How to Add & Change Keyboard Language in iOS 8
If you would like to reply to messages in your native language, then your decision to upgrade your iPhone or iPad to iOS 8 is just perfect. Apple has added support for 40+ local languages (including Hindi), new keyboard layouts, support for custom keyboards, and innovative features like Predictive Text (it suggests you the next input word based on the message and your typing behavior).
Now, if you would like to switch between keyboards or type in a language you prefer — say Chinese — then all you need to do is press the “globe” () or “emoji” button on your default keyboard.
Give it a try: go to the Message app, launch the keyboard and look for the button right to the 123 button. You see it? That’s great.
After pressing this button for about a second, you will get an option to change the keyboard. If you don’t see any button, then you need to configure keyboard settings.
And in this beginner’s tutorial, we will explain you how to do just that. First, we will add a new keyboard to your Apple device, and then we will select this keyboard using the “globe” or “emoji” button. It is really easy, and here are the steps to follow:
Step 1 of 2: Add A New Language To Your iOS Keyboard
Go to Settings
Select General -> Keyboard
Select Keyboards. Note the number next to the “Keyboard” which indicates the number of keyboards active on your iPhone or iPad. From the screenshot below, we have only one active keyboard (the default English language keyboard).
Tap on “Add New Keyboard…”
Select the keyboard language you want from the list. Just tap on it once to add the keyboard.
In our case, we will select “emoji” keyboard.
If we go back to the Keyboards settings, you will notice we have added two keyboards – one is the default and the other is the newly added emoji keyboard.
Step 2 of 2: Change iOS Keyboard To Your Preferred Language
Switching from default to a new keyboard is easy. All you have to do is open any application that requires the use of keyboard (Facebook, WhatsApp, iMessage) and press the “globe” icon or the “emoji” icon.
A menu pops up, listing various options – from enabling and disabling Predictive Text to changing the language of your keyboard. Here are a few examples:
Emoji keyboard added to existing iOS keyboard:
Chinese (simplified) language added to existing iOS keyboard:
Multiple languages added to existing iOS keyboard:
Tip: You can also change the keyboard layout – QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTY. This, however, depends on the kind of language you are selecting.