Navigating and editing text on your iPhone can sometimes feel cumbersome, especially when trying to precisely place the cursor. Fortunately, Apple has integrated a hidden feature in the virtual keyboard that can make this task much easier. Here's how to unlock and utilize this powerful tool to streamline your text editing.

iphone hidden trackpad tip
The next time you are writing something a little more lengthy and need to go back and change something, simply long-press the space bar, and the on-screen keyboard will transform into a trackpad that you can use to control the cursor. This allows you to navigate quickly through your text, moving the cursor to any desired spot with ease.

But that's not all. If you tap the trackpad with another finger while in this mode, you can also select chunks of text. This dual-functionality makes editing and tweaking text on your iPhone a breeze. Give it a try next time you're typing a message or note.

notes
If you're looking to cut down on the amount of time you spend performing certain actions on your iPhone, there's usually a solution hidden in Apple's mobile operating system. Check out our 20 quick iOS tips that once you start using will make you a lot more time-efficient in the long run.

Top Rated Comments

VictoryHighway Avatar
26 weeks ago
This worked so much better when we had 3D Touch. Anyone miss 3D Touch besides me? I used to use it a lot.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Seanm87 Avatar
26 weeks ago

This is nothing new.
No but a lot of people didn’t know about it. I didn’t know about the 2nd one.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stevemiller Avatar
26 weeks ago
pressing and holding the spacebar and then trying to drag around with one finger while tapping with another finger to select doesn’t exactly feel “easy”. In general I find iOS text selection quite frustrating and fiddly and seems to only have gotten worse over time. Can’t figure out how this was all somehow easier on a 3.5” screen than a 6” one. ?‍♂️
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazmac Avatar
26 weeks ago
I didn't know about this either, thanks MR!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MathersMahmood Avatar
26 weeks ago
This is nothing new.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
transpo1 Avatar
26 weeks ago

No but a lot of people didn’t know about it. I didn’t know about the 2nd one.
Yup, I didn’t know either. Nice feature, but text editing was still easier back when we had the magnifying glass. I’ll never understand why they changed that UI (other than for skeuomorphic aesthetic reasons).
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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