T9 Keypad

This is classic multi-tap input, the way phones worked before predictive T9 dictionaries and long before touchscreens. Each number key cycles through its letters; pause for about a second (or press a different key) and the highlighted letter commits. 0 inserts a space, # deletes, and * toggles between lowercase and CAPS for the next letters.

The counter shows the sacred 160-character SMS limit; go over it and your message would have cost two texts, a genuine financial decision in 1999. When your masterpiece is done, Copy Message puts it on the clipboard so you can paste it into an app that would have blown your 1999 mind.

Fun fact: 160 characters was chosen in 1985 after Friedhelm Hillebrand typed random sentences and found most fit within it. Everything happens locally in your browser.

You can embed this util on your own site as a widget. Adding ?embed=1 to the URL loads a compact version with just the tool itself; no header, menu, or documentation. Paste this snippet into your HTML:

Copy snippet Adjust the height to taste.