Turn your keyboard into a trackpad and make editing easier than ever with 3D Touch on iPhone 6s.
When Apple showed off the new iOS 9 trackpad mode, exclusively for the iPad, back at WWDC 2015, many of us immediately wanted it everywhere. Well, with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus we're starting to get our wish. There is one difference, though. On the new iPhones you don't need to use two fingers to switch from keyboard to trackpad, you only need to use one. And that's thanks to 3D Touch.
How to switch to the iPhone 6s keyboard trackpad with 3D Touch
- Launch the app you want to use and bring up the keyboard.
- Press firmly on the keyboard.
- Swipe your finger around to move the cursor.
- Press deeper to select text. (It's almost like relaxing slightly and pressing again—the equivalent of "clicking" on a laptop trackpad.)
- Let go to finish.
What's great is that you can continue to "click" with 3D Touch to toggle between cursor movement and text selection. So, if you select the wrong text or simply change your mind, you just press again to go right back to moving around.
Reader comments
How to use the keyboard as a trackpad on your iPhone with 3D Touch
Missing me this feature on iPhone 6.... Was working nicely in first beta... Removed since then...
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Ah I get it. They removed it from ios9 to reserve it only for the new iphone. Makes sense with 3d touch and that implementation - but it would be nice to have it like the beta for iphone 5s / iphone 6.
There's seems to be a bug in IOS 9 that makes that trackpad screen randomly popup when opening the keyboard on the regular Iphone 6. Using two fingers can dismiss it but I've not been able to open it intentionally. It was pretty irritating the first couple of times it happened because I couldn't figure out why my keyboard was blank.
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I did the trick. Used some time to get used to it though. The point is there after the initial firm press which brings up the text selection, you just release the pressure a bit to move the cursor. And then, you press firmly again and the text selection will work. Press firmer only didn't work for me. I have the iPhone 6s Plus.
Any chance they added either a row of number keys or made some type of 3d touch to easily input numbers or punctuation? Entering number sequences is the only time I dislike the iOS keyboard... Okay and when I hit the emoji button by accident.
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When you 3D Touch the second layer (such as the pop after the peek) do you just press harder than the first press or relax your finger a bit and then press hard again?
What I'm trying to say is so you add pressure, or do you relax and then apply pressure again?
This is such an amazingly useful trick.
this was one of the few reasons why I jailbroke my iPhone, glad to see it finally make to ios 9
Thank you!! Could not get it to select type. The slightly raising your finger then pressing firmer did it! Only explanation of this I've seen. Thank you thank you again.