How to type the not equal sign (≠) on iPhone
The not equal sign on iPhone is hidden in a long-press menu. Tap 123, then #+=, then touch and hold the = key and slide your finger to ≠. The same pop-up also offers ≈ (approximately equal). No copying or shortcuts needed.
Quick answer
Tap 123 → #+= → touch and hold = → slide to ≠.
Step by step
Open the numbers keyboard
Tap 123 in the bottom-left corner.
Open the symbols page
Tap #+= in the same corner.
Touch and hold =
Keep your finger on the equals key until a small menu appears.
Slide to ≠
Move your finger onto ≠ and lift it. The sign is inserted.
Hidden keys on the iPhone keyboard
Many iPhone keys carry extra characters in a press-and-hold menu. The = key is one of them, and that is where ≠ and ≈ live. Other useful ones are the hyphen (for – and —), the 0 key (for °) and the period (for …). The iPhone symbols guide maps all of them.
If the menu does not open
Hold a little longer: a quick tap types a plain =, and the menu needs about half a second. Make sure you are on the #+= page, since the = on other pages behaves differently. The long-press menus are part of Apple’s own keyboards; some third-party keyboards do not have them, so switch back with the globe key if needed.
Want it even faster?
If you type ≠ a lot, for example in maths homework, create a Text Replacement: copy ≠ from this page, then Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement → + and use a shortcut such as !==. It works in every app and syncs to your Mac.
Related signs
The comparison family ≤ and ≥ is not in the iPhone long-press menus, so copy those from the math symbols collection. For the codes and meaning of ≠, see the not equal sign page; on a Mac, the Option + = shortcut is quicker still.
Frequently asked questions
Where is ≠ on the iPhone keyboard?
Tap 123, then #+=, then touch and hold the = key. ≠ is in the menu that pops up.
Can I type ≈ the same way?
Yes. The same long-press menu on = includes ≈ (approximately equal).
How do I get ≤ and ≥ on iPhone?
They are not on the iPhone keyboard. Copy them from this site and save them as text replacements.