The iPhone keyboard hides many functions that speed up typing, make it more convenient, and help avoid mistakes. From text replacement shortcuts to dictation—here are five underrated features worth trying in 2025.

1. Text Replacement: Abbreviations into Full Phrases

Do you often use shortcuts like “mb” (maybe), “thx” (thanks), or “etc”? Set up your iPhone to automatically turn them into full words:

  1. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement.
  2. Tap the “+” in the top right corner.
  3. In the Phrase field, enter the full version (for example, “And so on”), and in Shortcut enter the abbreviation (for example, “etc”).
  4. Tap Save.

Now when you type the shortcut and press space, the iPhone will replace it with the full phrase. This is convenient for common expressions, email addresses, or business signatures. Look through your chats to find popular phrases and set them up!

Tip: for “etc,” it’s better to write “And so on” with a capital letter, since the phrase usually does not start a sentence.

2. Space Bar as a Cursor: Precise Editing

Tired of poking at text to place the cursor in the right spot? Hold your finger on the space bar—the screen will turn into a trackpad, and the cursor will smoothly follow your movement. Perfect for fixing typos or inserting text precisely.

3. Period with Two Taps

You don’t have to open the symbols layout to insert a period. Just tap the space bar twice—the iPhone will place a period, add a space, and enable a capital letter for the new sentence. Quick and convenient!

4. Fast Number Entry

To insert a number, for example in “Buy 2 kg of potatoes,” you don’t need to switch to the numeric layout:

  1. Hold down the “123”
  2. Without lifting your finger, slide to the desired number (for example, “2”).
  3. Release— the keyboard will return to letters, and the number will remain.

This speeds up typing when mixing text with numbers or symbols.

5. QuickPath: Type Without Lifting Your Finger

The QuickPath feature lets you type words by swiping your finger from letter to letter without tapping. The system recognizes the words automatically. It looks impressive but takes some getting used to and is not always accurate in Russian.

How to enable: QuickPath is on by default. Just start swiping across the keyboard in any text field.

Bonus: Dictation Instead of Voice Messages

Don’t like typing, but your contacts get annoyed by voice messages? Use dictation instead:

  1. Tap the microphone icon on the keyboard.
  2. Dictate slowly and clearly—the iPhone will convert your speech into text.

There will be fewer mistakes if you speak calmly. This is a lifesaver in noisy places where voice messages aren’t convenient.

Lifehack: if you still send a voice message, bring the iPhone to your ear after starting playback—the sound will go through the earpiece, like during a call.

In Short…
iPhone keyboard features like Text Replacement, cursor control via the space bar, quick periods, fast number entry, QuickPath, and dictation simplify typing and save time. Set up text replacement for common phrases, use dictation instead of voice messages, and master easy number input. These tricks make communication faster and more convenient, especially for business or one-handed use.