Am I normal, or is there anyone else out there like me?

By Ramy, 21 September, 2026

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

Hi everyone,
I’ve been an iPhone user since 2010, but even after all these years, I still much prefer typing on a physical keyboard. Whenever I have a task that requires typing a lot of text on my phone, it feels like a total chore. I usually end up waiting until I sit down at my Mac, write everything out there, and then send it to my phone.
Is there anyone else who feels this way or thinks like this?
I’ve tried using a Bluetooth/hardware keyboard with my phone, and while it’s actually not a bad experience, I don't always have it on me. Even using Braille screen input on the iPhone has made things a lot easier, but I still get that heavy, tedious feeling whenever I have to type long texts on a touchscreen.
I just wanted to share how I feel with you all. I'd love to hear about your experiences or any solutions you’ve found to make typing on a phone feel less painful!

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Comments

By Ramy on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - 12:00

In reply to by OldBear

Really appreciate your words so much.

By Choom on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - 12:27

In reply to by OldBear

I would not attempt to type out a post on the screen of my phone, and would use the Logitech. I might be doing that because the power company is supposed to shut off my neighborhood's power for a while today to repair some storm damage. I'll be on my phone. Also, sometimes the internet is down in my area and I have to use the phone network.

That's why I have a MacBook Air. I also used to have a Mac Studio, which has been seized for investigation along with my old M1 MacBook Air, but the point here is that the battery on these Macs outlasts any blackouts. Last year we had a major blackout here in Portugal caused by a problem cascading from the Spanish grid, and my M1 MacBook Air powered through it like a champ. I only stopped working when the cellular network also went down and I lost Internet access, as both my Mac and iPhone still had power to spare.

By charles on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - 12:29

For those who have trouble with the onscreen keyboard of the iPhone, are you aware that there are 3 methods to choose from, not including Braille screen input? Remember when you got your first iPhone? You had to find the letter, then double tap with one finger, find the next letter and one finger double tap, and on, and on, and on. Extremely slow and tedious. Then I found "touch typing", where you drag your finger to a letter and lift your finger to type it. That's much better and faster. Then, there's a method that some people use, but not me. If you are very accurate, there's a setting where what you first touch, it is typed. Very fast if you get used to it, which I haven't. My reason for sending this is merely to let you know that these methods exist, not to confuse. HTH.

so, is there away to assign the button to 2 different tasks? or, is there a quick way to flip between silent and ringing without the action button?

If you have an Apple watch, last time I checked, you could enable silent mode on the watch and leave it disabled on the phone, as the watch silent mode takes precedence over the phone's ring mode, so everything would be silenced while wearing the watch. I'm not sure if this is still the case on watchOS 27 and iOS 27 since I don't use silent mode very often, but can test it if you wish.

Editing to state that the above no longer works on iOS 27 and watchOS 27, however I think it's a bug. I just enabled silent mode on the watch and it states that the iPhone is also in silent mode, however calling myself from my landline phone resulted in both my iPhone and Mac still playing their respective ringtones while the watch was definitely in silent mode.

By OldBear on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - 17:25

In reply to by Choom

Choom, the repairs went quickly, and I didn't need to use the keyboard. It was only mildly uncomfortable, it's not as hot as earlier in the month and I have battery powered fans for this purpose. I have gone without electricity in the middle of our summer, and know how to survive so long as I have salt and water, but it is not something I would want to live with, especially in the monsoon seasons.
I hope your computers are returned and the investigation be finished soon with no difficulty to you.

By Troy B on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - 17:56

I've never bothered to learn how to get online on the phone. I've always meant to because about 10 years ago now I went for about 6 months with no internet access and I wasn't online during that time except for e-mail which I did do on my phone, but I'm a procrastinator and keep putting things off.

By Holger Fiallo on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - 18:08

those of us who like typing still like our phone is just better typing. I use Siri to send voice messages to people However Siri AI is buggy at this time. I am OK doing what I am and will not change, it works for me. To each their own. Do what feels good and go for it.

I have Watch Version 4, not running os 2026, only Os10 i think.

Press the side button on the watch to go to Control Center, and enable silent mode there. However if if you have iOS 27 on your phone, the bug is likely there so it will probably not go into silent mode even though the watch is gonna show that silent mode is enabled on the phone.

By Singer Girl on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - 04:10

This is a great topic. I just remember that normal is whatever works for you. This is a totally safe space to go and explore that. For me normal is mostly dictation and occasionally standard typing. That’s the one where you select the letter we’re finding it with your finger and then double tap it. I could never get the hang of touch typing or touch typing. I did try once a few times I guess. So I hope that’s helpful. I could never do direct touch typing as somebody is totally blind. That’s the one where you touch a letter and it’s instantly typed. I wouldn’t know if it was accurate because of the lack of tactile feedback.

By Michael Feir on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - 10:07

In reply to by Ramy

They're well built mechanical keyboards. The Air75 V3 is a 75% layout keyboard so it has the function key row but no number pad. The Air65 V3 is a 65% layout keyboard which doesn't have the function key row or number pad. I find the Air65 V3 to be better for when I'm travelling. It fits better on my lap and takes up less space. I hold down an FN key to turn the numbers at the top into function keys when necessary. Both keyboards can connect by Bluetooth or USB C cable. The keyboards are costly compared to other alternatives but they're built to last and do what i need from a keyboard.
The Protoarc KX04 is a small foldable keyboard which you can fit in a pocket if necessary. It's not mechanical and nowhere near as sturdy as my Nuphy boards. However, if you need something small for an occasion when you might want to do some typing, it's as nice a 65% leyout keyboard as I've ever found which is small enough to pocket but still not overly cramped to type on.

By Ramy on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - 10:18

In reply to by Michael Feir

AM looking for a foldable keyboard, but to be very small when folded to put in my bocket.
also, when unfolded, it will be full keyboard with no Hench problems.

By Brian on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - 11:08

My ex used to have this really nice little foldable Bluetooth keyboard she used on her work phone. Sadly I cannot remember the brand, but when folded it was about the size of an iPhone 5s, and unfolded was like taking to iPhone 5s models and pressing them together long ways. This would've been like a decade ago, so her work phone was the 5S.
Still, the keyboard was really nice, and easy to fit inside a pocket, purse, etc.
You may want to consider searching Amazon for folding keyboards with cases, that might net you some positive results. 🙂