Tiny Tip – How to Add a Line Feed on iOS When There’s No Return Key

When you’re using an app that expects long-winded typing on iOS, you’ll get the standard iOS keyboard with four rows of keys. On the fourth row (of the American English keyboard), you’ll find a key labeled “return”. Hitting this key gives you a line feed, which is an expected feature for separating thoughts for readability.

However, short-form apps like Mastodon, Discord, and Twitter use a different keyboard layout that replaces the return key with two keys: the @ and # symbols. To be fair, those are pretty darn useful keys to have at your fingertips, and I bet most people would prefer having them both to having a return key.

When sending a link through one of these apps, it’s nice to say something about the link first, put in a couple of line feeds, and only then paste in the link. This sets it off nicely and makes it easier for your people to read.

Our Tiny Tip for today is how to add a line feed when there is no return key. It’s super easy! Hit the microphone in the bottom right to enable dictation, and say, “New line”. Easy peasy.

After I wrote up this post, Joop (aka [email protected]) wrote a comment below with an even better solution! If you don’t see a return key, look in the bottom left of the keyboard. You should see a key with “123” on it. Tap the key once, and the keyboard will change to show you all of the numbers and special characters, AND the bottom right key will change into a “return” key. I can’t believe I never noticed this option, and it’s a great illustration of how great it is to be part of such a vibrant community. Thanks, Joop!