Add Arabic on iPhone
- 01
Open Settings
Tap the Settings app.
- 02
Go to General → Keyboard
Tap General, then Keyboard, then Keyboards at the top.
Fig. settings → general → keyboard → keyboards - 03
Add New Keyboard
Tap Add New Keyboard…
- 04
Pick Arabic
Scroll down to Arabic. You'll usually see two options:
—Arabic, the standard layout. Pick this one.—Arabic (Najdi), a Saudi variant with a few dialect conveniences.Both type real Arabic; if you're not sure, plain Arabic is the right call.
Fig. add new keyboard with arabic options - 05
Done
That's it. Arabic now appears in your keyboard list. No download, no restart.
On an iPad instead?
The Settings path is the same, but iPadOS adds a floating mini keyboard and proper hardware-keyboard support with the Arabic 101 layout. The iPad guide covers both.
How to switch to Arabic when typing
Open something you can type in; Notes works. Tap the text field so the keyboard comes up, then tap and hold the globe icon (🌐) at the bottom-left and choose Arabic from the list. A quick tap on the globe cycles keyboards instead, which is faster once you're only juggling two or three.
A note on direction
Switch to Arabic and the cursor hops to the right side of the text field. It's supposed to. Arabic is written right-to-left, and the keyboard follows.
The Arabic 101 keyboard layout
iOS gives you a touch-optimised Arabic layout: bigger keys, fewer of them than a desktop has. When you graduate to typing Arabic on a laptop, the Arabic 101 layout below is what you'll meet. Same letters, spread across more keys.
iPhone Arabic keyboard questions
Do I have to install an app to type Arabic on iPhone?
No. The Arabic keyboard is part of iOS and has been for years, so nothing downloads and nothing costs money. Adding it under Settings, General, Keyboard is switching on a keyboard your phone already carries.
How do I switch to the Arabic keyboard once it is added?
Tap into any text field so the keyboard appears, then press and hold the globe icon at the bottom left and pick Arabic from the list. A single quick tap on the same key cycles through your keyboards instead, which is faster once you only have two.
Where are أ, إ, آ and ء on the iPhone Arabic keyboard?
Hold down the alif key. The hamza forms appear in a small popup above your thumb, and you slide onto the one you want before letting go. Several other keys hide extra characters the same way, so it is worth holding any key that looks like it is missing a variant.
Does the Arabic keyboard work in WhatsApp and Instagram?
Yes. iOS keyboards are system-wide, so once Arabic is added it appears in every app that takes text: messages, notes, search bars, comment boxes, all of it. Nothing to configure per app.
How do I remove the Arabic keyboard again?
Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, then Edit in the top corner. Swipe Arabic to the left and delete it. You can add it back the same way whenever you want.
If the keyboard is step one of learning the language itself, our sister site Tfaddalu picks up from there: spoken Palestinian Arabic, taught at the same unhurried pace as this site.