How do I add the Arabic keyboard on iPhone?
The Arabic keyboard is part of iOS itself, so an iPhone does not need any app to add it. Open the Settings app, tap General, then Keyboard, then Keyboards, then Add New Keyboard, and choose Arabic from the list. These steps are the same in iOS 17, 18, 26 and 27 according to Apple's official guide, with small differences in how some buttons are worded between versions. When you add a keyboard in a new language, the iPhone also adds that language to the Preferred Languages list in Language & Region. To remove a keyboard later, swipe on it in the Keyboards list and tap Delete in iOS 27, or tap Edit and then the delete button in older versions.
How do I switch between the Arabic and English keyboards on iPhone?
Once the Arabic keyboard is added, you can switch between it and English while typing in any app. According to Apple's guide, touch and hold the Emoji button or the Switch Keyboard key, the globe at the bottom of the keyboard, then tap the keyboard you want in the list that appears. The Arabic keyboard on iPhone does not support Multilingual Typing, the feature that lets you type in two languages without switching: Apple does not list Arabic among its languages, so you switch between Arabic and English by hand. You can reorder keyboards or remove the ones you do not need in the same place: General, then Keyboard, then Keyboards.
Does the iPhone Arabic keyboard support autocorrect, suggestions and swipe typing?
Yes, according to Apple's official feature-availability page. Apple lists two Arabic keyboards on iPhone, Arabic (Modern Standard) and Arabic (Najdi), and both support autocorrection, predictive typing, and swipe typing, which Apple calls QuickPath: sliding your finger across the letters without lifting it. Inline predictions, which complete the word right where you are typing, do not list Arabic among their languages, and neither does typing in two languages without switching. On the Arabic keyboard, suggested words appear in the bar above the keys, and tapping one inserts it. Autocorrection and suggestions can be turned off in Settings, under General then Keyboard, for anyone who prefers to type without them.
Why does a third-party keyboard disappear in password fields on iPhone?
Because iOS replaces any third-party keyboard with the system keyboard in password fields. According to Apple's developer guide, when a user taps a secure text field the system temporarily replaces the custom keyboard with the system keyboard, and it does the same in phone-number fields, which show the standard number pad. This is fixed iPhone behaviour for every keyboard not made by Apple, not a fault in any one keyboard, and it means passwords are always typed with Apple's keyboard. That is why the keyboard can suddenly change when you move into a password field, then return to your chosen keyboard when you leave it.
What does "Allow Full Access" mean for an iPhone keyboard?
Full Access is a permission the user grants by hand to a third-party keyboard on iPhone; it is never on by default. According to Apple's developer documentation, without it keystrokes go only to the app you are typing in, and with it the keyboard can send what is typed to its developer's servers for processing; Apple states that users who turn it on know their keystrokes are available to the keyboard developer. So it is worth knowing exactly what a keyboard sends before turning it on. The iPhone's own Arabic keyboard never needs this permission, because it is part of the system. Full Access can be turned off at any time from the Keyboards list in Settings.
Can I type Arabic on iPhone without adding a keyboard?
Yes. The Arabic keyboard page on the Keyboardy website works straight in Safari on iPhone, with no keyboard to add and nothing to install. You tap the Arabic letters on the page and they appear in the text box; it has an always-visible diacritics row with the eight marks, and a ⇧ key for hamza forms such as أ, إ and آ. When you are done, one button copies the text so you can paste it into WhatsApp, Messages or any other app. The iPhone's own keyboard only opens if you tap the text box, so the Arabic letters stay on screen in front of you. Everything typed on the Arabic keyboard page stays in the browser and is never sent to any server.
Is Keyboardy available on iPhone?
Not yet. Keyboardy is an Arabic and English keyboard in development and is not in the App Store yet, so there is no iPhone download link for now. The iPhone version is built for iOS 18 and later and has an always-visible tashkeel key in the bottom row beside the space bar, which types tanween fath with one tap and offers nine more marks on a long press, along with suggested videos, stickers and GIFs that match what you type. Its media features need Allow Full Access, and exactly what is sent then is set out on the site's security and passwords page. Until it reaches the store, the iPhone's own Arabic keyboard and the Arabic keyboard page on this site are enough for typing Arabic.
Open the Arabic keyboard in your browser
