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      TipBITS: Use Trackpad Mode When Editing Text on the iPhone and iPad

   Adam Engst

   Yes, that's my thumb.

   At a recent party, a friend watched me use [1]Arc Search on my iPhone
   by tapping a widget and dictating a search, but iOS guessed wrong on an
   easily confused word. Slightly embarrassed at the voice recognition
   failure, I used trackpad mode to position the insertion point to tweak
   the incorrect word. My friend was amazed, partly by Arc Search's
   results but more because she had long struggled with positioning the
   insertion point on the iPhone. No one had ever told her about trackpad
   mode.

   Trackpad mode isn't a secret; it has been around for years. Apple
   introduced it in 2015 with iOS 9 on iPhones with 3D Touch capabilities,
   enabling you to press the keyboard firmly to turn it into a trackpad.
   With iOS 12, Apple brought trackpad mode to all devices, embedding it
   in the Space bar on the keyboard, and it has been available ever since.
   But if you didn't hear about it back then, or if you got started with
   an iPhone more recently, like my friend, how would you ever discover
   it?

   If that's you, now you know'just touch and hold the Space bar on the
   iPhone or iPad keyboard to turn the entire keyboard area into a mini
   trackpad. (You'll know you're in it when the key labels disappear.)
   Keep your finger down and move it around to reposition the insertion
   point in the text you're editing.

   Scrolling can be quirky. If the text you want to edit is out of sight
   to the left or right in a single-line field, you can usually push the
   insertion point past an edge to scroll. With multiple screenfuls of
   text in apps like Notes or Pages, you can try pulling down to scroll,
   but my experience is that you'll only move a line or two at most.
   Instead, to scroll while moving the insertion point, touch and hold in
   the text and then pull down (or push up) while keeping your finger
   down.

   Now that we're all on the same page, go forth and share the word about
   trackpad mode so you too can be popular at parties.

References

   Visible links
   1. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/arc-search-find-it-faster/id6472513080

   Hidden links:
   2. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/08/Trackpad-mode-iPhone-scaled.jpg

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