How To Delete Numbers From The iPhone Calculator? [GUIDE]

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If you’ve not long moved across to iOS from Android, there’s a fair chance that you’re still getting used to the OS. Now, while most will say, as an operating system Apple’s is fairly less cumbersome and easier to use than Google’s. Not everything about it is so straight forward, with one one such thing being the iPhone calculator. Yes, it looks like any standard calc you would see on the App Store, but, something is missing.

No iPhone Calculator Back Button

Now, if you’ve been reading this and wondering, “What’s all this about?” Go and open the iPhone calculator app and take a look. There is no way to delete numbers without pressing the awkward C button, well not on the keyboard that is.

Why No Backspace Button To Delete Numbers?

While no one to our knowledge has approached Apple and asked them why this is the case. After doing a little digging, we’ve come across two possible reasons as to why the iPhone Calculator doesn’t have a back button.

Reason 1: It’s simply possible that there was not enough room on the screen to include a backspace button. In fact, if you look at the at the calculator’s buttons, they are logically placed, and color coded. It’s possible that adding the button and the ability to delete numbers without the C button would have broken the logical ordering. Furthermore, it’s well-known that Apple tries to mimic real-life as much as possible in its User interface, maybe it just didn’t think it fit.

Reason 2: While casing can be seen on the keyboards of all operating systems, iOS is different. Instead, it always displays letters as Capitals, even if the shift button is not pressed. The logic behind this is, that on a real-world keyboard, the cases of a letter are on the buttons and do not change.

As for the iPhone calculator, it is assumed it, to follows this logic. In the same way that most standard non-advanced calculators do not have a backspace button to delete numbers either. Apple’s decision to leave it out of the app could have been related to that.

iPhone calculator how to delete numbers with a swipe

How To Use The iPhone Calculator To Delete Numbers

No matter how often you use the calculator app, there’s always a time when the C button has to be pressed. Meaning, unfortunately, you have to begin your calculations again. Now, we’re not going to show you how to add a backspace button, Apple wouldn’t allow that hack to happen.

Instead, we’re going to show you that clearing everything you’ve done when a mistake is made isn’t your only option. So, if you want to know how to delete numbers with a swipe, here’s how.

1. Unlock your iPhone and launch the calculator app. The fastest way of doing so, is to Swipe Up on the Home Screen.

iPhone calculator how to delete numbers app icon

2. Once you have done the above, look for the apps icon then and Tap It. The app will now launch.
3. Type in Any Number.
4. Finally, to delete numbers Swipe Left or Right. Each swipe will delete a number, until there are none remaing, so a zero is all that is remaining on screen.

And that’s it, you now know, how to delete numbers without pressing C, on the iPhone calculator. Furthermore, the possible reasons why there is not a button to do it in the first place.

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