T9 Dialing Now Available in iOS 18 | What It Is and Why You Should Care
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Do you remember texting on your first flip phone? Some of you might. Originally, texting required multiple presses of the same number to get the letter needed. For example, if you wanted to type a word that started with the letter “C,” you had to press the “2” button three times, once for “A,” a second time for “B,” and finally “C.”
T9 texting, or “Text on 9 keys,” was invented in the late 1990s to improve that cumbersome manual method. This algorithm-based predictive text technology allowed for less tedious texting by letting a user push only one button per letter and “predict” the words being typed with the keypad.
Better late than never, considering Android users have had this option for years, Apple has now incorporated T9 dialing into iOS 18, allowing users to search through their contacts from the Phone app’s keypad.
All a user has to do is type the numbers that correspond to the name of the contact they wish to call, and Apple’s T9 dialing will automatically filter through the correct contacts. Here’s how to use it on your iPhone:
- Open the Phone app and switch to the Keypad.
- Type the contact’s name you’re trying to call by using the corresponding number keys.
- The app will suggest a specific contact, which you can tap to call. Beneath the top match, it will also provide other potential matches.
- Tap the “more” icon beneath the primary recommendation to display other possible contact matches.
Once you use T9 dialing, you’ll wonder how you survived without it. Did we really need to navigate through our contacts or use Spotlight search to call someone? Why did this take so long for Apple to implement? Fortunately, T9 is here for iPhone users now, and you can’t turn it off, so you might as well use it! It’s a super useful and faster way to search for your contacts!
