iPhone Gets Long-Awaited T9 Dialer with iOS 18; Here’s How to Use
Jun. 11, 2024Apple’s WWDC keynote brought in a slew of features in the form ofiOS 18,macOS 15as well as the newApple Intelligence. However, for many iPhone users, the most exciting news is actually a basic feature – T9 dialer, which is finally coming with iOS 18!
This might sound surprising for younger users, but T9 (or Text on 9 keys) was a game-changer for texting on old phones with numeric keypads. This allowed people to typeusing single key presses for a letter, with the OS “cleverly” predicting the intended word. Android users have had T9 dialing on their phone apps for years, but this is the first time we’re seeing it inside iOS.
Thanks to the updated Phone app on iOS 18, you can nowtype a contact’s name on the keypad, and the app will suggest matching entries. This negates the need to look up a contact inside the Contacts tab on the Phone app, which requires manually typing their name on the search bar. With a T9 dialer, you can do that right from the Keypad screen.
How to Use T9 Dialer on iOS 18
To use the new T9 dialer, your iPhone needs to run on iOS 18 which is currently in developer beta. You can enroll on the beta program by checking outthis guide. If you’re already using iOS 18, here’s how to you can use the T9 dialer:
It’s good to see iOS finally catching up, although this should have been out a decade ago. It’s a much-needed upgrade over manual search, plus you no longer need to use Spotlight as a workaround to make quick calls. The T9 dialer inside the Phone app is currentlyavailable in iOS 18 beta for developers. If you’re eager to test it, we suggest you wait a few more weeks when Apple releases the public beta for regular users.
What do you think about the T9 dialer on iOS 18? Is it something you had been waiting for all these years? Let us know in the comments.
