Your iPhone has several different shortcuts and ways to make using the phone a little easier. One of these shortcuts allows you to more quickly type a period by double-tapping the space bar instead. This is a more convenient method for adding that end-of-sentence punctuation.
But you might find that you use double-spacing more than you realized, and that this shortcut is actually causing problems when you are typing text messages or emails. Fortunately you are able to disable the shortcut by editing a setting on your phone. Our tutorial below will walk you through the steps to turn off that shortcut.
Disable the “.” Shortcut on an iPhone in iOS 10
The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 7 Plus in iOS 10.3.3. This guide assumes that currently, when you double tap the spacebar with the iPhone keyboard, that it automatically adds a period, followed by a space. Following these steps will stop that behavior from occurring.
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Step 2: Select the General option.
Step 3: Scroll down and choose the Keyboard option.
Step 4: Tap the button to the right of “.” Shortcut to disable it.
You will know that the setting is turned off when there is no green shading around the button. I have turned it off in the picture above.
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Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.