The iPhone Mouse is a Real Thing, and Editing Texts Has Never Been Easier

There’s nothing more annoying than trying to correct a typo in a text message. You’ll press your finger to the screen and wait for the little magnifying glass to pop up so you can actually see where the cursor is, but then your thumb will slip at the last minute and you’ll have to do it all over again. If you haven’t groaned internally and wished iPhones came with a real mouse before, we’d guess you’re in the minority.

But there’s good news for those who have struggled with the iPhone’s magnifying tool! If you have a version with 3D Touch capability (available on the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, 7, or 7 Plus) there’s a secret hack that turns your keyboard into a mousepad. Who knew?

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So how can you access this tool? Hold your finger down firmly on any key until they all turn blank and you feel your phone vibrate. Voila! You can now drag your finger around the keyboard to wherever you want to fix, add, type or edit something. That’s because the keyboard tracks your finger’s movements, essentially turning it into a mouse. If you have a long chunk of text and notice a typo in the middle, this trick makes it super easy to pinpoint your error and fix it asap.

Watch the video below to see the trick in action.

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It might take you a little bit to get the hang of it, but it certainly beats having to delete whole paragraphs in order to make edits because it’s just too dang hard with the current magnifying tool. Now, at the next family gathering, you can show your grandchildren that there’s still a thing or two you can teach them—even when it comes to new technologies. They’ll think you’re the coolest grandma ever.

What do you think of this new tool? Super helpful or just a waste of time?