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How do you text?

Frayed Knot Jul 12 2022 06:38 PM

I have big dumb thumbs. And I don't mean "angrily" or "poorly" or whatever, I'm talking about the physical process. I assume that everyone under 25 does the double-thumb thing at about 75 wpm while simultaneously walking, driving, eating, or even having sex [OMG! OMG!] But most of us haven't been texting since kindergarten like they have. So I can't do the thumbs thing. Not only are they too fat but trying to go double-barrel blocks my view both of what I'm trying to hit but also trying to read if the keys I hit previously were correct. Plus, the left hand isn't going to have the needed precision. So I seem to have settled on the one hand method, one finger really, using the outside edge of the middle finger right hand in an attempt to hit with the smallest possible surface. I realize that the index finger would provide thinner edge still but that doesn't feel right, I think the other three fingers get in the way when I try that.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 12 2022 06:47 PM Re: How do you text?

I use my right index finger. I have a texting app, SwiftKey, which is great at predicting what I want to type and it saves me thousands of keypresses.

Frayed Knot Jul 12 2022 06:50 PM Re: How do you text?

Benjamin Grimm wrote: ... I have a texting app, SwiftKey, which is great at predicting what I want to type and it saves me thousands of keypresses. The texting that came with my phone does the same. That's another reason I don't do double thumbs, cuz I'm watching the suggested words that are going to save me strokes.

Ceetar Jul 12 2022 06:54 PM Re: How do you text?

i use the swype feature, the Swype keyboard itself as been discontinued, but oh crap. I didn't mean to do that. hang on.

Ceetar Jul 12 2022 06:56 PM Re: How do you text?

here's a screen recording of me texting. I picked a recipient to be funny but I really shouldn't have clicked send on that. [url]https://photos.app.goo.gl/EEq75uCFt5DyJ5RcA

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 12 2022 07:50 PM Re: How do you text?

That's great! H Lolollll. I am a one thumb phone typist. My right, and I'm not sure what keyboard I use. It does suck though, or, it's probably not the right one for me.

metsmarathon Jul 12 2022 08:20 PM Re: How do you text?

I text with my thumbs. And I miss my old blackberry every damned time I do it. Often times, I do voice to text, if only for the joy of the sometimes bad translations. Also because I'm often driving and sending a quick text to the wife.

MFS62 Jul 12 2022 09:10 PM Re: How do you text?

Right index finger because I hold the phone with my left hand. But if what I'm typing is similar to what I've typed before, the phone either gives me choices or fills in the rest. That's when I have to back space to erase the wrong stuff and manually type in what I wanted anyhow. Later

Lefty Specialist Jul 13 2022 05:07 AM Re: How do you text?

That's me, too. Hold the phone in left hand and right index finger to type. Have gotten 'voice texts' from friends that can be pretty hilarious and inevitably result in carefully-typed apologies and clarifications.

Fman99 Jul 13 2022 06:08 AM Re: How do you text?

I usually use the voice feature and read my texts aloud into my phone. I don't like using the phone to "type" messages, as it's just the clunkiest damn thing. I also use Messages for Web and text from browsers at work and home so I can type on a real QWERTY keyboard when texting. I'm some kind of special animal I guess

TransMonk Jul 13 2022 07:08 AM Re: How do you text?

I use my thumbs when the message is unique. My Apple watch gives me a list of general responses that I can scroll through and send for quick replies. My wife ONLY uses the dictation feature...which means many misspellings and occasional misunderstandings.

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 07:51 AM Re: How do you text?

I usually use the voice feature and read my texts aloud into my phone. I don't like using the phone to "type" messages, as it's just the clunkiest damn thing. I also use Messages for Web and text from browsers at work and home so I can type on a real QWERTY keyboard when texting. I'm some kind of special animal I guess Windows has a 'phone link' thing that I use a bunch. If I'm responding to something long, text, email, tweet, I'm definitely the guy that gets up off the couch and goes over to his computer. You can tell we're all old because no one mentioned memes or gifs. I get the impression that I'm supposed to have a cultivated folder of images to use to reply to stuff. This seems right up my alley but like, organizing it seems a pain. (which I guess why "stealing memes" is a meme in it of itself)

kcmets Jul 13 2022 09:03 AM Re: How do you text?

Right index finger mostly. Old, slow and careful. I hate when my wife sends me gibberish texts. I'm like do you even look at the screen before sending stuff. As we've said in other threads, I hate when the phone changes a word and then when you go back to fix it it suggests the word you typed. I had several work-issued Blackberry's years ago. I miss the keyboard email/texting-wise but time marches on and the smartphone killed them.

The Hot Corner Jul 13 2022 08:06 PM Re: How do you text?

Hold phone with left hand and use right index finger to "type" the text one letter at a time.

whippoorwill Aug 10 2022 05:07 PM Re: How do you text?

Hot corner and me: separated at birth Thumb testers fascinate me. My daughter comes down every week to swim with her kids and rattles off these high speed texts to someone? Her husband? Making fun of mom and dad? And it just fascinates me

Edgy MD Aug 10 2022 07:02 PM Re: How do you text?

As rarely as possible for me. Worse than sending them is the stress of reading them, trying to suss out meaning and tone and trying to mentally correct spelling errors and spellcheck errors, knowing (or hoping) what reached me is not what the sender intended. And anyone who uses emoji to clarify tone only seems to make it worse for me. 🦕 🦖

kcmets Aug 10 2022 08:09 PM Re: How do you text?

I've lost friends over texts. Progress.

kcmets Aug 10 2022 08:15 PM Re: How do you text?

I should really say I've lost friends because of Trump, but it was via texting that was the vehicle to such loss.