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There’s a hidden trackpad on your iPhone – Here’s how to use it
Your smartphone comes with enough cool features to keep you entertained for hours at a time. But there are probably hidden features built into your device that you don’t even know about. Tap or click for 10 new iPhone tricks you’ll use all the time.
The iPhone is filled with shortcuts and little workarounds you’d always use if you knew about them. If you send lots of emails or text messages, you may be interested in a feature that makes it easier.
You know that handy trackpad you use on your laptop to navigate and simplify things? You can turn your iPhone keyboard into one as well! Here’s how to use the hidden trackpad on your iPhone.
A trackpad on your phone?
So, why would you want to use a trackpad? It’s perfect for those with thick fingers, questionable eyesight, or who get annoyed trying to move the cursor on a tiny screen to edit and change the text.
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The trackpad feature is incredibly convenient on iPad and iPhone for editing word documents or sending emails and long texts. Make a typo? Use the trackpad feature to make changes.
Have to edit extensive blocks of text? The trackpad feature will allow you to do so in less time with less frustration. It does take a second to get the hang of it, but you’ll use it all the time once you do.
How to use the trackpad feature on your iPhone
So how do you turn your keyboard into a trackpad efficiently enough to use it? For both iPhone and iPad, you’ll want to be writing in a block of text and then use the following steps to unlock the trackpad feature:
- Pull up the keyboard if you don’t already have it open. For this to work, you’ll need to be in an active word document, email, or text message.
- Once you have a block of text written, hold your finger on the spacebar until the keyboard goes blank. You’ll feel haptic feedback that lets you know it’s working. The cursor will enlarge for just a second, showing you the trackpad has been activated.
- Now that the trackpad is activated, with your finger still pressed down, you can move it around the entire keyboard to move your cursor inside the block of text, as you would on a MacBook.
- Want to return to the standard keyboard? Lift your finger off the screen. Now you can use all the other buttons as expected. To return to the trackpad, press your finger down again on the spacebar and resume as you would on a MacBook.
Is it worth using?
You can move the cursor by tapping on your phone, making it seem like the trackpad is a bit unnecessary. So the question becomes, is this feature even useful?
The trackpad is handy in two situations, the first being if you do a large amount of typing on your phone. This is handy for business professionals, especially when editing documents and making other admin-type tasks easier to handle.
The second is if you struggle with hand-eye coordination or your fingers are too big for your phone’s tiny screen. The trackpad will make moving your cursor where you want it to be much simpler.
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Tags: Apple, Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, editing, emails, Feature, features, Hidden Features, keyboard, phone, shortcuts, smartphones, text messages, trackpad, tricks, Typing
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