iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 productivity secrets

I'm amazed how many features Apple builds into iOS, and then just leaves them hidden for me to find. Here are a crop of tips and tricks for working with words on your iPhone or iPad.

All of these are spectacularly useful, and once you've used them a few times you'll be amazed how easy and natural they feel.

Must read: Eight things I love about iOS

Tip #1: Text selection

iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 gives you very fine control over text selection using taps:

• Double tap: Select a word
• Triple tap: Select a sentence
• Quadruple tap: Select a paragraph

Tip #2: Undo and redo

These often-used functions get a long-awaited revamp:

• Swipe left with three fingers to undo
• Swipe right with three fingers to redo
• You can also use a three-finger double-tap to undo, which feels a little bit awkward initially but soon becomes second nature.

The Zendure SuperTank

Tip #3: Copy, cut, and paste

Now we're getting advanced. I recommend practicing these on some scrap text before using them.

• Pinch in with three fingers to copy
• Pinch in with three fingers twice to cut
• Pinch out (or unpinch!!) with three fingers to paste

Tip #4: Moving the cursor

Just place your finger on the cursor and move it. Think of it as picking it up and dropping it down somewhere else. So simple, yet it took me a while to figure it out (I was jabbing at the screen too hard).

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See also:

• The world's best power bank: The Zendure SuperTank
• More weird and super useful gadgets (that make great gifts too!)
• iPhone and iPad owners have been in a mad rush to install iOS 13
• Where Google's Pixel 4 and Apple's iPhone 11 fail
• iOS 13: New features you might have missed
• How to dramatically improve your typing speed on an iPad (or make your typing more accurate)
• iOS 13 battery life bad? Top tips to fix battery drain issues
• Must-have productivity apps and accessories for the iPad Pro