The short answer: Apple’s keyboard has no translate button, but iOS can still translate what you type. In many apps, type your message, select it, tap Translate, then Replace with Translation. In Messages, on an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, Live Translation translates as you type. If you write in another language every day, a translator keyboard such as Swift Translate Keyboard does it with one tap in any chat app.
Can the iPhone keyboard translate?
No. Apple’s keyboard types in other languages, but it doesn’t translate. It has no translate key and no translate setting to turn on.
You can add a keyboard for another language in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard. For some language pairs, Apple also offers a bilingual keyboard. Both let you type in that language, but you still have to know what to write.
So if you’re looking for a switch that adds translate to your iPhone keyboard, there isn’t one. These three ways do translate what you type:
- The Translate option, in many apps, on any recent iPhone.
- Live Translation, in Messages, on newer iPhones.
- A translator keyboard, in any app where you type.
How to translate what you type with Replace with Translation
This works in apps such as Notes and Mail, and in many other apps that show the iPhone’s text menu. It doesn’t need Apple Intelligence.
- Type your message in the text box, in your own language.
- Select it. Double-tap a word and drag the handles over the whole message, or tap the text and choose Select All if you see it.
- Tap Translate in the menu. If you don’t see it, tap the arrow in the menu to show more options.
- Check the languages. Tap the language menu to choose the languages to translate from and to.
- Swipe down for more options, then tap Replace with Translation.
- Your text is now the translation. Send it.
A few tips:
- Keep translations on your iPhone. In the same options, tap Download Languages to translate on your iPhone. To make sure it always happens there, go to Settings > Apps > Translate and set On-Device Translation to Always.
- Hear it before you send it. Tap More, then the Play button.
- Know the languages. Apple lists about 25 languages for this, including Arabic, Hindi and Russian. Bangla, Urdu, Persian and Tagalog are not on the list.
Translate as you type in Messages
On an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or any iPhone 16 or later, Messages can do the work for you with Live Translation:
- Open the conversation and tap the person’s name at the top.
- Turn on Automatically Translate.
- Choose the language.
From then on, what you type is translated as you type, and the other person gets the translation along with your original. Messages they send arrive in your language. Live Translation covers 16 languages, including Spanish, Japanese and Korean, and it works only in Messages. The full steps, the language list and fixes for when the switch doesn’t show are in How to translate iMessages.
Want more languages? Change the default translation app
By default, the Translate option uses Apple’s own translation. You can choose another translation app instead, such as Google Translate, which lists up to 249 languages. Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Translation and pick it.
Apple notes that not all options are available with all translation apps, so Replace with Translation may not show when another app is the default.
Translate not showing? Why, and how to fix it
| Why | What to do |
|---|---|
| No text is selected. | Translate appears only for selected text. Select your message first. |
| The option is hidden. | Tap the arrow in the menu to show more options. |
| The app doesn’t offer it. | Apple names Notes, Mail and supported apps. If an app’s menu has no Translate, write your message in Notes, translate it there and copy it back, or use a translator keyboard. |
| Replace with Translation is missing. | It replaces only text you can edit. For a message you received, you can read the translation but not replace it. Another default translation app may not offer it either: choose Translate again in Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Translation. |
| The language isn’t on Apple’s list. | Apple’s list has about 25 languages. Choose another translation app as your default (above), or use a translator keyboard. |
Where the built-in tools stop
Apple’s tools are good, and for many people they’re enough. They also have clear limits:
- Live Translation is for Messages only. It needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer and covers 16 languages, so not Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Urdu or Bangla.
- Replace with Translation is one message at a time. You select, translate and replace, for every message. Reading their reply is another round: select it and tap Translate.
- It isn’t in every app. Apple names Notes, Mail and supported apps.
- WhatsApp’s own Translate only reads. In WhatsApp on iPhone, you can translate messages in the chat (tap and hold, then More… > Translate), but it can’t write your reply. See How to translate WhatsApp messages.
If you write in another language once in a while, Replace with Translation is all you need. If you chat in another language every day, a translator keyboard saves you the select-and-replace steps.
Translate while typing in any app with Swift Translate Keyboard
Swift Translate Keyboard puts translation on the keyboard itself, so there’s nothing to select and no menu to open. Type your message and tap Translate. It turns into their language right in the message box, ready to send. If you want to change something, the pencil brings your own words back.
It helps you read, too. Copy a message, tap Paste on the keyboard, and the translation shows right above the keys. You never leave the chat.
It translates between more than 100 languages, including ones Apple’s Translate option doesn’t cover, such as Urdu, and it detects the language of a message for you. As a keyboard, it has the same layouts as Apple’s in more than 60 languages, with suggestions, auto-correction and emoji. It works in WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Messages and the other apps where you type. Want to compare it with other keyboards first? See the best translator keyboards for iPhone.
FAQ
Does iPhone have a translation keyboard?
Not built in. Apple’s keyboard types in many languages but doesn’t translate. iOS translates what you type through the Translate option and, in Messages, Live Translation. For a keyboard that translates, you add one, such as Swift Translate Keyboard.
How do I add translate to my iPhone keyboard?
You can’t add it to Apple’s keyboard. Use Translate > Replace with Translation on text you typed, or add a translator keyboard and switch to it when you need it. The best translator keyboards for iPhone compares them.
How do I translate while texting on WhatsApp on iPhone?
Type your message, select it and look for Translate in the menu. If it’s there, tap it, then Replace with Translation. If it isn’t, use a translator keyboard, which works in WhatsApp’s message box. WhatsApp’s own Translate (More… > Translate) works on messages already in the chat, not on what you’re writing.
How do I type in another language on iPhone?
Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard and choose the language. To switch, touch and hold the globe or emoji key and tap the keyboard. This lets you type in that language. It doesn’t translate.
Does it work without internet?
Apple’s Translate works on your iPhone without internet once you download the languages. With Swift Translate Keyboard, typing works without a connection, and translating needs one.
Can I check the translation before I send it?
Yes. With Replace with Translation, you see the translation before you replace your text. With Swift Translate Keyboard, the translation sits in the message box until you tap Send, and the pencil brings your own words back.
Related: Best translator keyboards for iPhone · How to translate iMessages · Translate keyboard for iPhone