How to Type Hindi on iPhone & iPad — iOS Keyboard Setup Guide

iPhones have had Hindi typing support since iOS 5 — over a decade ago. But most Indian iPhone users have never turned it on. They type Hindi messages in Roman script ("kaise ho") because they do not know the built-in Hindi keyboard exists.

It takes 30 seconds to set up. Here is how.

Adding the Hindi Keyboard on iPhone

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General → Keyboard → Keyboards
3. Tap Add New Keyboard
4. Scroll to Hindi (or search for it)
5. You will see two options:

Option	What It Does
Hindi — Devanagari	Full Devanagari keyboard — tap Hindi characters directly
Hindi — Transliteration	Type in Roman script, get Hindi output

Add both. They serve different purposes.

1. Tap the one you want → it is added to your keyboard list
2. Done. Start typing Hindi in any app.

Switching to Hindi Keyboard

Once added, switch keyboards in any app:

• Tap the globe icon (🌐) on the bottom-left of the keyboard
• Each tap cycles through your installed keyboards: English → Hindi Devanagari → Hindi Transliteration → English
• Long-press the globe icon to see all keyboards and jump directly to one

Shortcut: If you only have English and one Hindi keyboard, a single tap on the globe switches between them.

Option 1: Hindi Devanagari Keyboard

This is the direct input method — you tap Devanagari characters on screen.

Layout Overview

The iPhone Hindi keyboard uses a modified Inscript-style layout:

Main screen: Shows the most common consonants and vowels

• Row 1: क ख ग घ ङ (velar consonants)
• Row 2: च छ ज झ ञ (palatal consonants)
• Row 3: ट ठ ड ढ ण (retroflex consonants)
• Additional pages for less common characters

Vowel marks (matras): Appear after you type a consonant

• Tap a consonant → matra bar appears above the keyboard
• Tap the appropriate matra: ा ि ी ु ू े ै ो ौ

Conjuncts: Type consonant + halant (्) + consonant

• Example: क + ् + र = क्र
• The halant key is on the number/symbol page

Tips for the Devanagari Keyboard

Tip	How
Find less common characters	Tap the "123" or "#+=" button to access additional character pages
Type anusvara (ं)	It appears in the matra bar after typing a consonant
Type chandrabindu (ँ)	Long-press the anusvara key
Type visarga (ः)	Available on the extended character page
Hindi numbers (१२३)	Switch to number page, then look for the Devanagari number toggle
Purna viram (।)	Available on the punctuation page — or long-press the period key

Option 2: Hindi Transliteration

This is the easier method for most people — type in English, get Hindi.

How Transliteration Works on iOS

1. Switch to the Hindi Transliteration keyboard (globe icon)
2. Type in Roman script: "main theek hoon"
3. iOS shows Hindi suggestions: मैं ठीक हूँ
4. Tap the suggestion or press space to accept the top suggestion

Transliteration Examples

You Type	iOS Suggests	Final Output
namaste	नमस्ते	नमस्ते
aapka naam kya hai	आपका नाम क्या है	आपका नाम क्या है
mujhe hindi mein likhna hai	मुझे हिंदी में लिखना है	मुझे हिंदी में लिखना है
bharat	भारत	भारत
shubh prabhat	शुभ प्रभात	शुभ प्रभात

Transliteration Tips

Getting the right word:

• If the first suggestion is wrong, look at the other options in the suggestion bar
• Type more letters for disambiguation: "bh" → "bha" → "bhar" narrows suggestions
• Proper nouns: capitalize the first letter to hint that it is a name

Handling English words in Hindi text:

• If you want to keep an English word while typing in transliteration mode, the suggestion bar usually shows the Roman spelling as one option — tap it
• Or switch keyboards briefly for English words

Punctuation:

• Period, comma, question mark work normally
• Hindi full stop (।) may appear as a suggestion when you type a period

Option 3: Hindi Voice Dictation

Siri's dictation engine supports Hindi and works well for casual text.

