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iPhone: How to Add a Signature to Text Messages

iPhone: How to Add a Signature to Text Messages

By Kat Armstrong 122 Comments

The Apple iPhone doesn’t have a way to create a signature for a text message the way you can for an email. There are a few apps on iTunes that claim to do this for you, but I don’t recommend any of them. They’re pretty cheesy, cost money and are a pain to use. You have to switch between the text and the app in order to insert the signature. Who wants to add those extra steps and time?

Thankfully, I figured out a way to add a signature of sorts to the end of all of my outgoing text messages (and iMessages) using a keyboard shortcut. It only takes a moment to set one of these up and you can easily insert it at the end of every text message.

NOTE – This method can be used for any and all phrases you find yourself typing regularly into a message such as a URL, phone number, address or anything else you use often. Just follow the steps below to create a new keyboard shortcut and then use it while you type!

To create a keyboard shortcut:

  1. From the Home screen, open “Settings“.
  2. Choose “General“.
  3. Scroll down to find the “Keyboard” field and tap on it.
  4. Select “Text Replacement“.
  5. Select the + at the upper-right corner to add a new shortcut.
  6. In the “Phrase” field, type whatever it is you want to use as a shortcut or signature within text messages. Keep in mind that texts are supposed to be on the short side, so don’t create something insanely long here.
  7. In the “Shortcut” field, type the 2-3 letter shortcut you will use to bring this signature up within a text. When you are finished, tap the “Save” button in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Using the Shortcut as your Signature

In my example photo above, I chose to have the short phrase “Blessed Be” show up at the end of my text messages. When I am finishing up a text message, I just type bb at the end and my shortcut will pop up. I then simply tap the space bar and iOS places the shortcut/signature within the message for me.

Be creative – if you want to end your texts with something like:
~ Kat Armstrong – https://katarmstrong.com ~

You would type this into the Phrase field in the screen to create the shortcut. For the shortcut trigger, you could then use something such as “siggie” to trigger it.

You can choose to use whatever you’d like as your shortcut “signature” – short is usually always better when sending an SMS. Likewise, the trigger shortcut should be something around 2-3 letters for the most part and easy to remember. You’re trying to save yourself time, not add to your troubles.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Michelle Platt says

    Great!!
    My only question is -do you click on the newly added phrase when it pops up? Or will it auto detect with my shortcut when I click send?

  4. Jan Stern says

    Absolutely terrific! THANK YOU!
    I’ve just set up TWO signatures, one for each business – Survival to Thrival Coach and Realtor.
    I’m thrilled.

  6. Rosella jw.org says

    Thank you this was Stellar! Still valuable five years after it posted. Thanks

  7. Daphine Robinson says

    Thank you so much! I am new to Apple switching from android. That was awesome I greatly appreciate it.

  8. Deborah says

    New user to iPhones. This is great! It would be fantastic if it would autofill after you hit return.

  14. Amy says

    This works perfectly, Thank you so much for the recommendation on doing signatures on iphones!!

  17. Lisa says

    Patti,

    Try shortenin your signature. Maybe even writin it altogether, as ONE word. Only separatin the different words by capital letters, if ya can. Otherwise, maybe ABBREVIATE, that’s what “I’ve” done.

    On my Straight Talk phone and this CRAPPY iphone, for Christmas, I wrote, “!MryCHRISTmas!” For Halloween, I wrote, HpyHALLOWEEN! For my NAME, I either just use my INITIAL, “L” or I write, Lisa. But, abbreviate whatcha don’t have the space for.

    Hope this helps. If you’d like to contact me, my email’s, lmb_17@yahoo.

    Happy 2019!

  18. Patti Scuderi says

    I’m also having trouble with my text message signature. It was working fine until I tried to use it today and it just won’t work. I’ve tried deleting it and doing it over and it still doesn’t work. Any more suggestions? My signature is just too long to type each time I need it.

    Thanks for any help you can send my way!

  19. Gina says

    I was using this feature nicely until a few days ago when it stopped working. Any suggestions on why this iall of a sudden stopped working. I deleted it and reentered it and still doesn’t work. I loved my Android because I could always have it on the end of each text, now I have to type the 3 letter phrase for it to populate! I use to be able to schedule text messages also and it doesn’t seem to work on the iPhones!

  20. Cynthia Halverson says

    I want to add a particular emoji at the end of every text as a signature. How do I accomplish that?

  23. Emily says

    You get 5 stars! Very Helpful I have an Iphone 5 and this works great ! so easy! Thanks!

  24. Tricia Hakenson says

    My first iphone! I’ve been wanting one for a VERY long time. Thank you so much for the “work-around” on the signature. I am a Realtor and have a lengthy signature that would require a lot of repetitive text.
    ~ Tricia Hakenson ~
    Keller Williams Realty
    Tricia.TeamVirgadamo.com
    So, I created (thanks to you) three phrases, one for each line with the shortcuts of: th for my name; kw for the Broker; tv for my website. I text th and hit enter, kw and hit enter, tv and hit enter then send. Sor much easier!
    Thanks!!! for making my text life that much better!

