5 Keyboard Tricks You Didn't Know Existed

Your iPhone keyboard is more powerful than you think. Whether you want to send messages with custom text styles, use cool fonts for iPhone, or just impress your friends with something unexpected, these five tricks will level up your texting game instantly.

1. Bubble Text — Make Every Message Pop

Bubble text transforms your regular letters into circled characters that look like they're floating in little bubbles: ⓗⓔⓛⓛⓞ. It's eye-catching, fun, and works in any app — iMessage, Instagram DMs, Twitter, WhatsApp, you name it.

The trick? Your iPhone doesn't have this built in. You need a bubble text keyboard like BubbleText, which gives you access to 100+ text styles including bubble text, and lets you type styled text directly from your keyboard without copy-pasting from websites.

2. Cursive and Fancy Script Text

Want your messages to look like calligraphy? 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝑒𝓍𝓉 uses Unicode mathematical symbols to create a cursive effect that works everywhere. It's perfect for Instagram bios, special messages, or just adding flair to everyday conversations.

These aren't actual "fonts" — they're Unicode characters that look like different typefaces. That's why they work across all platforms without any special app on the receiving end.

3. Bold, Italic, and Strikethrough Anywhere

Most people don't realize you can use 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘤, and s̶t̶r̶i̶k̶e̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ text in apps that don't normally support formatting. Using Unicode text transformations, a custom keyboard can give you these styles in plain text fields — perfect for social media posts, dating app bios, or making a point in group chats.

4. Upside Down and Reversed Text

Want to really confuse someone? Try sending a message in upside-down text: ¡ʇxǝʇ uʍop ǝpᴉsdn. It uses special Unicode characters that look like flipped versions of regular letters. It's a fun party trick and a guaranteed conversation starter.

You can also reverse your text so it reads backwards, or use a mirror effect. These transforms work because Unicode includes characters from many writing systems that happen to look like flipped Latin letters.

5. Aesthetic Spacing and Full-Width Text

The ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ text trend uses full-width characters — originally designed for East Asian typography — to create that spaced-out, vaporwave look. It's been huge on social media and instantly makes any caption look more intentional and artistic.

Combine this with other styles — like small caps or monospace text — and you can create truly unique-looking messages that stand out in any feed.

How to Get These Styles on Your iPhone

The easiest way to access all of these custom text styles is with a third-party keyboard. BubbleText by Smorgiapps gives you 100+ styles including all the ones mentioned above, plus dozens more. Install it once, and you can type in any style from any app — no copy-pasting required.