Almost two years ago, Apple added the ability to create keyboard shortcuts for entering frequently typed information on our iPads or iPhones. I take full responsibility for not sharing this tip with you sooner! And when you see how easy this tip is to implement and use, I sincerely hope you are not angry with me for not sharing it sooner.
Keyboard shortcuts allow you to type long words or phrases that you frequently use on your device by entering only a few characters. For example, I have one shortcut that is rc. When I type rc and then the space bar, my iPad or iPhone will automatically replace rc with Rick Castellini…saving me from typing the extra 13 characters! I also have one for my gmail address that is just rcg. The possibilities are limitless. You can also use combinations of special characters like the dash, the @ symbol, etc.
Shortcuts do have to be unique however. If your name is John Octavious, you cannot use jo as a shortcut because then you could never type john, jones, jolly, join, job, etc. Instead you might have to include a middle initial like jdo to complete the shortcut.
To create shortcuts, go to Settings –> General –> Keyboard –> Shortcuts on your iPhone or iPad. From there, click the “+” in the upper right corner to create as many shortcuts as you like. Once created, they will be available to you any place you can type; memos, email, the web, text messages, etc.
Also, if you own an iPhone and an iPad or an iPod Touch, the keyboard shortcuts synchronize across devices and are available from them all.
Here’s a video tutorial showing how to create, edit and use these super helpful shortcuts.
