HOW TO: iOS Keyboard Shortcuts

If you type certain phrases often on your iPhone or iPad, theirs an easy trick to make your life slightly easier. You can create keyboard shortcuts for anything you want. A great trick is using @@ for your email address. Now anytime you type in @@ in iOS it will automatically insert your email address. It might not make sense yet but read on below for the how to.

Goto the settings app, choose General, Keyboard. Scroll to the bottom and you will see keyboard shortcuts. At the very bottom you will see the ability to create a new shortcut.

For the phrase - put your email address.

For the shortcut - put in @@

That's it. Hope you can take advantage of this hidden feature as it helps day to day with any phrases you type out often.

 
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UPDATE 1

A client of ours commented saying that he uses around 100 keyboard shortcuts, and they were one of the deciding factors in him switching from a blackberry to an iPhone. Though i do recall he had a palm before the iPhone. Here is a screenshot from his phone.

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UPDATE 2

I have been using too many email accounts with these shortcuts, so i revised my shortcut structure. If you only use one email adress then @@ should work great for you. I've taken on a new structure - ml@ mo@ in@ su@ etc.. Basically the first two letters of the email address followed by @. Doing it like that makes it much easier for me to keep track of.

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UPDATE 3

I also realized that if iOS often autocorrects specific words for you that you dont like, just create a new shortcut. So if iOS corrects thanx to thank, you can create a new shortcut. Use thanx for the prhrase and thanx for the shortcut. You will never be autocorrected again for that word.

That's just an example, i personally do not write thanx : )


UPDATE 4

A good app that does a similar thing on that mac called DashExpander. Free on the mac app store.


UPDATE 5

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It also seems that once you pass a certain amount of shortcuts, iOS puts them on their own screen with a more advanced layout including search and an alpha index bar.

I should have noticed this earlier when our friend sent us his screenshot above of his list.


UPDATE 6

Yes the shortcuts do sync between iPad and iPhone. I'm assuming via iCloud. Question via our UK AV buddy @impett 

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