Typing on an iPhone: Index Fingers or Thumbs?

To type on the iPhone, start with the one-index-finger method and then move up to a two-hands technique. Typing on the iPhone with speed and accuracy takes just a little practice.

When you're starting out with the iPhone, hold the iPhone in your nondominant hand and type with the index finger of your dominant hand. Later, when you get the hang of typing with one index finger, you can try to speed things up by using both hands. There are two possible ways you can do it:

Set the iPhone on a sturdy surface (such as a desk or table) and tap with both index fingers. Some users prefer this technique. You can't easily use it, however, when you're standing up with no sturdy surface of the proper height available.
Cup the iPhone with both hands and type with both thumbs. This technique has the advantage of being possible in almost any situation with or without a sturdy surface. The downside is that your thumbs are bigger than your fingers so it takes more practice to type accurately with them.
Try it both ways and use the method that feels the most comfortable or lets you type with the best accuracy. Better still, master both techniques and use whichever is more appropriate at the time.

You'll use your fingers and thumbs in different ways to master many iPhone features:

Tap: Tapping serves multiple purposes. You can tap an icon to open an application from the Home screen. Tap to start playing a song or to choose the photo album you want to look through. Sometimes you will double-tap (tapping twice in rapid succession), which has the effect of zooming in (or out) of Web pages, maps, and e-mails.
Flick: Just what it sounds like. A flick of the finger on the screen itself lets you quickly scroll through lists of songs, e-mails, and picture thumbnails. Tap on the screen to stop scrolling or merely wait for the scrolling list to stop.
Pinch: Place two fingers on the edges of a Web page or picture to enlarge the images or make them smaller. Pinching is a cool gesture that is easy to master and sure to wow an audience.