The degree symbol (°) is one of those seemingly simple characters that can cause surprising frustration when you need it on a digital device. Whether you are writing about weather temperatures, geographic coordinates, mathematical angles, or scientific measurements, knowing how to quickly type the degree symbol on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac is an essential productivity skill that saves you from clumsy workarounds like copying from Google or typing “degrees” spelled out. This comprehensive guide covers every method available across all Apple devices in 2026, from simple keyboard shortcuts to advanced text replacement automation.
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How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad
Typing the degree symbol on an iPhone or iPad is remarkably simple once you know where to find it, but Apple hides this character behind a press-and-hold gesture that many users never discover on their own. The degree symbol lives on the default iOS keyboard inside the number and symbols layer, accessible through a quick long-press interaction on the zero (0) key. This method works universally across all iOS applications including Messages, Notes, Safari, Mail, Pages, Numbers, social media apps, and any third-party application that uses the standard iOS keyboard input system.
Step-by-Step: Degree Symbol on iPhone
Open any app where you can type text (Messages, Notes, Safari, Mail, etc.)
Tap the “123” button in the bottom-left corner to switch to the number and symbol keyboard layout
Press and hold your finger on the number zero (0) key — do not just tap, keep your finger pressed down
A popup bubble will appear above the zero key showing the degree symbol (°) as an option
Slide your finger to the degree symbol (°) and release — the symbol will be inserted at your cursor position
An alternative method on iPhone and iPad uses the built-in dictation feature. Tap the microphone icon on the keyboard and say “degree symbol” or “72 degrees Fahrenheit” and Siri dictation will automatically insert the ° character in the correct position. This voice input method is particularly useful when you are typing longer passages and need the degree symbol inserted naturally within a sentence without switching keyboard layouts or performing the press-and-hold gesture.
How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac
On a Mac, typing the degree symbol is accomplished through a simple keyboard shortcut that works in every macOS application including Pages, Numbers, Keynote, TextEdit, Microsoft Word, Google Docs in Safari, and any text input field across the operating system. The primary keyboard shortcut for the degree symbol on Mac is Shift + Option + 8 (⇧⌥8), which produces the true typographic degree character (°) recognized by all fonts and document formats.
There is also a secondary shortcut, Option + K, which produces the diacritical ring character (˚) that visually resembles the degree symbol but is technically a different Unicode character. For most casual use cases like writing about weather temperatures or cooking instructions, both characters appear identical and are functionally interchangeable. However, for scientific publications, academic papers, and professional technical documentation, the Shift + Option + 8 shortcut produces the officially correct Unicode degree sign (U+00B0) that meets typographic standards.
Pro Tip: Create a Text Replacement for Instant Degree Symbols
If you type the degree symbol frequently for work, school, or personal communication, creating a text replacement shortcut is the fastest possible method. On iPhone, navigate to Settings, then General, then Keyboard, then Text Replacement. Tap the plus (+) button and enter the degree symbol (°) in the Phrase field and a short trigger like “deg” or “dg” in the Shortcut field. Now whenever you type “deg” in any application, your iPhone will automatically suggest replacing it with the ° symbol. This same text replacement syncs automatically to your iPad and Mac through iCloud, providing consistent behavior across all your Apple devices.
On Mac, the equivalent setup is found in System Settings, then Keyboard, then Text Replacements. The cloud synchronization means you only need to create the replacement on one device and it propagates to all Apple devices signed into the same Apple ID within minutes. This technique works for any special character you use regularly, not just the degree symbol, making it a powerful general productivity enhancement for academic writers, scientists, engineers, and anyone who frequently works with specialized notation.
Other Useful Special Characters on Apple Devices
The same press-and-hold technique on iPhone that reveals the degree symbol also unlocks dozens of other hidden special characters. Long-pressing the hyphen key reveals em dashes (—), en dashes (–), and bullet points (•). Long-pressing letter keys reveals accented variations: holding “e” produces options for acute (é), grave (è), circumflex (ê), umlaut (ë), and other diacritical marks used in French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and other languages. On Mac, the Character Viewer (accessed via Control + Command + Space) provides a searchable visual catalog of every Unicode character, symbol, and emoji available in the system, organized by category including mathematical operators, currency symbols, arrows, and technical notation marks.
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