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Why Your iPhone Keyboard Extension Won’t Appear or Switch—and How to Fix It

Installing a keyboard app does not activate its extension. Add it in Keyboard settings, select it while typing, and check whether the field or app blocks third-party keyboards.
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If an iPhone keyboard extension is missing, first add it under Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards. Then open a supported text field and select it from the keyboard switcher. Installing the app alone does not enable or select its keyboard. If it works in some places but not others, the field or app may be restricting third-party keyboards.

Fix a missing keyboard on your iPhone

  1. Add the keyboard in Settings. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard, then choose the keyboard under the third-party keyboards list. The keyboard is supplied by its containing app, and its extension display name is what appears in Settings. See Apple’s custom keyboard documentation.
  2. Select it while typing. Tap an ordinary text field to show the keyboard. Tap the Globe or input-switch key to cycle through enabled keyboards; where the picker is available, press and hold the key and tap the keyboard you want. An enabled keyboard is not necessarily the one selected for the current typing session. Apple describes this selection flow in its setup and debugging guidance.
  3. Try a supported field. Check the keyboard in a regular text-entry field, such as one in Notes. Secure text-entry fields and phone-pad or name-phone-pad fields use the system keyboard instead of a custom keyboard. The custom keyboard should be available again in an eligible ordinary text field. Apple documents these exclusions in Configuring a custom keyboard interface.
  4. Check whether the problem is limited to one app. If the extension appears elsewhere but not in a particular app, that app may disallow third-party keyboards. Apple provides a way for host apps to reject the custom keyboard extension point, so this behavior is not necessarily a fault with the keyboard or iPhone settings. See Apple’s host-app guidance.

Settings labels can vary by iOS version. If the path differs on your iPhone, look in Keyboard settings for the installed third-party keyboard list.

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Know when Full Access matters

Allow Full Access is not required just to enable or select a keyboard. It matters for features that need capabilities such as network access or writing to the keyboard app’s shared group container. If the keyboard asks for it, you can review and enable the option in the keyboard’s Settings entry. Grant it only if you want the associated features and understand the keyboard’s privacy terms. Apple explains the capabilities and implications in Configuring open access for a custom keyboard.

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If you are building the keyboard extension

Confirm the extension is included and identifiable

Add a Custom Keyboard Extension target to the Xcode project and include it in the containing app. Install the built app on the device, then add the extension through Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards. Set a useful extension display name: that is the name users see in the third-party keyboard list. Apple’s Creating a custom keyboard documentation covers the target, activation, and debugging flow.

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Debug it in an eligible host field

Open a text-capable host such as Notes, begin editing a regular text field, and choose the extension from the keyboard picker. A secure field or phone-pad field will use the system keyboard, and a host app can disallow third-party keyboards; neither is a reliable place to test whether the extension is generally available. See Apple’s interface configuration guidance.

Implement input switching with the system API

Check needsInputModeSwitchKey. When it is true, the keyboard should provide a control that switches input modes using the documented input-mode action. On iPhones with Face ID, iOS may provide the Globe control below the keyboard automatically and set this property to false, so the extension should account for that instead of assuming it always needs to draw its own switch key. See Apple’s documentation for needsInputModeSwitchKey and custom keyboard switching.

Review keyboard metadata

Check the keyboard extension’s configuration, including relevant attributes such as IsASCIICapable, PrefersRightToLeft, PrimaryLanguage, and RequestsOpenAccess. Language metadata affects the language shown in Settings and the system switcher. Apple’s App Extension Keys reference is archived documentation; consult it as a reference for those keys alongside Apple’s current custom keyboard guidance.

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Investigate a keyboard that disappears after launching

Keyboard extensions run in a separate process. iOS can terminate an extension that exceeds its memory limit, and the limit varies by device. Test across device models, respond to low-memory notifications, and release resources that are no longer needed. Dismissing the keyboard does not necessarily end its process, so a keyboard that vanishes after appearing merits runtime and memory investigation. Apple outlines this behavior in its custom keyboard documentation.

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