  25. Lawana Towner says

    Thanks Kat for the step-by-step. Now I have a signature. Thanks for showing all the steps involved.

  26. zzzz says

    Thanks bunches! step by step instruction and visual aid to boot! Now we’re cooking!

  27. Karen Baker says

    Thanks so much. It is a pain that this cannot be permanently installed, but at least it is a shortcut to typing the entire closing each time.

  30. Crickett Bottoms says

    It’s still not working. I have an iPhone 6 and I want to add “nolans mom” at the end of every SMS text message why isn’t it working??? Ugh!

  31. Jairo says

    Help a lot. Read so many ideas that were unavailable on my phone. This works. Thank you very much!

  32. Marie LaFalaise says

    Thank you so much. That is the most useful information I have gotten for my I-phone.

  33. Craig says

    Brilliant! I just switched from an Android which (I miss) and has this feature. A plus over the Android is you can use at will.

  36. Emily says

    Mitch! Thank you! This is NOT the first time I’ve used your techni-solutions. And it won’t be the last. Thank you for straight forward and helpful insights.

  37. Buttafly says

    This really helped.. But I wish it could automatically show up without me having to remember to put it in there…..

  39. Linda Humes says

    When I had an android phone you could set an automatic signature that entered on a line below the message you typed. Is there any way for that to happen with the iPhone 5s?

  44. Seasong says

    Thanks for a solution in plain and detailed English. I’m a devoted Samsung used who’s been given an iPhone. Needed the help, and will be back for more.

  45. Fred Wood says

    New to iPhone always had android but even though this 1 extra step it worked great thanks

  47. Dean says

    This seems to work only if you actually type it. If you use Siri to say a text, and say your shortcut, it does’t work. Am I right?

  50. Beverly Lofton says

    UGH!!! You have to remember to do type in the shortcut after every text — which I don’t most of the time. Not a great system.

  52. Marian Olive says

    mine says spaces are not allowed. this is problematic for what I am trying to achieve. Any work arounds for that?

  67. lah says

    Thanks, I need this as I use my Txt msgs in business and sometimes people don’t recognize the cell number as compared to the business line

  68. john postlewait says

    I found this because my wife was trying to do the same thing. I’ll let her know about this fix. Although I’m not sure I understand why people need signitures on a txt message. They know who it’s from when u txt them. Unless all these people have a habit of texting random people who they don’t know.

  74. Wilma says

    THANK YOU!!! It helps a lot. I also agree with others about why apple will not signature option…

  76. Sally L Jacobson says

    Thank you so much for the exact steps for adding a signature at the end of my texts!!!! Way to be kind and share information!

  77. Helen says

    Thank you!!!! I have been looking for this answer for sometime. I’m not sure why Apple would not add this to their functions, but this will do just fine until they do! Thanks again!

  79. Ginger says

    Thanks so much! I’ve been trying to find the answer to do this for awhile now! You made life easier!

  80. Viki Perry says

    Love it love it….I have searched and searched you final made it simple. Don’t understand why iphone does not have simple needs. Mostly I love iPhone (just switched) but the simplest needs are not available.

  84. Kelly says

    YOU’RE WONDERFUL!!! Thank you sooo much! So lucky to have people like you helping people like me…and ….your directions were spot on!

  88. Ann says

    It worked for me on my new iPhone 6S. I have had it a week and needed two different siggies. Thanks very much for the info.

  89. Tony says

    Wow.? Makes me long for my android device. When I wanted an automatic phrase (Message Signature) with my old android, it was a permanent setting that “automatically” populated with every outgoing message. This also does not work when “speaking” a text into the iphone either. Not a time saver.

  97. Mike says

    To Amy
    I just figured it out in IOS 9 go to settings/general/keyboard /text replacement Its all there !!!!

  98. Mike says

    I cannot get this to work either on an iPhone 6.
    There is already a shortcut (I did not create) about double tapping the space bar . There seems to be no way to “add new shortcut”
    Help ? Any ideas ?

  99. amy ammen says

    I can’t get this to work on the iPhone 6s. Has it changed since el Capitain update? I’m probably not following directions, but I’ve exhausted my resources. Can you help? thank you!!

  105. Barbara W says

    This was so helpful after looking at other sites first that were not so simple – Thanks!!

  110. Karen Rice says

    This is great! I only wanted to add a signature, but I can use this for all kinds of messages. Thank you.

  111. Laura says

    Thank you so much for this. Brilliant! just transferred back from Android so it was irritating without the signature! plus EVERYONE didn’t recognise me (apparently messages transmit on iCloud).

    Highly recommend this!!!!

    x

  116. Diane says

    Thank you so much! This is a great idea b/c I don’t need a signature on every text message.

  121. Vanessa says

    Thanks for the great tip, I am so bummed iphone doesnt have the signature feature on a message!

    VANESSA

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