Tips & Tricks

Beginner

3 min read 5 stepsApril 19, 2026Verified April 2026

Hidden iPhone Tricks: Shake to Undo and Other Gestures

Shaking your iPhone undoes the last action you typed or deleted. Plus a collection of other iPhone gestures most users never discover.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Try Shake to Undo
2.Move the cursor with the space bar
3.Triple-tap to select a paragraph
4.Swipe from the left edge to go back
5.Long-press keyboard letters for alternate characters

Try Shake to Undo

~17s

Type something in a message or note. Then give your iPhone a gentle shake — not hard, just a deliberate little shake. A dialog appears: "Undo Typing." Tap "Undo." The text disappears.

Quick Tip

Shake to Undo works for deleting too. If you accidentally deleted a whole paragraph, shake to get it back.

Move the cursor with the space bar

~15s

While typing, press and hold the space bar for about one second. The keyboard keys fade and become a gray pad. Drag your finger anywhere on the keyboard to move the cursor in the text above.

Triple-tap to select a paragraph

~15s

Tap three times quickly on any text in a paragraph to select the entire paragraph at once. Then tap "Copy" or "Cut" without having to drag selection handles.

Swipe from the left edge to go back

~15s

In Safari or most apps, put your thumb on the very left edge of the screen and swipe toward the center. This navigates back to the previous page or screen without needing to reach the back button.

Long-press keyboard letters for alternate characters

~15s

Long-press any letter on the iPhone keyboard. For many letters, a popup appears showing accent variations — è, é, ê, ë for the letter e. Slide your finger to the one you want and release.

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iPhones have several built-in gestures and shortcuts that are not labeled anywhere on the screen. These hidden behaviors exist but go undiscovered by most users because there is no tutorial for them.

Shake to Undo

: Shake your iPhone gently and a dialog box appears asking "Undo Typing." Tap "Undo" to reverse the last text you typed or deleted. This works in any text field — messages, notes, emails, search bars. It also works in reverse: after undoing, shake again to "Redo."

Triple-tap text to select all

: Tap three times quickly on a word to select the entire paragraph. Very useful for selecting a block of text without dragging the selection handles.

Long-press space bar to move cursor

: When typing, press and hold the space bar. The keyboard becomes a touchpad — drag your finger to move the cursor precisely to any position in your text without trying to tap the exact spot.

Swipe to delete in Mail

: In the Mail app (and many others), swipe left on an item to reveal delete and archive options. Swipe all the way left to delete instantly.

Swipe back

: In Safari and many apps, swipe from the left edge of the screen toward the center to go back — equivalent to tapping the back arrow button.

Pinch to close keyboard

: In apps where a keyboard pops up, pinch inward on the keyboard to dismiss it quickly.

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Official Resources

How-To Geek AARP Technology Tips Tom's Guide — Tips

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