The Bullet on the iOS 4 Keyboard

Douglas Hill •

In iOS 4, the bullet (•) has been added to the hold press list for the hyphen. This matches the iPad keyboard.

Screen shot showing bullet on hold press list for hyphen

The bullet is also available on the right side of the secondary punctuation keyboard as in previous versions of the iPhone OS.

Screen shot showing bullet on secondary punctuation keyboard

The result is that iOS 4 on the iPhone is consistent with both the iPad and iPhone of the past, but now has a character available from two places on the keyboard. Is this a good thing? It's a good move for iOS 4 considering the circumstances. I wonder if this is a transitional stage and the bullet will settle in just one location eventually.

This is not the only example of characters appearing twice: some of the currency symbols are also available twice. I think this was present in previous versions of the OS, unlike the change with the bullet.