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Typing on glass can be well, challenging. The small keyboards on phones combined with the slippery surface of the screen make making mistakes easy to do. And no one wants to be featured on a funny autocorrect post for an embarrassing text message.
If you want to type faster for your texts, you can use some tricks, tips and tools to guide you. Get your message across more easily and quickly with a few helpful hints.
Dictation – Talk to Your Phone
You can dictate your text messages easily by tapping on the microphone on your keyboard. Look for the microphone key to the left of the space bar on Androids and iPhones.
Siri/Google Now
Let your virtual assistant do the typing for you. Ask Siri on an iPhone or Google Now on Android to type and send the text for you. Say a command such as, “Send a text to Joe Smith that I want to change the meeting tomorrow to 10 am.”
Make sure to check what was typed so that you’re not completely embarrassed by typos. Virtual assistants aren’t correct 100% of the time and mistakes can cause problems.
Auto Suggestion
Your phone can do the work for you by suggesting words as you type. Look for the bar above your keyboard that suggests words for you. Tap the one you want to use and save a lot of keystrokes.
Note: if your suggestion bar disappears on the iPhone, swipe up the strip to show it again.
Don’t Miss => 17 Handy (and Cool) iMessage Tips and Tricks!
Turn Your Phone
You can make your keyboard easier to type on by turning your phone 90°. A horizontal keyboard in landscape mode might have larger keys, more keys and bigger spaces between the keys.
If turning your phone 90° doesn’t change the keyboard, make sure that you have rotation turned on.
For iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal Control Center. Make sure Rotation Lock isn’t turned on.
=> See, 13 Super Shortcuts for Your iPhone – in Control Center to learn more about Control Center on iPhone.
For Android, swipe down from the top of the screen and make sure rotation is turned on.
Use Emoticons and Emojis
Save yourself time and effort by adding emoticons 🙂 and emojis 😀 to your text messages. Sometimes the right emoji can communicate faster than words.
=> Don’t miss Emoticons: To < 3 or Not to < 3?
Use GIFs
Add GIF images to your texts to share your message and maybe get a giggle. Check out PopKey for iPhone and Fleksy + GIF Keyboard for Android.
PopKey: The Most Fun You Can Have with a Keyboard!
Add a Keyboard App
The keyboard that comes with your phone may not be the one that works best for you. You can try other keyboard apps that may help you type faster.
Check out the Swype and SwiftKey keyboard apps that let you glide your fingers over the glass to type words. You may not think a keyboard could figure out what you’re trying to type this way but these apps can be surprisingly accurate.
Use a Bluetooth Keyboard
If you do a lot of typing on your phone, you may want to use a Bluetooth keyboard. If you have a Bluetooth keyboard for your computer, you can also pair it with your phone for times when you’re going to be doing heavy typing.
Type on Your Computer
You can send text messages from your computer, which could make typing much easier. iMessage and Notes on iPhone can also be used on Mac computers. No need to use your phone to text and write notes, you can take notes, and send and receive messages, on your computer which makes typing much easier.
For Android and Windows computers check out Greenbot 4 Android apps that put SMS on your desktop (text messages are also known as SMS messages).
Use a Stylus
Some people struggle to type on a screen. Maybe you find yourself missing the right key constantly or have long fingernails that get in the way of typing.
You can improve your accuracy by using a stylus. Let the virtual pen be your pointer to make sure you’re hitting the right key each time.
Use Shortcuts
On the iPhone you can save shortcuts to make typing easier. Add shortcuts for your name, email address, phone number and any phrases you use often.
=> See My Favorite iOS Trick – Shortcuts!
Tech Republic, Create Android keyboard shortcuts for words that you use frequently
iPad Tips
If you’re using an iPad, you can make typing easier with a couple of tricks in addition to the ones listed above. You can receive and send text messages on your iPad using the Messages app.
=> Check out iMessage Team Blue! for tips on using the Messages app.
Split Keyboard
You can split the iPad keyboard in two sections to make typing easier. You can break the keyboard in two so you can reach keys more easily.
Put your thumbs on the keyboard and swipe them apart to get the split keyboard.
Swipe back to join the two parts back into one.
Undo
Make a mistake? The iPad has a hidden Undo key that can make typing easier.
Tap the .?123 key to show the numerical keyboard. The Undo key is in the lower left part of the screen.
