How to type text on your smartphone faster. How to learn to write quickly on touch screens How to type faster on your phone

I am not part of the generation for which the iPhone was their first phone. I also typed SMS on Siemens A50. Therefore, the transition to touch displays and on-screen keyboards have taken a serious toll on my productivity. But I found several ways that helped me type faster on my smartphone and tablet.

Method 1. Which fingers should you type with?

It all depends on the size of your device. If it is a smartphone or phablet (iPhone 6 Plus or Galaxy Note 4), it is most convenient to hold it with two hands and type with your thumbs. This method will work even if you hold your smartphone horizontally.

Do you have a tablet with a diagonal of 8 inches or more? Then The best way– hold it in your left hand, and type text with your right index finger. Over time, I learned to type not only with my index finger, but also use my middle and ring fingers. It's a matter of practice.

Method 2. Auto-edit

I would call this method controversial: it is not suitable for everyone. When you type a word, auto-edit completes it based on the most commonly used variations. In fact, it’s an analogue of the familiar T9. With the same disadvantages: in 90% of cases everything will go fine, but in the remaining 10% the message will take on a completely new meaning. Whether you should use it or not can only be decided by experience: activate auto-editing in the keyboard settings.

To be honest, I don’t use this method: constantly checking the result distracts from typing.

Method 3. Change sound to vibration

This may seem strange, but when I changed the sound when pressing keys to vibration in the settings, the process went much faster. This helped me feel better about the keyboard and not have to check the entered text every second. If you are also used to traditional keyboards, then you need the feeling of touching the keys. Method 4. Voice dialing

If typing is really time-consuming, try using voice typing. You will find the microphone button on the keyboard. I have it hidden on the emoji button and can be activated with a long tap. Have you turned on voice dialing? Now we pronounce the message clearly and moderately loudly. Of course, there are no mistakes: some words stubbornly cannot be recognized, and punctuation marks will have to be entered manually. But until you have mastered the keyboard, this is a great option.

Those who master the technique of touch typing with ten fingers on a keyboard or are simply trained in the skill of quickly writing by hand will easily master the unusual yet touchpad entering information. So where should you start learning?

How to learn to write quickly

As strange as it may sound, the first thing you should pay attention to is the comfortable posture and location of the device. Are you going to write with a pen, type on computer keyboard or mastering the touch screen, the posture should be comfortable, your back straight, your arms slightly bent at the elbow, and the input device (sheet of paper, keyboard panel, smartphone) lying to the right and at a slight angle. The distance from the eyes to the printing characters should also be within reasonable limits so as not to strain the organ of vision. As a rule, this is a distance of 30-35 cm or from the tips of the fingers to the elbow.

The second thing you will need when learning to speed dial is the ability to concentrate and not be distracted, so that you can keep in your head the main idea of ​​the message you are typing. Familiarity with the qwerty layout greatly simplifies the process of finding the desired letter, although you won’t be able to use all ten fingers on a small screen, but knowing the location of the desired character will reduce typing time. The learning process is stimulated by a set timer, on the signal of which you must write as many meaningful words and sentences as possible.

Manufacturers of smartphones and other modern technology care about their customers, so they software contains a large number of common words and phrases, as well as proper names, the list of which can be adjusted independently. Therefore, when entering the first two or three characters, “tips” appear, significantly speeding up the process of entering standard words and expressions. Another nice bonus from the developers is the ability to enter information by voice. In this case, you will only need the ability to correct text that is not quite correctly recognized by the “smart” machine.

How to write on touch screens

Touch screens differ from each other depending on the technology used to determine the touch and the cost of the model. Thus, cheap models are equipped with an alphanumeric keyboard similar to regular phone, which will significantly reduce the printing speed even if you have a lot of experience and enable the T9 function. The qwerty keyboard layout is more promising for increasing typing speed, since this type has long been firmly established in our everyday life with the advent of the first computer information input devices.

Based on the type of technology used to determine the coordinates of a touch, touch screens are divided into capacitive and resistive. Exactly on latest process entering information can be facilitated by using the back of a pencil, a special stylus and other auxiliary items, while capacitive screens react to potential differences, that is, the touch of our finger. It can only be replaced special device – capacitive stylus, the price of which starts at $30.

Default text correction settings in Android and iOS already simplify the set of messages, but it can be made even more effective by viewing all the parameters and reconfiguring them to suit you.

On Android, to do this, go to “Settings” → “Language and input” → “Gboard” → “Text correction”. This section contains options for automatically correcting text as you type. Almost all of them are enabled by default, but some are more of a hindrance than a help. Go through the list and leave only what you need.

