How to Make the Degree Symbol on iPhone: Every Method Explained

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters you rarely need — until you do. Whether you're texting a weather update, writing a recipe, or noting an angle in a document, knowing where to find it on an iPhone keyboard can save you a surprising amount of frustration.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on the Standard Keyboard

Apple's iOS keyboard is designed around everyday language. Special characters like °, ™, or © don't appear on the main layout because showing everything would make the keyboard unusable. Instead, iOS hides them in a secondary layer — and in some cases, in places most people never think to look.

The good news: once you know the trick, typing ° takes about one second.

The Fastest Method: Long-Press the Zero Key

This is the method most iPhone users don't know about, and it works without installing anything or changing any settings.

Here's how:

1. Open any app with a text field (Messages, Notes, Mail, etc.)
2. Tap the number key (123) to switch to the numeric keyboard
3. Long-press the 0 (zero) key — hold it for about half a second
4. A small popup will appear showing the ° symbol
5. Slide your finger onto it and release

That's it. The degree symbol will appear in your text instantly. This works across virtually every iOS app and doesn't require any additional setup.

🔑 The zero key is the key to remember. The logic makes intuitive sense once you know it — zero is a round number, degree is a round symbol.

Using the iPhone's Special Characters Keyboard

If you're already working with punctuation or symbols, you can also find the degree symbol through the extended character panel.

1. Tap 123 to open the number pad
2. Then tap #+= to access the symbols layer
3. Look for the ° symbol — it's typically visible in this panel depending on your iOS version and keyboard language

This route takes a couple more taps than the long-press method, but it's useful when you're already navigating the symbols layer for other characters.

Dictation: A Hands-Free Option

If you use iPhone dictation (the microphone icon on the keyboard), you can speak the degree symbol into existence — though it's a little less reliable than the long-press method.

• Say "degree sign" while dictating
• iOS will attempt to insert the ° character

Results vary. Some setups handle this cleanly; others type the word "degree" instead. Dictation accuracy depends on your iOS version, internet connection, and how the dictation engine interprets punctuation commands. It's a useful fallback but not the most consistent approach.

Text Replacement: Set Up Your Own Shortcut

If you type the degree symbol frequently — say, in a cooking app, a weather journal, or technical notes — iOS's Text Replacement feature lets you create a custom shortcut that auto-expands to °.

To set it up:

1. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement
2. Tap the + button in the top right
3. In the Phrase field, type or paste ° (you can copy it from a website or this article)
4. In the Shortcut field, type something easy to remember — like deg or °s
5. Tap Save

From now on, typing your chosen shortcut in any text field will auto-replace it with the degree symbol. This syncs across devices if you're signed into iCloud, so it'll also appear on your iPad and Mac.

Copying and Pasting from Notes or the Web

Sometimes the simplest approach is also the most practical. If you only need the degree symbol occasionally:

• Search Google for "degree symbol" and copy it from the results page
• Keep a note in the Notes app with commonly used symbols you can copy from anytime
• Use Universal Clipboard if you've copied it on a Mac — it'll sync to your iPhone via Handoff

This approach has zero setup time, though it's obviously slower than the long-press method for regular use.

Does Your iPhone Version or Keyboard Language Matter? 🌐

Yes — and this is where individual setups diverge.

Keyboard language affects which symbols appear in the #+= panel. If you're using a non-English keyboard layout (French, German, Spanish, etc.), the placement and availability of special characters can differ from what's described here.

iOS version matters less for the zero key long-press trick, which has been available for many years and remains consistent. However, if you're running a significantly older iOS version, the dictation command behavior and Text Replacement syncing may work differently.

Third-party keyboards — like Gboard or SwiftKey — have their own symbol layouts. The long-press zero trick is a stock iOS keyboard behavior, so if you're using a third-party keyboard, you'll need to explore that keyboard's own special character panel or switch back to the Apple keyboard when you need the symbol.

A Quick Comparison of Methods

The Variables That Shape Your Best Approach

Which method actually makes sense depends on a few things that only you know:

• How often you need the degree symbol — once a month vs. multiple times a day changes the calculation entirely
• Which keyboard you primarily use — the long-press trick is locked to Apple's native keyboard
• Whether you type on multiple Apple devices — Text Replacement becomes more valuable when it syncs across your whole ecosystem
• Your comfort level with digging into Settings — some users prefer a simple workaround over any configuration at all

The mechanics are straightforward. The right method for your workflow is a different question.