Your Thoughts
Do you want to type texts faster? Do you use any of these tips? Can you add any tips you use to type faster?
Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Hi,
I have only word to say about this. “GREAT”
And thanks for sharing.
Hi Robin, Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed this article.
Hi Carolyn,
Informative post indeed 🙂
I think all bloggers especially, and of course students too would love to type fast! I guess I don’t face this problem as I type quite fast on my laptop keyboard, but just take ages if I have to do the same on my smartphone!!
Loved all your tips, and I think speaking in your phone is the best one, something that my kids love doing too. I still haven’t had the hang of it, as I don’t have that version, but it is fun! However, as a blogger or writer, I guess we’d have to assemble our thoughts and do research work before we can speak to create a blog post, so that wouldn’t be possible, unless its for chats or social media.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, You’re right, dictating text can take some getting used to but some people prefer it to typing. Speaking your text can help some people have a more natural, personal tone than when they type out their words on a keyboard.
You’re right, our kids have grown up with typing and it can be astounding seeing how fast they type. These tips can help us keep up with our kids!
Hi Carolyn!
These are great tips! I recently discovered the dictation option on my iPod – what a great way to be long-winded and not wear out your fingers. Though the typos that come with this can be funny.
I’ve been asking Siri to Google things for me too. It’s gotten so that my 87 year old father tells me to ask Siri things now. Note to self: keep iPod handy when visiting Dad!
Technology is amazing, but I’m preaching to the choir here! Thanks for keeping us abreast of the new stuff out. It is such a huge learning curve! We need all the help we can get! (At least I do!)
Lori
Hi Lori, Yes, we can quickly get used to asking Siri to answer any question in the world. She may not always have the answer but she can usually guide us to a place that does have the answer. Ten years ago it would have been very hard to imagine that we could have the answer to any question just by asking!
Thanks for this article you should create a article on how to type faster in windows PC or PC but by the way good and unique article
Hi Maheep, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m glad you enjoyed this article and I appreciate you suggesting a topic for a future article here.
Hi Carolyn, yes I’ve always wanted to (as I’ve seen kids go so fast on it). I do use the speech to text but it doesn’t always repeat what i say and it can make for a really funny text or highly misunderstood one. I haven’t tried horizontal vs vertical. That I will try out. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, You’re right, you absolutely have to check to make sure your speech was understood correctly. No need to embarrass yourself!
The tip about turning your phone was given to me several years ago by a friend who said she “knew nothing about tech.” She had an iPhone and didn’t know you could add apps to it. But she did know a better way to type on it!
great post you have written I am using swift keyboard in my android phone that helps me to type fast and you have share some secret tips to type fast that can help me improve my writing speed thank you…
Hello Prince, I’m so glad this was useful to you. Yes, typing faster without mistakes is a great way to reduce the frustration of trying to tap out your message on a glass screen. Thanks for taking the time to let us know you enjoyed this article.
Hi Carolyn!
Thanks for sharing these tips to type fast. And these will help to all to text fast to other. Loved all your tips. Just one word for you “Great”
Thank you. Have a great day ahead. 🙂
Hi Mansi, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you found this article to be helpful. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Carolyn,
Some good tips, I knew some of them. I am getting better at using my phone keyboard. Strangely enough, I found trying to press the left side of the key works when I am texting. I make fewer mistakes. I gave up trying to get Google to understand voice commands. I don’t know how people see the screens when the sun comes out. I tried to use mine to call my sister when she didn’t arrive where she was supposed to be and had to mess around finding some shade to make a call. The same applies to some cameras, I like my viewfinder!
I’m finding buffer a useful app for social media now. It lets me tweet my images from my blog without much trouble and they are really noticeable if I use 4 images. 🙂
Hi,
i really appreciat your works…
And abt this post, it is very useful for me…. i jus go through your tips for speeding up the typing speed… for me it is a needed thing
thanks
Hi Sreenath, That’s great this was helpful information for you. Yes, we all could benefit from typing faster. Typing on a glass screen isn’t easy but with these tips we might make the job easier!
Hello,
These tips are really helpful for students, lovers, and mom’s. Students can send messages to their classmates fast without wasting too much time. They can save time for their studies. No speech for “LOVERS” and we all know about mom’s busy schedule at home or office. So I think all above tips are really useful.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
~Dr. Diana Hardy