The move from iPhones to iOS 13 ushers in new touchscreen shortcuts to edit text and navigate faster on your device.
With iOS 13, Apple hopes to make text editing easier and easier to navigate on iPhones. While it is still possible to bring up the toolbar to select content, copy it or paste it, iOS 13 now allows certain actions to be performed using touch gestures with one or more fingers. Other new touchscreen shortcuts are also appearing to facilitate navigation in the device.
1. Quickly move the cursor
A few months ago, some users discovered that it was possible to move the cursor quickly by keeping their finger pressed on the iOS keyboard for iPhone with 3D Touch, or on the space bar for others, then by sliding it over the latter.
The feature is still there, but iOS 13 makes how you can move the cursor a bit more. You can now drag your finger directly into the text to move the cursor wherever you want.
2. Select text
Selecting text to delete, format or copy it can still be done by moving the two handles dedicated to this use. But it’s also possible to go much faster using taps:
- Tap on a word to select it
- Triple-tap a word with one finger to select the entire sentence
- Tap a word four times to select the entire paragraph.
3. Copy and paste quickly
To cut, copy or paste text, iOS offers you to use the traditional toolbar that must be displayed with a long press in text.
You can now do this much faster with the help of gestures:
- Pinch your screen with three fingers to copy text
- Pinch your screen with three fingers twice in a row to cut it
- Spread three fingers apart on the screen (like a three-finger zoom) to stick it
iOS 13 also inaugurates a new toolbar, allowing to undo the last action, or to use the tools of copy and paste. To display it, do a three-finger tap on the device screen.
4. Undo and redo, in a snap
Quickly undo what you just entered forever is done by lightly shaking your device. iOS 13 goes further, however, by offering gestures to undo or redo the last action:
- Double tap with three fingers to undo the last action
- Slide three fingers to the left to undo the last action
- Swipe right three fingers to redo the undone action
5. Scroll through content faster
Scrolling through content on the iPhone screen can be done by simply sliding your finger up or down. But the little elevator grafted onto the right side of windows or scrolling content helps you navigate much faster than before.
Hold your finger on it and drag your finger to move it and scroll through your content faster.
6. Quickly select multiple files
In Files, Mail, or even Messages, you can now quickly select multiple items at once.
Swipe two fingers across emails, conversations, messages, or files for quick multiple selection. You can then delete, move, share, etc. several elements at once.