Practical operation of the BlackBerry-style Clicks keyboard for iPhone

I regret to inform you that I cannot address this topic yet.

The Clicks Keyboard Case has arrived and it’s delightful, if not entirely practical for everyday use – at least not without weeks of practice.

The new device, which adds a keyboard with physical buttons to the bottom of the iPhone, evokes a sense of nostalgia for the BlackBerry era, but in its current form it is awkward to use, especially on heavier and taller devices like the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The main problem with Clicks is that iPhones don’t have the shape of BlackBerry devices, which are short, stubby and wide. Instead, the weight of the iPhone pulls the case down, so you’re always fighting gravity when you type. This causes the case to wobble slightly in your hands, making it difficult to hit the right key.

To be fair, Clicks admits that using the case can be difficult at first.

On its help pages, the company suggests proper holding techniques to make clicks more stable. It is recommended that users hold the phone with the bottom edge of the device resting on the little fingers and the back resting on the middle and ring fingers. Meanwhile, index fingers can rest on the back or sides of the case.

If you hold the phone with both hands at the very bottom of the keyboard, it may feel very heavy, the website warns.

In both cases, however, the phone will feel very heavy, although how well you can balance the keyboard properly will depend on many factors, including the model and weight of the iPhone, as well as the length and strength of your fingers. For example, people with shorter, thicker fingers may have more difficulty holding the device than people with longer fingers.

Clicks says it has added ballast to the bottom of the case to help achieve proper balance, but early adopters say they are considering upgrading to a smaller iPhone model to make Clicks easier to use – and that’s telling.

The iPhone 13 mini would probably be great for using Clicks, but unfortunately it’s not supported.

Instead, the Clicks Keyboard works with iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models, the former only on the Pro and Pro Max models, while supporting the full range of models for the iPhone 15. For comparison, the weight of an iPhone may vary depending on the device, ranging from 6 .02 ounces for the iPhone 15 to 7.09 ounces for the 15 Plus and 6.60 ounces for the 15 Pro. The 15 Pro Max is the heaviest at 7.81 ounces. While these are minor differences when using your iPhone in a traditional case, even the slightest extra weight makes a difference when it comes to using the Clicks. It seems that the heavier the iPhone, the harder it is to hold.

Clicks tries to explain the difficulty of balancing the phone in several ways. In addition to instructing users on proper holding technique, the case also features a vegan leather pad on the lower back that reduces the risk of fingers slipping and reminds people where to place them.

Additionally, the case has a slightly textured surface that helps keep your iPhone in a vertical position.

Despite these conveniences, there is another surprising problem with using clickers.

If you like the Clicks feature, you may be of an age where you remember what it’s like to send quick emails and texts on a BlackBerry, and its physical keyboard buttons are a significant improvement over texting on the T9 . However, over the years, you’ve probably gotten used to typing on a touchscreen. Returning to buttons, as it turns out, is not like riding a bike. There’s a bit of a learning curve here, especially with your extra-long smartphone.

In other words, using Clicks may not be as immediately easy as it was on your old BlackBerry. You will have to relearn how to write this way, and it may take some getting used to. According to the Clicks website, it will take you 20 minutes to learn clicking, two hours to get used to it, two days to master it, and two weeks to build the muscle memory needed to Really feel comfortable with clicks. (I suspect this may last longer for some people. I haven’t spent weeks with Clicks yet, so I can’t comment on that).

The Clicks keyboard produces a satisfying “click” sound when you press the keys, hence the device’s name. But there’s a reason why many of us end up turning off iPhone keyboard sounds: The tick tick tick keyboard clicks can become annoying after a while and may disturb other people. The Clicks keyboard produces a more muted, natural clicking sound, but will always produce an audible sound that will attract attention.

Of course, people buying a Clicks keyboard might like this note – especially if you’re buying the bright banana yellow case or the new hot pink “Miami Heat” case with blue keys. These cases can be great icebreakers. I guarantee you that if you pull out your Clicks at the bar, someone will talk to you. (This alone may make it worth the price for some!)

That said, the company says the more corporate gray “London Sky” color was the most popular option at launch, with the first “Founders Edition” devices selling out in less than two weeks. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the company stated that if one in 1,000 iPhone customers were interested in clicks, it could build a successful business. Based on the demand Clicks has seen so far, the company says there is “significantly more” interest.

Clicks, launched by MrMobile (Michael Fisher) and CrackBerry Kevin (Kevin Michaluk), is not disclosing sales numbers so far, but has already added a hot pink and blue “Royal Ink” case to its lineup. The company is currently in the process of raising a seed round to further expand the Clicks product portfolio.

For those planning to switch between Clicks and a traditional case (or no case), be warned: be careful when it comes to the Clicks’ USB-C or Lightning port. The case comes with a sticker advising you to be careful when inserting and removing the phone. This advice is easier to follow once inserted. However, if you’re used to removing your iPhone case from any angle without much thought, be extra careful; Your $159 will go up in smoke just like that. The click warning says that you should not bend the phone upwards from the port until it is bent fully disorderly and they’re not kidding. Even at a slight angle, the port can be easily damaged. (Clicks says it hasn’t seen a cracking problem yet. I say give it more time.)

For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend, say, a company’s IT department buy clicks for older end users who are still lamenting the loss of their BlackBerry phones. Most likely, a small portion of them will damage the device or bend the port the first time you remove the casing. If you must, make it a holiday gift rather than a company flyer.

As for the keyboard, the buttons are well-spaced and adequately clickable, although a bit small. There are also some clever touches. There’s a built-in microphone, Shift, CMD, and a “123” key, which you can press once to display numbers and symbols, or twice to lock. The “%+-” button can also be pressed to show or hide the iOS keyboard, where you can also easily access emojis. (Alternatively, you can add the emoji keyboard as an option when you press the globe key for clicks.)

Once you’ve mastered typing, you can learn some keyboard shortcuts to make using them even easier. For example, CMD + H will take you back to the home screen, and CMD + spacebar will launch a search. In Safari or Chrome, you can also use the spacebar to scroll through web pages. Many other popular iOS keyboard shortcuts are also supported, notes Clicks.

However, you cannot ignore the size of the Clicks case as a purchasing factor.

Its odd, extremely long shape makes it difficult to carry in your pocket, where it will inevitably stick out from the top, stretching the fabric. The Clicks case won’t fit into small bags that previously held your iPhone comfortably. The Clicks also turned out to be too big for the top pocket of my SwissGear backpack used for travel, where I often hide my phone in a hurry, for example when preparing bags for the TSA screening. Together with the case, your phone will also be heavier – by 62 or 65 grams, depending on the phone model.

The case also doesn’t support MagSafe accessories, so there’s no hope of using some kind of PopSocket to stabilize it. (It would also be placed too high to really help.)

Despite the challenges of clicking, it’s hard to beat the sense of whimsy and fun. You certainly don’t need the clicks, but with a price tag ranging from $139 to $159, you might convince yourself that you need to try it. It’s like Chumby or Rabbit: quirky, fun, and designed for a niche market of enthusiasts. This is not a product that you buy for its functionality; it’s the kind of art you support because you’re interested in technology… I think I’ll buy another one in pink.