Man explains how to tell someone's age based on how they type on their smartphone

When estimating someone's age, people usually notice things like looks, hair color, skin texture, muscular agility, and other physical attributes. However, a former Apple employee has introduced another method to determine if someone is a millennial, baby boomer, or Gen Xer based on how they type on their smartphones. His off-the-wall claim has caught the interest of millions of people on TikTok.

In a video titled, "How old do you text?" Tyler Morgan from Los Angeles, California, explains the bizarre connection between finger movements and age. In the short clip, he explains the different ways a person can use their fingers for typing, and how these differences indicate how old the person is.

His core idea is that millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, type with two thumbs or by swiping; Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2013, do the same but much faster. Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, and baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are most likely to type with one finger, usually their index finger.

“This is how you can tell someone’s age by how they type on their phone,” the brown-haired man says while holding his phone in one hand. He then describes the various ways individuals use their fingers to text, demonstrating these by typing on his phone’s QWERTY keyboard. “Anyone who’s using swipe to text is most likely millennial, possibly Gen Z. Anyone who’s able to type fast, and accurately with one hand, they’re probably preteen up to age 25. Typing fast and accurately with two thumbs is probably preteen to mid-20s,” he explains.

Talking about the mid-30s generation, he says, “You kind of stay at this thumb-tapping age until probably about I’d say 50s. Then you’re gonna start adding in your index finger unnecessarily. Age 65+ is where you start doing this thing – the one-finger tap, holding with your left hand or your right hand.” Thereupon, he tilts his phone to a horizontal position. As the screen rotates and the keyboard expands wide, he says flippantly, “Give an honorable mention to the people who type this way. If this is you and you find yourself typing this way, I don’t honestly know how you do it, but it’s impressive.”

How did Tyler stumble upon this hack? In an interview with Newsweek, Tyler said he started watching his friends and colleagues at work to get a "general observation" of how age impacts the way we use our cell phones. "Honestly, I think it comes down to the fact that, as we age, we lose mobility. So, things that seem easy for those in their teens and twenties may not be as comfortable or easy for people in their late sixties. But it varies based on so much," Tyler added.

Tyler’s hunch is not just a castle in the air, but a full-fledged process rooted in science. There have been tons of discussion threads on the internet based on the connection between finger-typing style and age, including a popular one at r/Xennials. Tyler’s research, it seems, is on the right track.

You can follow Tyler Morgan on TikTok for more interesting tech ideas and iPhone hacks.