Select /Select all

I am trying to figure out what exactly determines how iOS determines which menu options it will display when dealing with text in any of the apps.

text/ pages/ notes/ safari to name a few.

when correcting text. I sometimes next to edit. Sometimes copy and paste.

often I need the select all feature. But I cannot get it to generate. Their does not seem to be any reason to it.

sometimes the pop up shows select/ select all. Other times not. Is their a method by which I can know which menu I will be getting?

my current method is to tap twice. This sometimes works: other times a long press seems to be more appropriate.

I cannot however seem to find a definitive method by which to select the menus inside a body of text.

this has been a problem through many iterations of iOS and many different apps.

anyone know how to properly make these selections. I certainly don’t seem to be able to.

usually when I am under pressure is when I cannot get the select/select all menu to appear.

any help appreciated.

Thanks

GWR