The chances are that you’re already familiar with T9 mode. You’ve either used or heard about the technology before smartphones took over the “mobile phone” world.

But do you REALLY know what T9 texting is? More importantly, do you understand how T9 texting works?

Understanding T9 Texting – What Is It; How Does It Work?

Funnily enough, despite the popularity of touchscreens, T9 texting is still a thing. Only now, it has been upgraded and replaced with fancy words like smart typing and autocorrect.

Perhaps T9 mode is not so different from “full keyboards” on smartphones. Let’s find out!

What Is T9 Texting?

T9, developed by Tegic Communications, is a texting aid that helps users text faster and more accurately. How?

T9, which means “Text on 9 keys,” was introduced at a time when text messaging was a new development. Then, texting on non-smartphone was difficult because the keypads were tiny and few, unlike in QWERTY.

Then came T9 in 1998; the innovation would later revolutionize texting. How so?

T9 didn’t just make texting fast – it added predictions. You can even add words to the T9 software dictionary.

In summary, T9 is a prediction texting tool that uses 9 keys to simplify how users send SMS and emails. It shortens the time needed to send messages and lets users add personal words.

Also read: When Was The First Text Message Sent?

How Does T9 Texting Work?

Like the name (Text on 9 keys), the T9 software works with 9 keys. How?

Ordinarily, each key has several letters assigned to it.

For example:

• Key 2 comes with the letters A, B, and C
• Key 8 comes with the letters T, U, and V

Note: only 1 doesn’t have an assigned letter in the “9 keys.” And in two cases, some keys have more than 3 letters assigned to them.

Now, when you press any combination of the 9 keys, the T9 technology accesses the dictionary for possible words.

E.g.,

• If you press keys 1 (A, B, C) and 8(T, U, V), the T9 technology will suggest a word like “at.”
• If you press “4” (G, H, I) twice, the T9 technology will suggest a word like “hi.”

Put simply, the T9 technology only requires a single or double press on each key to suggest a word.

But what if the word you want to type is not included in the T9 dictionary?

You can add more words to the dictionary as prompted. Besides, the T9 technology improves with your usage and repetitive inputs.

That said, let’s see how T9 weighs against QWERTY.

The Differences Between T9 Texting And Smartphone’s QWERTY

Note: for easy comprehension, we’ll differentiate the two technologies under three “headings.”

Ease Of Use

T9 predictive texting, in its glory, was a landslide success. And much of that success is because the technology makes messages easier to type.

Users only need to press a couple of buttons once or twice to form a block of messages.

The best part: users can do all the typing and texting with JUST one hand. In other words, T9 ushers the idea of one-handed typing.

Furthermore, the one-handed typing of T9 benefitted impaired users.

On the other hand, QWERTY is not as easy and fast as T9. While the handling is sleek, users still need to press each key to complete a word.

Even with the prediction tool, users must input 2-3 letters to get the right word.

Furthermore, one-handed typing on QWERTY is not as convenient as T9 keys. The “full” keyboard will only shift to one side of the screen. You still have much work to do.

Winner: T9 texting

Aesthetics

T9 texting came when design and aesthetics were not as important as functionality. As a result, the technology’s visual appeal often depends on the phone’s manufacturer.

In other words, there is little to nothing users can do to personalize and make their keypad more beautiful.

The case is different for smartphones’ QWERTY. You can personalize virtually everything – such as color, font, and even the background image of the keypads.

Put simply, QWERTY is the champion of aesthetics and sleek texting.

Winner: QWERTY

Application

Generally, T9 texting, though archaic now, was often applied in Short Message Service (SMS). It was also used in emails and wireless application protocols.

And unofficially, T9 birthed the idea of texting abbreviations – especially the technical ones.

Further reading: Complete Guide to Texting Abbreviations and Acronyms

QWERTY, on the other hand, is widely used. It is the norm on mobile as well as desktop. In fact, iOS (arguably the champion of smartphones) has only ever used QWERTY.

Winner: QWERTY

Nonetheless, some applications {developed for aged people to type} still use T9 technology on their smartphones. So, T9 texting is not COMPLETELY out of fashion.

FAQs About T9 Texting

What Is T9 Texting?

T9 texting is a way to type quickly and easily using only 9 keys. Also known as “Text on 9 keys,” this technology was originally made for non-smartphones to make messaging easy by avoiding multiple presses.

Most importantly, T9 was a typing aid for impaired individuals.

Who Invented T9 Texting?

T9 was officially the brainchild of Tegic Communications. However, the standout inventor was Martin King.

Today, Tegic Communications has been acquired by Nuance Communications.

What Is Predictive Texting?

Predictive texting is the essence of the T9 technology. It was responsible for the successes of single-press and one-handed typing.

So in simple terms, predictive texting made T9 possible. It is an intuitive technology that helps users to reduce the rigors of typing.

With predictive texting, you only need to type the first 2-3 words of a word. The technology will show a sequence of the “possible word” to fill the gap.

The best part: predictive texting is not restricted to English. It can be applied to other languages too.

Was T9 The Only Predictive Texting Tool?

No!

After the successes of T9, telecommunications giants replicated the technology in-house. For example, Motorola invented the iTap.

Overall: while there are predictive texting tools outside T9, none of them was as widely used.

Wrapping Up

T9, “Text on 9 keys,” was a breakthrough technology when text messaging was developed. The idea made typing faster and easier. It would later be adopted by even recent technology.

Lastly, while T9 texting is no longer the norm on smartphones, it is still relevant. Some developers use the technology to build apps.