Mobile developer Steve Troughton-Smith recently uncovered a one-handed keyboard code in the iOS Simulator.
Troughton-Smith said he found the code after hacking the iOS Simulator and pointed out the code had "been there since at least iOS 8."
Today's fun hack (been there since at least iOS 8); the iOS keyboard has an unused left/right one-handed mode. Activated by edge-swipe pic.twitter.com/zIk7x7CVmu
— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) October 19, 2016
The one-handed keyboard mode enables users to left- or right-swipe from the edges of the iOS keyboard to move the keys toward the dominant hand, according to Troughton-Smith.
@stroughtonsmith Unfortunately the only bit I can’t reach with my left hand is the send button 😑
— Ben McCarthy (@BenRiceM) October 19, 2016
Many mobile developers immediately questioned whether the one-handed keyboard code could be applied to an iPhone.
@stroughtonsmith is it possible to activate this while jailbroken?
— TD (@TD_Advocate) October 20, 2016
Meanwhile, Troughton-Smith offered additional insights to help mobile developers hack the one-handed keyboard onto a jailbroken iPhone.
A little more context for anybody wanting to make a jailbreak tweak to turn this on (assuming one doesn't already exist - I dunno) pic.twitter.com/We5WymSXOa
— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) October 19, 2016
Several mobile developers have already tried to incorporate the code onto their non-jailbroken iPhones as well.
@ankushg @stroughtonsmith I’m failing to trigger it on a 7 Plus. Multiple attempts in multiple apps 😐
— Justin Cardinal (@justincardinal) October 19, 2016
Conversely, the one-handed keyboard code has overwhelmed at least one mobile developer.
@stroughtonsmith yuck. Having to write all that pointer and hex code logic makes my head hurt. But good find! ;) pic.twitter.com/LBzdoPfKGU
— Todd Behunin (@tbehunin) October 20, 2016
If the one-handed keyboard ever becomes available on the iPhone, it may reshape the way that both developers and consumers look at the device.
@stroughtonsmith this alone might have prevented me from selling my 6s for an SE (which I love, BTW. 6s annoyed me daily; SE, never)
— Friedrich Markgraf (@fzwob) October 20, 2016