Old-School T9 Texting Returns With iOS 18

Crew! Set your thumbs to 'numb.' [View in web browser]( [CNET logo]( Insider Sep 26, 2024 T9 Is Not Your Favorite Terminator Gen-Xers and millennials have something to cheer for today, as iOS now lets you [dial in good old-fashioned T9](. But what is it? Back in the days before iPhones, T9 used the same alphanumeric system that makes it possible for you to dial, say, 1-800-SEND-RACOONS. It was also used for texting. Everyone sent texts by pressing a particular numerical key — on their Ericson or Nokia phone — a certain number of times until they got the character they wanted. It was laborious, and it led to a condition called "[texting thumb]( Yet it also led to the [creation of Swype]( a system that's now become ubiquitous. Back in 2008, LG hosted a [T9 texting championship](. Can you imagine what you'd have to type in a such a competition? Was it, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"? Or did you have to join the [infinite monkeys]( in typing lines from Shakespeare? Being 2008, it was probably more like, "I 4m l33t!!!1one!!! [_]3. A/S/L?" If you understood that, you definitely need this feature. It lets you use the keypad in your phone app T9-style — to bring up a contact you want to call by simply starting to type in their name. And once you've called, maybe you could [ICQ]( Apple about holding a T9 championship! Ty Pendlebury Editor, CNET [Your iPhone Just Got T9 Dialing With iOS 18]( [The feature lets you call someone by typing their name with your phone's keypad. Here's what you need to know.]( display: block; max-width: 116px; max-height: 15px; display: block; max-width: 69px; max-height: 15px; Insider Essentials [Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Packs AI Features Into a Lower-Priced Phone]( [The phone includes the Galaxy S24's AI features while stepping down in other areas to hit its more affordable price.]( [I Wore Meta's Orion AR Glasses: A Wireless Taste of a Neural Future]( [Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls them "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen."]( [ChatGPT vs. Google Gemini: Which Chatbot Is the Winner?]( [The AI era has been dominated by ChatGPT. It seems, however, that Google's Gemini has finally found its footing.]( CNET Recommends [Where to Preorder the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Bundles and PS5 Pro]( [Preorders are live now at PlayStation Direct, and new products will go on sale Nov. 21.]( [CNET] You are receiving this email because you've signed up to receive newsletters and promotional content from [CNET.com](. To update your account, please visit our [Newsletter subscription center](. [Unsubscribe]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Privacy Policy]( CNET 235 Second Street San Francisco, CA 94105 U.S.A. [Instagram]( [Youtube]( [Tiktok]( [Facebook]( [X]( [Flipboard]( © 2024 CNET, a Red Ventures company. All rights reserved.