Apple introduced a new feature in iOS 8 called QuickType, giving users suggestions for their next words as they type. However, if you’re not a fan of the feature, here’s how to disable it.
QuickType was one of the biggest features that Apple launched when it first released iOS 8 in June of last year, essentially giving users the ability to type faster by learning your typing habits and suggesting possible words as you type.
For example, if you’re typing a particularly long word like “philosophical”, QuickType will eventually bring the word to the area just above the keyboard when you start typing. From there, you can tap the word to have it typed automatically for you.
However, while many users find QuickType useful, not everyone finds it really useful in the long run and it takes up valuable screen space that could be used for other things, so many users may find it more efficient to disable it. Totally QuickType.
Before and After disabling iOS 8’s QuickType feature
Here’s how to disable QuickType on your iPhone or iPad in iOS 8.
How to Disable QuickType
If you find iOS 8’s QuickType feature mostly annoying when typing text messages, just follow these simple steps:
That is all. From now on, you won’t have popup word suggestions and will get some of your screen real estate back.
However, keyboard shortcuts can still be useful, and you don’t need to have QuickType enabled to have your own keyboard shortcuts (also called text expansion). Fortunately, you can enable keyboard shortcuts without interfering like QuickType does.
Text expansion involves typing a short keyword and automatically typing a long piece of information or word corresponding to that keyword. It’s a lot like Harry Potter magic, you say magic words and then, poof, something magical happens. Other than text expansion, it’s less magical and more practical.
For example, I can make it automatically spit out my email address into the text box whenever I type “eml” on my iPhone keyboard, that way I don’t have to type it manually. This saves a ton of time overall and is much more convenient than having to manually type everything in every time, especially if you write something every day, like canned responses to emails.
If you don’t know yet, iOS has a built-in feature for text expansion. It’s pretty limited compared to the dedicated apps you can download and install, but it’s a great place to start to get some idea of text expansion.
Just open the app and go to the section and open it. Tap on it to start creating your own emoticons. In the text box, type the word or phrase you want to pop up when you enter a short keyword or abbreviation. Then type that keyword or abbreviation in the text box. Once that’s done, tap on it in the top right corner and you’re done.
