How to cut, copy, and paste text on the iPhone 4
Apple was given a very hard time in the press for a long time because the iPhone did not have a way to cut, copy, or paste. Now those functions are available and easy on your iPhone. Here’s how to do it.
You can use the magnifying glass to easily move the insertion point in text. See this column for information on moving the cursor (insertion point) in text on the iPhone. Even when it is simply at the end of your text, you can still tap the insertion point, or any other point in the text, to start the cut / copy/ paste process.
When you just move the insertion point with the magnifying glass, you can tap either “Select” or “Select All” from the context menu that appears. If you choose “Select All” All the text in the current document will be selected and a new context menu will allow you to “Copy” or “Cut” all selected text. If there is already text on the clipboard, iOS4 will also offer to “Paste” which will essentially replace the selected text with the text from the clipboard.
If you tap on “Select” in the first context menu, iOS4 will select the word that you have tapped on and offer to copy it for you. But it will also place two insertion points (two small dots, see photo above left) around the word. These can be dragged either left, right, up or down to select more text than the original word. When you have selected the exact text you want, tap on “Cut” or “Copy” and iOS4 will place the text on the clipboard. Again, “Paste” also be an option if you already have text (or another object) on the clipboard.
To clear a selection, just tap on another spot in the display. Another handy tip: if you want to undo your last cut, copy, or paste actions, just shake the phone to make it so.
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