How to use the new iPhone keyboard tool that revolutionizes typing in iOS 13 – CNET

A new iOS 13
feature called QuickPath is going to change the way you type on your iPhone. Even after Apple began to allow third-party keyboard apps on the iPhone and iPad, its own keyboard lacked the option for gesture typing. If you’ve used an Android phone or one of the Google keyboards on your iPhone, you already know how much quicker it can be to just glide your finger across the keyboard to spell out a word as opposed to tapping on each individual key when typing.

Starting with iOS 13, you can swipe across the keyboard to compose messages thanks to the addition of QuickPath. 

Keep in mind that iOS 13 is still in beta and features can and will ultimately change before the final release this fall. We’ll update this post with the most current information we have. If you want to help test iOS 13, you can install it following the instructions in this post. Let’s take a look at how to use iOS 13’s new gesture typing.

QuickPath is enabled by default after installing iOS 13. You don’t have to do anything other than place a finger on the keyboard and swipe. For example, if you wanted to type “Avocado,” you’d start by placing a finger on the “A” key and then drawing a line to the “V” followed by “O” and “C” and so on until you connect every letter in the word. Once you’re done, lift your finger off of the keyboard. Entering the next word — or words — is done the same way.

As with traditional typing, you don’t have to be precise with your gestures — iOS will predict what you’re trying to say as you swipe across the keyboard. Take the approach that as long as you get in the general area of a letter before moving on to the next, odds are iOS will either get it right or at least give you the right option in the QuickType bar.

As you can see in the GIF above, I was able to type “how are you” with three quick swipes across the keyboard, two of which were back and forth on the same row of keys, and iOS 13 got it right.

Again, the more you use QuickPath, the better you’ll get at it, and the better iOS 13 will be at determining what you’re trying to say.

If you absolutely hate QuickPath and don’t want it to even be an option, you can turn it off in Settings > General > Keyboard > Slide to Type.

Make sure to check out our complete guide to iOS 13 for more tips and tricks, just like this one.