Text input

For text input, the device implements a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen. It has automatic spell checking and correction, predictive word capabilities, and a dynamic dictionary that learns new words. The predictive word capabilities have been integrated with the dynamic virtual keyboard so that users will not have to be extremely accurate when typing—i.e. touching the edges of the desired letter or nearby letters on the keyboard will be predictively corrected when possible.

The keys are somewhat larger and spaced farther apart when in landscape mode, currently available using the Safari web browser and certain third-party applications with Landscape Mode support. A lack of focus on text-messaging is widely considered a chief weakness of the iPhone, although a large number of users evidently have no issue using the device for this purpose. The lack of a physical keyboard allows for the keyboard to be optimized for different applications and languages via software changes only, instead of requiring a costly additional fabrication process