sentence with just a few characters? It will help iPhone users to avoid any cumbersome typing, delays, and unwanted mistakes. Who doesn’t like to save their precious time? You can even use the spacebar differently to save time.

In this digital era of many social platforms and other messaging applications, we need to type more and more to get our friend’s, client’s or employee’s attention. It’s always embarrassing when we send messages with silly mistakes in them. This situation can be easily avoided with the text replacement attributes.

We are used to using many keyboard shortcuts while working on a personal computer or Mac. But, we can’t think of using physical keyboard attributes on our iPhone virtual keyboard. However, in reality, we can use many built-in shortcuts in the iPhone. Moreover, iOS allows us to add even custom keyboard replacements on our phones.

Ways to increase your typing speed with iPhone’s built-in text expansion:

Default Keyboard replacements

Keyword replacements make typing tasks on iPhone effortless. You can enable built-in key replacements available such as ‘omw’ for on my way.

Custom keyword expansion

They are operative in replacing long sentences and commonly used words with their short forms. You can use them as handy shorthand keywords. 

To create custom keyboard replacements:

  1. Open the General Settings.
  2. Select Keyboard Settings.
  3. Click Text Replacement.
  4. Tap on the ‘+’ sign at the top right.
  5. Enter the desired phrase or word in the phrase field and the corresponding shortcut in the shortcut field.
  6. Tap ‘save’.

If you want to use the word or phrase that you don’t want to be corrected, then enter the same in the phrase field and leave the shortest field blank.

Choosing the expansion shortcut

Selecting the expansion can increase your typing speed dramatically. Text abbreviations are used daily in our life, and it’s always beneficial to create short forms like LMK for Let me know. 

You can keep the home address in the phrase field and enter the shortcut ‘ADDR’. It helps in the easy fill-up of online forms, online shopping, and other daily usages. 

Moreover, work shortcuts are effective for writing regular emails and communicating with the team, such as;

IMO: In my opinion

OOO: out of the office

ICYMI: In case you missed it

FMIN: I’ll be there in five minutes and others.

You can create daily life abbreviations like a child doctor’s name and address, your favorite place to hang out, or your best friend credentials.

Text replacements are quite effective for the cluster of words and phrases. But, iOS has a limitation of the number of words that can be used as a shortcut. So, we cannot use long paragraphs for creating short forms.

How to delete shortcuts?

Sometimes, the shortcut you have created may become redundant. To delete them;

  1. Go to Settings and tap Keyboard settings.
  2. Click Text replacement.
  3. Press Edit bottom at the bottom left.
  4. Select ‘-’ and delete the shortcut.

Using keyboard shortcuts

The latest iPhones come with many default easy-to-use and handy keyboard shortcut features.

a.     Alternate characters

A key may be associated with different characters and alphabets. You may tap in and get to know about its functionality. You will remember its function as and when you will keep on using it gradually.

b.    Popular web and email domains

iPhone right-hand down corner (.) contains major domains such as .com, .edu, .org, and others. You can insert them with a single tap. Additionally, you can enter a widely used email id in the phrase field and its shortcut ‘EML’ in the shortcut field.

c.     Capitalize all letters

Double press the shift key. It will display all inputs in capital form. You can change this setting by pressing on shift again or anywhere else on the keyboard.

d.    Easy selection of punctuations and numbers

Normally, when we have to add punctuation marks or numbers, then we need to switch between different keyboards. This toggle attribute can be avoided by clicking on ‘123’. Swipe up the required keyboard from the main keyboard and enter the desired number.

e.     Auto insertion of period

Turn on this feature by using the ‘.’ shortcut button in shortcut settings. You need to double-tap on the spacebar to insert a period followed by a space.

f.      Check for spelling mistakes

It can be enabled by using auto-correction and check spelling attributes. It makes the process of typing easier by suggesting and rectifying any spelling mistakes. Thus, it saves us from the embarrassment of sending the wrong text.

g.     Dictating or Voice typing

It’s a wonderful feature for recognizing our voice. We can multitask easily to write social media, our insights, putting our knowledge into words, or even writing a book.

Other shortcut functionalities:

  1. iOS allows you to undo typing by shaking the phone instead of using backspace. The software will ask your permission to do so.
  2. Left-handed or right-handed functionality is also available. It will split the keyboard into two parts for your typing convenience.
  3. The slide-to-type is an interesting feature that allows you to type without lifting your hands. iOS will automatically recognize what you want to type when you slide to the required characters.

The Bottom Line

iOS 14 built-in expansion and shortcuts are fun features to make your typing much simpler than before. Activate text replacements and keyboard shortcuts, use them in daily typing, and be ready with your journey of faster typing. It’s just a matter of little practice to get completely familiar with these attributes.

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Ravi Sharma

Ravi Sharma_CEO Webomaze

Ravi Sharma, is CEO of Webomaze is a highly enthusiastic entrepreneur. He has got a great grip on the idea of effective eCommerce Strategies, SEO processes, and tactics that are vital for virtual exposure. He is a fun-loving person and a keen traveler who always hunts to find adventure in new places.

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