Generally speaking, Apple’s various operating systems get a bad rap for offering a limited set of features when compared to the likes of Windows, Android, and Linux. While it’s true that Apple tailors its software to conform to its ‘walled garden’ ecosystem approach, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, et al. do include quite a few advanced configuration options, many of which are wholly unknown to the average user.
One such feature that’s criminally underutilized is called Text Replacements, and it’s been around for quite some time across Apple’s various software platforms. In short, the utility allows you to create a list of shortcut-esque text strings, which are then automatically swapped out for user-prescribed phrases, symbols, or emojis when written into a given text field. When you add a Text Replacement onto one Apple device, it automatically synchronizes across all other Apple products that are signed in with the same Apple Account.
…I’ve loaded up my list with useful quick-access shortcuts for lesser-used symbols and emoticons.
If you’ve ever texted a friend ‘omw’ only to frustratingly have your iPhone or MacBook switch the text to ‘On my way!,’ then you’re already familiar with Text Replacements to a cursory degree. This particular replacement is enabled by default on all Apple devices — perhaps as a way to showcase the feature in action — though it can admittedly be rather annoying if you don’t know how to adjust or disable it.
Thankfully, it’s easy to alter the omw replacement shortcut to your liking, as well as to add a number of much more useful entries to the Text Replacement list itself. Personally, I’ve loaded up my list with useful quick-access shortcuts for lesser-used symbols and emoticons that are otherwise harder to input on the fly, and it continues to save me a ton of time when text messaging friends and family. I’ve also set up useful Text Replacements for automatically entering in my shipping address, my work email, my telephone number, and other relevant information that I often need to cite when crunching through work-related emails.
One tip is to create Text Replacements that start with the letter ‘z’ in front of them to reduce the likelihood of accidentally triggering shortcuts when you don’t mean to do so. For example, instead of setting ‘pi’ to switch to ‘π,’ I’ve configured ‘zpi’ to switch to ‘π’ as to avoid ‘picture’ unintentionally becoming ‘πcture.’ Likewise, I’ve set ‘zaddress’ to input my home address, as to avoid doxxing myself when typing the word ‘address’ in a sentence online.
How to get started with Text Replacements
The feature works across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more
Despite being such an incredibly handy utility, the Text Replacements feature is tucked away rather deep within the Settings application of each of Apple’s respective platforms.
To access Text Replacements on iOS and iPadOS, follow these steps:
- Launch Settings.
- Navigate to General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
On macOS, follow these steps to access the feature:
- Launch System Settings.
- Navigate to Keyboard > Text Replacements…
On visionOS, the feature is accessible by following these steps:
- Launch Settings.
- Navigate to General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
It should be noted that on both the Apple Watch and the Apple TV, there’s no option to directly add or remove Text Replacements, as the configuration settings are absent from watchOS and tvOS. However, if said devices are logged in with your same Apple Account, and if you have iCoud Drive enabled, then all your Text Replacements will synchronize across watch and television automatically.
Once you’ve reached the main Text Replacements page on your Apple device, it’s time to get configuring. Across all platforms, simply tap or click on the + glyph icon to add a new entry. Two text fields will appear on-screen, with the first being Replace and the second being With (on older software versions, these text fields might instead read Shortcut and Phrase, respectively).
From here, simply add your desired word or phrase to the Replace/Shortcut section, followed by your expanded word or phrase to the With/Phrase section. Finally, tap or click on the Save/Add button to commit to the entry. There’s no limit to the number of Text Replacements you can configure on a given device, and it’s easy to go back and delete unwanted entries if you happen to change your mind at a later date.
