iPhone texting tricks and hacks that will make your mates jealous

APPLE fans are missing out on hidden tricks that let you text better and faster on an iPhone.

We’ve tracked down some of the best unknown features that you can use to improve your texting speed and revealed how to use them here.

Swipe to text

Later this year, Apple will add a new ‘swipe to type’ function to the iPhone with the iOS 13 update.

But you can already get the exact same feature right now without even updating your phone.

Your iPhone lets you install third-party keyboards, which are keyboards created by people other than Apple.

Google’s Gboard keyboard has swipe-to-type texting already and other handy features, like language translations.

First, download and install the Gboard app for iOS on the Apple App Store here.

Then go into Setting and scroll down to find Gboard.

Tap into it and select Keyboards, then switch the Gboard toggle to on.

A new option called Allow Full Access will appear, which you’ll also need to toggle to on.

Next, a pop-up will appear warning you about privacy risks press ‘Allow’ if you want to go ahead.

Now whenever you go into a chat app, you’ll be able to swipe around the keyboard to type messages.

It’s also possible to download iOS 13 early, if you’re willing.

Hidden keyboard trackpad

Editing a message on your iPhone is way harder than it has any right to be but this easy trick turns the phone’s keyboard into a laptop-style trackpad with a cursor that you can move by touching the screen.

With it, you’ll be able to precisely go back and forth between each character in a text without having to furiously tap the display.

Simply hold down the space bar when you’ve typed some text, and the keyboard will turn into a track-pad.

You can then use this virtual track-pad to move your cursor much more easily.

If you own an iPhone 6S or later, you can also use 3D Touch which is Apple’s nickname for pressing hard on the screen.

Do a 3D Touch hard press anywhere on the keyboard and you’ll unlock the same hidden trackpad.

Add punctuation faster

Tapping out full stops might not seem like a burden, but it does slow you down.

That’s why Apple has built a cheeky shortcut into iOS to make it even easier to end a sentence.

If you tap the space bar twice after a word, the first space will convert into a full stop.

That way you can keep typing using only letters and the space bar, without ever having to reach down for the full stop.

Unlock website endings

If you’re trying to type a web link, it can be frustrating to tap out the .org or .edu.

A better solution is to long-press on the full stop, which will bring up shortcuts for many popular website endings.

This should make it easier to quickly write a website’s address.

One-handed keyboard

Apple users who prefer to type with one hand are in luck as iPhone’s with iOS 11 and later can provide you with three different keyboards for all your typing needs.

The one handed keyboards could have been hiding in your phone for a while and they’re very easy to access on any app you want to type in.

First you need to go on the app you want to type in and make sure the keyboard is open.

Then look in the bottom left hand corner and touch and hold the emoji face or world symbol newer phones will have the emoji face symbol.

When you hold the emoji or world symbol down, a small “Keyboard Settings” box should appear and on the bottom row you will see three different keyboard symbols.

Tap the symbol on the left to get a keyboard that’s easier to type on with just your left hand.

Tap the symbol on the right to get a keyboard that’s easier to type on with just your right hand.

Once you’re finished using your one handed keyboard, you can return it to normal by holding down the bottom corner emoji or world symbol and selecting the middle keyboard option.