Moving about in the text boxes in an iphone4

August 4, 2011 10:16 PM

I can't move around inside the text boxes on any of the sites. I'm on an iphone4 that has whatever version if Safari that Apple blessed me with.

So my problem is: when I attempt to go back to correct a spelling/grammar/cogency problem, in longer missives, I can't go back to the bottom or navigate around the boxes at all. Is this my stupidity or are all the iPhone users having the same problem? Without composing elsewhere and cutting pasting to the box, what do you all do?
I can't seem to find a scroll bar thingo.


Also....is it obvious...but in the mobile version, where is the Metatalk new question button??? Thanks folks, feeling a bit dim right now.

posted by taff to Bugs at 10:16 PM (24 comments total)

To scroll around a text box on an iPhone use a two-finger scroll. It's not obvious, just something you need to learn.

There's no new question link. We'd rather people take a little more time when they kick off a thread. Of course you can do it, we just don't want to put in an express lane to doing it in the mobile version. You can always switch to the standard version of the site to have all features at your fingertips.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:19 PM on August 4, 2011 [3 favorites]

in the mobile version, where is the Metatalk new question button?

There are only new post/question buttons in the full-featured version of the site.

To the other question, I'm not totally sure. I've had some weird problems with not being able to scroll back in a text box occasionally but I assumed it was my own weird cluelessness, so I'm not sure if I'm any help here.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:19 PM on August 4, 2011

Ok, I'm totally going to write complete and utter crud for a few sentences to see if I can learn this magic two finger scroll. Well....more crudly than usual...if that's at all possible.

So I'm almost filling the box...let's see what happens. Hang five while I do interesting and dextrous Apple magic.

Holy feral wombats pb, it TOTALLY works!!! You are a legend. And I am embarrasses, although somewhat mollified that Jessamyn was struggling too.

As for the button not being on the mobile site...good idea. "Up there for thinking," as they say in the Antipodes.

Just tried the two fingered thing again...it's totally a knack...needs some level of skill. And sobriety. And eyesight.

Thanks lovely peeps. Happy to hear any further iPhone tips for maximising my Meta while I'm here.
Is there a way to default to British spelling?
posted by taff at 10:29 PM on August 4, 2011

Longer iPhone Missives is the name of my tumblr blog review tumblr.
posted by carsonb at 10:29 PM on August 4, 2011

Is there a way to default to British spelling?

Settings->General->Keyboard->International Keyboards->English (UK)
posted by pompomtom at 10:38 PM on August 4, 2011

Thanks Pom. I actually thought, without thinking about it, that it was a Meta setting also. I seem to remember some funny lines in my text boxes on my pc. Perhaps that's just the damned incorrigible Dell after all.
posted by taff at 10:59 PM on August 4, 2011

To scroll around a text box on an iPhone use a two-finger scroll. It's not obvious, just something you need to learn.

HOLY SHIT THIS IS AMAZING!
posted by rhapsodie at 11:33 PM on August 4, 2011 [2 favorites]

To scroll around a text box on an iPhone use a two-finger scroll.

I've been wondering how the fuck to do that since work got me this crazy thing like 10 months ago. THANK YOU SIR.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:13 AM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

I had no idea you could do that. Freedom!
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 2:16 AM on August 5, 2011

I seem to remember some funny lines in my text boxes on my pc.

That's the Firefox spellcheck.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:24 AM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

One

Two

Three

FAWH!!

*guitar chord*

Whee! I did the two-fingered scroll accidentally a few times, but could never remember the trick later, because the pinch and stretch sure as hell doesn't work.
posted by maudlin at 4:34 AM on August 5, 2011 [2 favorites]

Ther was once a time when a "two finger scroll" was something you did when you were 13 y/o, late at night, in the dark. I'm assuming that isn't what we are talking about here, right?
posted by tomswift at 4:43 AM on August 5, 2011

Ther=there, of course.
posted by tomswift at 4:44 AM on August 5, 2011

Huh, the two-finger scrolly thing works in Android too. Never knew about that. Neat. I almost never write anything large enough on my phone to scroll around but if I did, this would be handy to know.
posted by octothorpe at 4:57 AM on August 5, 2011

Yes...

Yes...

Yes...

Oh god yes!

I'm two finger scrolling right now.

Thanks, pb.

80s obligatory: I'll have what s/he's having.
posted by safetyfork at 5:36 AM on August 5, 2011

Phew, I wasn't the only one!!! If chatfilter were allowed I would soooo start a thread called, "What are cool/obvious/useful/obscure Things You Can Do With An iPhone?" Such a shame I can't with all these clever iPhonees about.
posted by taff at 5:39 AM on August 5, 2011

Someone here (maybe pb?) told me (and whoever else was reading that particular meTa, which was not about iphones in the least, I believe) about this trick a while back and i had exactly the same OH MY GOD feeling, though it would never have occurred to me to invoke feral wombats. Which is too bad because who doesn't like feral wombats?
posted by rtha at 5:46 AM on August 5, 2011

Feral dropbears.
posted by taff at 5:49 AM on August 5, 2011

Even feral bears need a hug.
posted by ardgedee at 7:09 AM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

You can't hug a drop bear and live to tell the tale.
posted by dg at 1:17 PM on August 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

"Holy feral wombats pb, it TOTALLY works!!! You are a legend. And I am embarrasses, although somewhat mollified that Jessamyn was struggling too."

This totally works, when it works. I suspect it works better if one is sitting quietly, but if I could sit quietly I'd be at home with a computer and not on the bus or in someone's car.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 6:10 PM on August 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

Is there another kind of wombat?
posted by pompomtom at 5:13 PM on August 15, 2011

I don't think there are very many feral wombats, unless I missed the news of a captive breeding program gone awry. I think most wombats are just plain old wild.
posted by maudlin at 7:20 PM on August 15, 2011

Feral wombats happen when normal wombats drink bogan bong water.
posted by taff at 7:52 PM on August 15, 2011