How to Change Your iPhone Keyboard: Built-In Settings and Third-Party Options Explained
Your iPhone keyboard does more than most people realize — and changing it is simpler than you might expect. Whether you want to switch languages, rearrange your keyboard layout, or replace Apple's default keyboard entirely with a third-party app, iOS gives you meaningful control over how you type.
What "Changing Your Keyboard" Actually Means on iPhone
On iPhone, "changing the keyboard" covers a few different things:
- Switching the language or layout of the built-in Apple keyboard
- Enabling a third-party keyboard app (like Gboard, SwiftKey, or Grammarly)
- Adjusting keyboard behavior — autocorrect, predictive text, one-handed mode
- Switching between installed keyboards while typing
These are distinct actions, each handled differently in iOS settings.
How to Add a New Keyboard on iPhone
To add any keyboard — whether a new language layout or a third-party app:
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Tap Keyboard
- Tap Keyboards
- Tap Add New Keyboard
From here, you'll see two sections: keyboards organized by language/region, and any compatible third-party keyboard apps you've already installed from the App Store.
Select the one you want, and it's immediately available.
How to Switch Keyboards While Typing 🌐
Once you have more than one keyboard installed, switching is fast:
- Tap the globe icon in the lower-left corner of the keyboard to cycle through installed keyboards
- Press and hold the globe icon to see a full list and jump directly to the one you want
The globe icon only appears when two or more keyboards are installed.
Adding a Third-Party Keyboard App
Third-party keyboards are downloaded from the App Store just like any other app. Popular options include Google's Gboard, Microsoft's SwiftKey, and several others focused on emoji, GIFs, or accessibility.
After installing a third-party keyboard app, it won't automatically become active. You still need to add it manually:
- Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards
- Tap Add New Keyboard
- Find the app under the third-party section and select it
Once added, you can switch to it mid-typing using the globe icon.
Full Access Permission
Many third-party keyboards request Allow Full Access during setup. This grants the keyboard permission to send keystrokes to external servers — typically for features like cloud-based autocorrect, personalization, or swipe-typing engines.
Granting full access is optional in most cases, but some features won't work without it. Whether that trade-off is acceptable depends on your comfort with data privacy and how you use your device.
Adjusting the Default Keyboard Behavior
If you're not looking to install anything new but want your keyboard to behave differently, iOS has a range of built-in settings under Settings → General → Keyboard:
| Setting | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Auto-Correction | Fixes typos automatically as you type |
| Auto-Capitalization | Capitalizes the first word of sentences |
| Smart Punctuation | Converts straight quotes to curly quotes, etc. |
| Predictive Text | Shows word suggestions above the keyboard |
| Slide to Type | Enables swipe/glide typing on the default keyboard |
| One-Handed Keyboard | Compresses layout to left or right side of screen |
| Text Replacement | Lets you set shortcuts that expand to full phrases |
Each of these toggles independently, so you can mix and match based on your preferences.
Changing Keyboard Language and Layout
If you type in more than one language, adding a second-language keyboard is the standard approach. Once added, the globe icon lets you toggle between them.
For some languages, iOS also offers different layout options — for example, English can be typed using QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ, or Dvorak layouts. When adding or editing a keyboard, you may see layout choices depending on the language selected.
To change an existing keyboard's layout:
- Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards
- Tap the keyboard you want to edit
- Select your preferred layout if multiple options are available
Reordering and Removing Keyboards
If you have several keyboards installed, you can control the order they cycle through:
- In Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards, tap Edit
- Drag keyboards up or down using the handle on the right
- Swipe left on any keyboard and tap Delete to remove it
The keyboard at the top of the list becomes your default, and the globe icon cycles through the rest in order.
Variables That Affect Your Experience 📱
A few factors shape how keyboard-switching works in practice:
iOS version: The exact menu paths and available options can vary slightly between iOS versions. Settings menus have been reorganized across major iOS updates, so the steps above reflect current general navigation, but your specific version may look slightly different.
Device size: One-handed keyboard mode behaves differently on iPhone mini models versus Plus or Pro Max models. What feels natural on a compact screen may feel unnecessary on a larger one.
Third-party keyboard quality and feature sets: Not all third-party keyboards support all languages. Some rely heavily on full access for their core features; others work well without it. Performance can vary based on how a specific app handles the iOS keyboard API.
Use case: Someone typing in two languages all day has different needs than someone who just wants better swipe-typing or a keyboard with GIF search. The right combination of keyboards and settings looks different across those scenarios.
The built-in tools give you a solid foundation, but how far to customize — and which third-party options are worth exploring — depends on how you actually use your phone, what languages you work in, and how much you value features like advanced prediction or privacy control.