Quick Kibo
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How to add a custom keyboard on iPhone
The exact Settings path, why a newly installed keyboard is invisible until you add it, and what the globe key does once it is there.
Downloading a keyboard app from the App Store does not give you the keyboard. On iOS, a keyboard app installs a keyboard extension, and iOS keeps every extension switched off until you add it by hand in Settings. This is why so many people install a keyboard, open an app, tap a text field, and see the same grey Apple keyboard they had before. Nothing is broken. The keyboard simply has not been added yet.
The whole procedure takes about twenty seconds and you only do it once per keyboard.
The five steps
- Install the keyboard app from the App Store and open it once. Opening it matters: on a fresh install iOS does not always register the extension until the container app has been launched.
- Open the iOS Settings app — the grey gear icon on your Home Screen, not the settings inside the keyboard app.
- Go to General → Keyboard → Keyboards. You will see a list of what is currently active, usually just “English” and “Emoji”.
- Tap “Add New Keyboard…”. Your installed keyboards appear in a section headed “Third-Party Keyboards”, above or below Apple’s own language list depending on your iOS version.
- Tap the keyboard you want. It joins the list and can be selected in supported text fields; secure fields, phone-pad fields and apps that block third-party keyboards can still show the system keyboard.
That is the entire setup. You do not need to grant Full Access, restart the phone, or sign into anything.
Switching to it once it is added
Tap any text field to bring up the keyboard, then look at the bottom-left corner for the globe key 🌐. A single tap moves you to the next keyboard in your list. Press and hold the globe instead and iOS shows a small menu of every keyboard you have, so you can jump straight to the one you want rather than cycling through all of them.
If you only have one keyboard plus Emoji, the globe key may not appear at all — iOS only draws it when there is somewhere to switch to. Adding a third-party keyboard is usually the moment it shows up for the first time.
Changing the order
In Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards, tap Edit in the top right. Drag the handle on the right of each row to reorder. The keyboard at the top of the list is the one iOS falls back to, and the order also decides what a single globe tap cycles through — worth putting your favourite second so one tap always reaches it.
Removing a keyboard
Same screen: Edit, then the red minus next to the keyboard, then Delete. Removing it here does not delete the app. To remove it completely, delete the app from the Home Screen afterwards; iOS then drops the extension from the keyboard list automatically.
What a third-party keyboard can and cannot do
Once added, a custom keyboard can be selected in many apps that accept text, including messages, browsers and notes. Availability depends on the particular text field and the host app, so adding it does not guarantee that it appears everywhere.
Apple documents three important limits. Secure text fields show the system keyboard. Phone-pad and name-phone-pad fields also show the system keyboard. An app can decline third-party keyboards entirely. If your custom keyboard disappears in one of these places but works in a normal note, the installation may be fine; test a regular text field before changing permissions or reinstalling.
Dictation, the microphone key, and the system emoji picker also stay with Apple. Most custom keyboards ship their own emoji panel instead.
Where Kibo fits
Quick Kibo is a custom iPhone keyboard with key sounds, themes and light effects. Add it through the iOS keyboard list and select it in a supported text field. Full Access is optional for ordinary typing; the keyboard's clipboard Copy and Paste controls and its location insertion key need that permission. Location insertion also needs the app's iOS location permission. Check the installed app and current App Store listing for available effects and purchase details.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my new keyboard not appear under “Add New Keyboard”?
Almost always because the app has not been opened yet, or the install had not finished when you went into Settings. Open the app once, then back out of Settings completely and reopen it — iOS caches that screen and will show a stale list otherwise.
Do I have to delete Apple’s keyboard?
No, and you should not. Keep at least one Apple keyboard in the list. Secure text fields will fall back to it regardless, and having it there means you always have a way to type if something goes wrong.
Does adding a keyboard slow down my iPhone?
Merely adding a keyboard does not keep its extension open all the time. Loading it or using animated effects can still affect performance or battery life while it is active; the result depends on the keyboard and device.
Try it on your own keyboard
Kibo is a free custom keyboard for iPhone with real mechanical key sounds, a wardrobe of themes and RGB backlight effects. No account, no ads, and it works with Full Access left off.