VimKey-arrow
Master your iPhone cursor with HJKL navigation.
6 followers
Master your iPhone cursor with HJKL navigation.
6 followers
VimKey-arrow solves the frustration of precise cursor placement on iOS. Instead of tapping and holding the magnifying glass, use familiar HJKL keybindings to navigate, select text, and copy/paste efficiently across any app.
I’m truezodic, the maker of VimKey.
I built this tool to scratch my own itch: moving the cursor on an iPhone is often frustratingly imprecise. As a developer who spends time in mobile terminals (WebSSH) and editing markdown notes on the go, I missed the muscle memory and
precision of Vim.
VimKey is a system-wide keyboard extension that brings that efficiency to iOS:
* HJKL Navigation: Move character by character or line by line (great for code and lists!).
* Selection Mode: Highlight text accurately without struggling with the native handles.
* Privacy First: We don't collect, store, or transmit any keystrokes.
A quick note for pros:
Due to iOS API limitations, vertical navigation (j/k) works best with hard line breaks (like code, lists, or markdown). For wrapped text paragraphs in Notes or Safari where lines are visual-only, horizontal navigation (h/l) is your best
friend.
We just pushed a new update that lets free users stack QWERTY unlock time (accumulating 30-minute blocks) instead of resetting it, making it much friendlier for longer sessions.
I’d love to hear your feedback—especially from fellow Vim enthusiasts! Does this fit your mobile workflow?
Happy hacking!
@VimKey-arrow
I've released a major update.
New Features
- Built-in Notepad: Since many apps have poor support for arrow keys with custom keyboards, we've added an in-app notepad where you can use full Vim-style navigation. Edit your text with complete arrow key support, then copy it to any other app with one tap
- Full Access Banner: When full access is not granted, a banner will remind you that full access is required for arrow key functionality
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Improvements
- Optimized keyboard initialization for significantly improved startup speed and stability
- Fixed notepad saving issues to ensure your edits are properly saved
- Enhanced multi-language support (Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English)
- Improved user interface by removing unnecessary banners
Why Built-in Notepad?
Many apps (Messages, Mail, etc.) have incomplete support for arrow keys with custom keyboards, preventing proper Vim-style cursor control. Our built-in notepad provides perfect arrow key support, allowing you to:
- Use HJKL or arrow keys for precise cursor control
- Use Home/End to quickly jump to line start/end
- Copy all content with one tap when done
- Paste into any other app