TIME How-To

Quick Tech Trick: Type Less with Text Shortcuts for Your Phone

There's no reason to type out commonly-used phrases over and over again.

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Here are the steps for iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard

2. Under Shortcuts, choose Add New Shortcut…

3. Type the full phrase in the phrase box (“On my way!”) and the shortcut in the Shortcut box (“omw”)

4. The next time you want to type “On my way!” simply type “omw” and hit the space bar

Here are the steps for the stock version of Android:

1. Go to Settings > Language & Input > Personal dictionary

2. Hit the plus symbol to add a new term

3. Type the full phrase in the first box (“On my way!”) and the shortcut in the Shortcut box (“omw”)

4. The next time you want to type “On my way!” simply type “omw” and choose “On my way!” from the selection menu above the keyboard

Your version of Android may differ, but it’s generally somewhere in the Keyboard and/or Language & Input section of the settings menu.

More Quick Tech Tricks:

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