How to Install and Use Third-Party Keyboards on iPhone and iPad

Third-Party Keyboards On iOS Devices

In case you dont know, there is a whole wide world of third-party keyboards available for the iPhone and iPad devices. Everything ranging from GIFs to emoji suggestions, to even Google search can be added to your device keyboard.

Because this is a core system functionality, the process of installing a keyboard on the iPhone and the iPad is not as simple as just installing the keyboard application. In fact, it is a bit complicated.

Before we get there, you will need to start out by downloading a third-party keyboard from the iOS App Store. Here are some of our recommendations:

Gboard: A current all-rounder keyboard built by Google. Any feature that you can think of is probably in the Gboard application. You get GIF search, Google Translate, keyboard themes, gesture typing, and a Google search feature right inside the keyboard.

Microsoft Swiftykey Keyboard: A good alternative to Gboard, it is awesome specifically when it comes to auto-suggestions. The customization and gesture typing is not bad either.

GIF Keyboard: If you do not want to use GIPHY, GIF Keyboard by Tenor is the best alternative for sending out GIFs directly from your iOS keyboard.

How to Install Third-Party Keyboards on iPhone and iPad

Now that you have downloaded the keyboard application of your choice from the App Store, let us start the installation process. You do not need to open the app for this. Instead, go to the “Settings” application. From here, tap the “General” option.

Now, click on the “Keyboard” option.

From here, tap on the “Keyboards” button.

You’ll see all of the keyboards that you have installed (including keyboards for different languages and for Emojis). Swipe down and click on the “Add New Keyboard” button there.

Now, you’ll see a long list of languages at the top. Scroll all the way down till you spot the Third-Party Keyboards section. Select the keyboard app that you downloaded.

You will now be back to the Keyboards screen, and you will see that the new keyboard has been installed and is activated.

But we are not done yet. If you want to use some features such as the GIF search, you will need to allow full access to the keyboard. To do this, click on the newly installed third-party keyboard from your list of keyboards.

From the next screen, click the toggle that is next to “Allow Full Access.”

From the popup, click on the “Allow” button to confirm.

And now, finally, your keyboard is ready to go.

How to Use Third-Party Keyboards on iPhone and iPad

You can download and install multiple third-party keyboards on your iPhone or iPad and switch between them easily using the Globe key that is on the virtual keyboard. You might also be familiar with it if you have used the Emoji keyboard.

Tapping on the Globe key would switch to the next keyboard on the list. But if you want to switch over to a particular keyboard, tap and hold the “Globe” key. You will then see a list of all the available keyboards. Select the keyboard that you have just installed. In our case, it was Gboard.

Instantly, you will switch to the new keyboard.

You can now use your new third-party keyboard and enjoy all of the features that you cannot in the past access in the default keyboard found on your iPhone and iPad.