There aren't many similar settings in iOS, but the system's typing behavior can still be slightly changed. Open “Settings” → “General” → “Keyboard” and carefully review the labels for the toggle switches. Not everything that is there is needed by most users. If predictive typing only confuses you, and auto-correction slows down your typing, feel free to turn them off.

2. Use continuous dialing

Android users can significantly speed up their typing speed by using the continuous typing feature. It is enabled by default and allows you to enter words without lifting your finger from the keyboard. Spaces will be added automatically when you lift your finger.

This printing method also works on iPhone. Just to use it, you have to install a third-party keyboard. But more on that below.

3. Set text abbreviations

Both Android and iOS can expand pre-assigned abbreviations into words or even entire phrases. My favorite shortcut is “xzhz”, which transforms into the classic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ emoticon. In the same way, using two or three characters, you can enter email addresses, card numbers and other data that would be time-consuming and difficult to enter manually.

On Android, abbreviations are configured in the Settings → Language & Input → Custom Dictionary menu. You need to click the “Add” button, enter a phrase and come up with an abbreviation for it.

On iPhone, a similar menu is located in the “Settings” → “General” → “Keyboard” → “Text Replacement” section. To add a shortcut, click on the plus in the upper right corner and enter the text and its abbreviation.

4. Enable one-handed printing mode

Of course, typing with two hands is faster and more convenient, but they are not always free. It’s difficult to even hold the phone with one hand, let alone type text. That's why they came up with special mode, which makes the keyboard slightly smaller and moves to the edge of the screen.

To enable it in Android, you need to hold your finger on the semicolon key, and then on the button with the hand holding the smartphone. The arrow at the edge of the screen allows you to move the keyboard to the other side of the display, and the “Expand” icon allows you to return to normal mode.

IN iOS mode One-handed printing is activated by long pressing the globe button. The location of the keyboard relative to the edge of the screen is selected here.

5. Try a different keyboard

All mobile operating systems have supported alternative keyboards for a long time, so you should definitely install several and try typing on them.

On iOS, the corresponding button looks and turns on in the same way. The first time you use it, you will be prompted to enable the dictation feature if it is not already activated on the system.

All owners of smartphones and tablets know that typing messages on an on-screen keyboard is not nearly as convenient as on a regular computer keyboard. This is explained primarily by the lack of tactile feedback, because we do not press virtual buttons, but only touch them. Smartphone “keyboards” are also so tiny that any inaccuracy leads to touching adjacent keys.

These inconveniences are not so obvious if we are writing an SMS or a short post on Twitter, but if you need to write email, blog post or magazine article? Certainly, best solution– use an external keyboard, since almost all modern devices support connecting any wireless “keys” with a Bluetooth interface. But what if you don’t have such an opportunity or you fundamentally don’t want to weigh compact smartphone or a tablet with bulky accessories?

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to make typing on glass much more convenient: you just need to understand the settings and spend some time evaluating different options. We offer you some basic tips to help you work with virtual keyboards more comfortable.

1. Choose the optimal position

When working on a desktop or laptop computer, the screen is in front of our eyes, and we can adjust a comfortable position so that it does not glare and we do not have to bend over it until our necks hurt.

With a smartphone or tablet, not everything is so simple: most likely, to type long text, you will place your gadget on some horizontal surface, and as a result you will have to look at the screen at an awkward angle.

If you intend to frequently enter long texts, try to choose devices with as many O larger screen size: if it’s a smartphone, prefer a phablet with a display diagonal of at least 5 inches; if it’s a tablet, take models with a diagonal of about 10 inches. Firstly, on larger gadgets the virtual buttons are larger, and secondly, it is more convenient to install them at the desired angle - for example, by placing the top part on a book, a closed laptop or some other object. For your tablet, you should purchase a roll-up cover that allows you to place it at a certain angle, or a special stand.

After this, you need to make some system settings. First of all, adjust the screen brightness. Don't rely on automatic setup: with the slightest change in illumination, the brightness will also change, and this is very annoying when typing.

Then choose a comfortable font size. If you use built-in or some simple applications like Writer for Android, then this is done in system settings. In more advanced text editors Like Pages for iOS, the font size can be selected directly in the application itself.

2. Select your keyboard layout

Not all manufacturers consider the ability to install alternative virtual keyboards important: while for the Android platform there are many options from third-party developers, iOS simply does not have such a function. In principle, this is quite understandable, and in most cases the standard keyboard turns out to be the most convenient - but not always.

For devices under Android control We can recommend taking a closer look at the Swype keyboard, which allows you to enter words using the “sliding” method, that is, without lifting your finger from the screen. Some people find this method more convenient, while others prefer the traditional one. mobile devices input, so to speak, with “thumbs”. Still others initially try to use the classic “multi-finger” typing method, but quickly realize that it is poorly applicable even on the large screens of tablets, not to mention smartphones.