Setting Up Hindi Dictation

1. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard
2. Toggle on Enable Dictation
3. Under Dictation Languages, add Hindi

Using Hindi Voice Dictation

1. Open any text field
2. Tap the microphone icon on the keyboard (bottom-right near spacebar)
3. If it defaults to English, tap the language indicator and switch to Hindi
4. Speak in Hindi — text appears in Devanagari on screen
5. Tap the keyboard icon to stop dictation

Dictation Tips

Scenario	Accuracy
Clear Hindi, quiet room	90-94%
Mixed Hindi-English	82-88%
Background noise	65-75%
Formal/technical Hindi	83-90%

Say punctuation aloud:

• "पूर्ण विराम" → ।
• "प्रश्न चिह्न" → ?
• "अल्प विराम" → ,
• "नई पंक्ति" → (new line)

Hindi Typing on iPad

Everything above works identically on iPad, with a few bonuses:

iPad-Specific Features

Feature	How
Split keyboard	Drag keyboard apart with two fingers for thumb typing
Floating keyboard	Pinch the keyboard to shrink it and move it anywhere
External keyboard	Pair a Bluetooth keyboard and use Inscript layout
Apple Pencil + Scribble	Write Hindi by hand with Pencil (requires iPadOS 15+)

Using an External Keyboard with Hindi on iPad

1. Pair your Bluetooth keyboard
2. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Hardware Keyboard
3. Under Hindi, select your preferred layout (Devanagari - QWERTY or Devanagari - Inscript)
4. Press Control + Space to switch between English and Hindi
5. Type using the standard keyboard layout

This is the closest experience to desktop Hindi typing on iOS.

Third-Party Hindi Keyboards for iPhone

While the built-in keyboard is excellent, some third-party options offer additional features:

Keyboard	Standout Feature	Price
Gboard (Google)	Better transliteration engine, glide typing	Free
SwiftKey (Microsoft)	Superior bilingual prediction	Free
Indic Keyboard	Multiple Indian language support	Free
Lipikaar	Phonetic input optimized for Indian languages	Free/Premium

Installing Gboard on iPhone

1. Download Gboard from App Store
2. Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Gboard
3. Tap Gboard → toggle Allow Full Access (required for predictions to work)
4. Open Gboard app → Languages → Add Hindi (Transliteration) and Hindi (Devanagari)
5. Use the globe icon to switch to Gboard

Note: "Allow Full Access" sends your keystrokes to Google for prediction. If privacy is a concern, use Apple's built-in Hindi keyboard instead — it processes everything on-device.

Comparing iPhone Hindi Input Methods

Method	Speed	Accuracy	Learning Curve	Best For
Transliteration	Medium	High	None	Everyone (daily texting)
Devanagari keyboard	Fast (with practice)	Very high	1-2 weeks	Frequent Hindi typists
Voice dictation	Very fast	Medium-high	None	Long messages, hands-free
Gboard transliteration	Medium-fast	Very high	None	Better word prediction
Handwriting (iPad)	Slow	Medium	None	Occasional use, learning

Troubleshooting

Hindi Keyboard Not Appearing After Adding

1. Close the current app completely (swipe up from bottom)
2. Reopen the app and tap a text field
3. Long-press the globe icon — Hindi should appear in the list
4. If not, restart your iPhone and check Settings → Keyboard → Keyboards

Transliteration Not Showing Hindi Suggestions

• Make sure you selected "Hindi — Transliteration", not just "Hindi — Devanagari"
• Check internet connection — transliteration may need data for first-time setup
• Type at least 3-4 characters before expecting suggestions

Autocorrect Changing Hindi to English

• Go to Settings → General → Keyboard
• Toggle off Auto-Correction temporarily
• Or: when autocorrect changes a word, tap the changed word immediately — iOS shows the original as an option

Hindi Text Showing as Boxes or Question Marks

• Update iOS: Settings → General → Software Update
• iOS 14+ has full Devanagari support — boxes indicate a very old iOS version
• In rare cases, the app may not support Hindi — try a different app

Keyboard Takes Too Long to Switch

• Remove keyboards you do not use (Settings → Keyboard → Keyboards → Edit)
• Fewer keyboards = fewer taps to switch
• Keep only: English, Hindi Transliteration, and optionally Hindi Devanagari

Recommended Setup

For most Indian iPhone users who type Hindi occasionally:

1. Keep Apple's built-in English keyboard as primary
2. Add Hindi — Transliteration for quick Hindi messages
3. Enable Hindi voice dictation for longer text
4. That is it. Three tools, two minutes of setup.

If you type Hindi frequently (daily, for work or social media):

1. Install Gboard for better Hindi transliteration
2. Add Hindi — Devanagari keyboard for direct input
3. Practice the Devanagari keyboard 10 minutes daily for a week
4. You will be faster than transliteration within two weeks

Your iPhone is ready to type Hindi. You just need to flip the switch.