Where to find the language setting on your iPhone
Go to Settings on your home screen, then tap General. Scroll down and tap Language & Region. The first option, iPhone Language, shows your current language. Tap it to see the full list of languages your phone supports.
The list is long — over 40 languages — and organized alphabetically. Find the language you want, tap it, and your iPhone will ask you to confirm. Tap Change to [Language Name] and your phone will restart to explore the change. This takes about 30 seconds.
Your keyboard language usually changes automatically when you switch your iPhone language, but not always. If you type in a language that uses a different alphabet — Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian — you may need to add that keyboard separately in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard.
Key Takeaways
- The iPhone language setting is in Settings > General > Language & Region > iPhone Language, and changing it restarts your phone.
- Your keyboard language usually follows your iPhone language, but you may need to add a keyboard manually if you type in a non-Latin script.
- Changing the iPhone language affects menus, buttons, and system text, but not the content of apps you have already downloaded.
- If you use multiple languages regularly, you can add multiple keyboards and switch between them while typing without changing your whole phone's language.
What changes when you switch languages
When you change your iPhone language, the system menus, buttons, and notifications switch to that language. The Settings app, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and all built-in Apple apps display in your new language. Your lock screen, home screen labels, and Siri all respond in the new language.
Third-party apps — the ones you downloaded from the App Store — may or may not change language. Some apps detect your iPhone language and switch automatically. Others stay in English or whatever language you first opened them in. If an app has its own language setting, you can usually find it in that app's settings, separate from your iPhone language.
When to use multiple keyboards instead of changing your whole phone
If you type in more than one language regularly, switching your entire iPhone language back and forth is slow and disruptive. A better approach is to keep your iPhone in one language and add multiple keyboards.
Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard. Tap the language you want to add — you can add as many as you need. When you type in any app, a globe icon appears at the bottom left of your keyboard. Tap it to cycle through your keyboards without restarting your phone or changing your system language.
This way your menus stay in English (or whatever your main language is), but you can type in Spanish, French, Mandarin, or any other language you have added. Each keyboard remembers its own settings — autocorrect, predictive text, and character layout.
Changing the language for specific apps
Some apps let you set their language independently of your iPhone language. Google Maps, Spotify, and Instagram are common examples. Open the app, go to its settings (usually a gear icon or menu), and look for a language or region option.
Not all apps offer this choice. If an app does not have its own language setting, it will use whatever language your iPhone is set to. If you need an app in a specific language and it does not have its own setting, your only option is to change your iPhone language.
Fixing keyboard problems after changing languages
Sometimes after you change your iPhone language, your keyboard does not switch to match. You may be typing in English but your phone expects Chinese, or vice versa. The fix is to add the keyboard you need manually.
Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard and select the language you want to type in. Once you add it, you can switch to it by tapping the globe icon on your keyboard. If you no longer need your old keyboard, you can remove it by going back to Keyboards, tapping Edit, and swiping left on the keyboard you want to delete.
Changing region settings separately from language
Your iPhone has two separate settings: iPhone Language and Region. Language controls what text you see. Region controls how dates, times, phone numbers, and currency display.
You can set these independently. For example, you can set your language to Spanish but your region to United States, so you see Spanish text but dates appear in US format (month/day/year). Go to Settings > General > Language & Region and tap Region to change it separately from your language.
Reverting to English or your original language
If you changed your iPhone language and now cannot read the menus, the process to change it back is the same. Tap Settings (the gear icon, usually in the bottom right of your home screen), then look for the second option in the list — that is General. Tap it, then tap the third option down — that is Language & Region. Tap the first option, find English or your original language in the list, and tap Change to English.
If you cannot find Settings, swipe down from the top right of your screen to open Control Center, tap the Settings icon (gear), and follow the same steps. Your phone will restart and return to English.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing my iPhone language affect my Apple ID or iCloud account?
No. Your Apple ID and iCloud account stay the same regardless of what language your iPhone displays. You can change your iPhone language as many times as you want without affecting your account, passwords, or data.
Will my text messages appear in a different language if I change my iPhone language?
No. Text messages you have already received stay in whatever language the sender wrote them in. Changing your iPhone language only affects the system menus and notifications, not the content of your messages or emails.
Can I set different languages for different users on the same iPhone?
No. iPhones do not support multiple user accounts. Each iPhone has one language setting that applies to everyone who uses it. If multiple people share one iPhone, they all see the same language.
What happens to my apps if I change my iPhone language?
Built-in Apple apps like Mail, Calendar, and Maps will switch to your new language. Third-party apps may or may not change — it depends on whether the app developer built in language support. Check the app's own settings to see if it has a language option.
Can I use voice commands in a different language if I change my iPhone language?
Yes. Siri will listen and respond in whatever language your iPhone is set to. You can also add multiple languages to Siri in Settings > Siri & Search > Language if you want Siri to understand more than one language.