To guess words by their first letters, Swype uses T9 technology, which is not surprising, because Swype and T9 have the same author - Cliff Kushler. Interestingly, some manufacturers immediately install Swype in their gadgets in addition to the standard keyboard, and it does not need to be downloaded from Google Play and activate, just select in the settings.

Another alternative keyboard option is SwiftKey. This virtual keyboard is “intelligent”, that is, it remembers and analyzes texts entered by the user, and “suggests” the necessary words and expressions “on the fly”. Supports regular and sliding text input, as well as dictation via Google Voice.

There is no full-fledged alternative keyboard for iOS (in the same sense as for Android), since there is no possibility of installing it. However for iOS versions 7, you can install the Fleksy keyboard as a separate application. It can be integrated into some other programs, but to use the typed text in other iOS applications, you will have to copy it. Fleksy boasts an original predictive input algorithm and gesture support, but since it does not understand the Russian language, this keyboard is not very useful for us yet.

The standard keyboard settings also have items that you can enable or disable at your discretion. First of all, this concerns automatic installation capital letters at the beginning of each sentence and auto-correction: some people prefer to keep everything in their hands, and such automation annoys them.

3. Free up screen space

The displays of smartphones and tablets are small. In this case, useful space can be occupied by all sorts of status bars, application bars and other elements useful in normal use. However, in cases where you are watching a movie or typing texts, you want to hide these elements.

On Android devices, you can do this using free application full!screen , which allows you not only to hide the system panel and organize a full-screen mode, but also to flexibly configure, for example, the size of the touch area and the duration of the recognized press.

If you have installed the alternative firmware CyanogenMod, you can switch to Extended desktop mode, which also hides all minor elements.

4. Screen orientation: portrait or landscape

Despite the apparent obviousness that it is more convenient to type texts in landscape screen orientation, this is not always the case. Yes, the keys in this case are larger and easier to use, but you will only see five or six lines of text.

If we switch to portrait orientation, we will see b O most of the page, but at the same time the virtual keyboard itself will be reduced by almost half.

Of course, it all depends on personal preference, but, in our opinion, if you have a tablet, portrait orientation is still more convenient: the keys remain large enough so that you don’t miss, while you will see a significant part of the page. In the case of a smartphone, of course, you have to make compromises.

Regular iOS keyboard supports a so-called “thumb layout” that can be enabled on the iPad by simply spreading it apart with two fingers or by tapping the keyboard icon in the lower right corner and swiping to the top key. This keyboard can be moved around the screen and placed in any place, which is sometimes useful.

5. Remember useful techniques

In mobile operating systems There are some useful tricks that can make working with virtual keyboards more convenient. For example, on iOS, to add a period, a space, and select a capital letter to start the next sentence, just double-tap the space bar. Or, to quickly move to selecting one of the popular first-level domain names, including .com and .ru, you need to hold your finger on the dot: this action will cause a pop-up panel.

There are other little secrets, descriptions of which are not difficult to find on the Internet. Knowing and regularly using such secrets will not only save time, but also make the job easier. on-screen keyboard much more comfortable.

Based on materials from PhoneArena

When the first iPhone with a virtual Qwerty keyboard appeared in 2007, the smartphone maker wasn't too concerned. They understood that nothing could provide such comfort and typing speed as physical buttons. But time passes, and a lot has changed. BlackBerry releases complete touch smartphones, and text input methods are improving every day. I suggest you familiarize yourself with three of those that can significantly increase your typing speed.

Swipe

Surprisingly, many people know absolutely nothing about this input method. If this is your first time hearing the word “Swype”, know that your phone probably supports this input method out of the box. If not, you will have to install a third-party keyboard from the Play Store. There are a lot of them now; you just need to enter the name of this input method into the search. With the Swype keyboard, you no longer have to press virtual keys; typing is more like drawing. Draw a line by moving your finger towards the letters you want to type, and you will be surprised how accurately the keyboard understands you.

Smart keyboards

Good example such a keyboard today is . Using this keyboard virtually eliminates the possibility of typing or making a mistake. At the same time, the keyboard tries to study the user in as much detail as possible based on his correspondence. In other words, Fleksy adapts to your unique typing style, saving you time. The record for typing speed was set using the Fleksy keyboard. You can install this keyboard right now by following this link.

Sometimes voice typing turns out to be better than any keyboard. Typing text on a smartphone is not always convenient, especially if you are driving or just have your hands full. Modern smartphones perfectly recognize human speech, including Russian. Try dictating messages, and you might end up typing a lot less of them.