Nearly all of us use our iPhone’s Calculator app pretty regularly. It’s incredibly useful but not very exciting. Perhaps that’s the reason the most helpful Calculator tips and tricks are relatively unknown.
Many of us aren’t making the most of our iPhone’s calculator. How many times have you been in the middle of crunching numbers and accidentally typed in the wrong digit? The only option is to hit the AC button (All Clear) and start the calculation from scratch, right? There’s no backspace or delete button like there is on a keyboard. Or is there?
Delete a Digit on iPhone Calculator
Well, it turns out the iPhone Calculator does have a backspace feature! If you’ve made a mistake while typing in numbers, instead of getting frustrated and hitting the AC button to start again, you can remove the last digit entered.
All you need to do is gently swipe left or right on the input field. This will delete the last digit you typed. You can repeat this swipe to remove as many wrong numbers as needed. Chances are this tip will be a legitimate timesaver, especially for extensive calculations.
Other Calculator Tips
That’s not all. Here are several other useful features in the Calculator app that you may not know about.
Copy and Paste
You can copy and paste numbers from and to the Calculator app. Simply press and hold on the calculator’s display to bring up the copy/paste menu. This is very helpful for transferring numbers between apps.
Scientific Functions
Do you remember your TI-83 calculator? If you need to perform more than basic calculations, turn your iPhone sideways to access the scientific mode. This mode includes additional buttons for advanced operations like exponential and trigonometric functions.
Ask Siri
You can also use Siri for hands-free calculations. If you ask Siri a question, such as “What is 20% of 100?” Siri will respond with the answer and display it on your screen with the option to open it in the Calculator app.
We also recommend adding the calculator to your iPhone’s Control Center for quick access from any app. Here’s how:
- Open the Settings app
- Select Control Center,
- Tap the plus button (+) next to Calculator.
Once you’ve done this, you can bring up the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen on an iPhone with Face ID, or up from the bottom of the screen if you’re using an iPhone SE or an older model with a Home Button.
Hopefully, this post will save you time the next time you use your iPhone’s calculator. Consider these tips when you’re shopping and calculating discounts, converting measurements for cooking, or making a budget. As is often the case with Apple products and services, there’s more to the iPhone’s Calculator app than meets the eye.