Customising Your iOS Experience
Whether you are learning a new language, are bilingual, or have recently purchased a used iPhone that was previously set up in a foreign country, you might need to change the primary language used across the entire iOS operating system.
When you change the language on an iPhone, it doesn’t just change the text in the main Settings menus. It automatically translates the names of your built-in apps (like Maps, Notes, and Weather), alters the default keyboard dictionary, and even changes the language used by Siri and voice dictation. Furthermore, third-party apps downloaded from the App Store (like Facebook or WhatsApp) will automatically detect this system-wide change and immediately update their own menus to match your newly selected language.
Switching your iPhone to a new dialect takes less than a minute, and you can switch back at any time without losing any data or personal files.
How to Change the Primary System Language
Apple places the language settings directly inside the main General menu.
- Unlock your iPhone and open the Settings app (the icon that looks like silver gears).
- Scroll down the page and tap on General (look for the icon with a single gear).
- Scroll down again and tap on Language & Region.
- At the very top of this screen, tap on Add Language…
- A search bar and a massive list of dialects will appear. You can either scroll through the alphabetical list or type the name of the language you want (e.g., “Spanish” or “Español”) directly into the top search bar.
- Tap the language you wish to add.
A pop-up alert will immediately appear at the bottom of the screen, asking you to confirm your choice. It will say something like, “Would you like to use Spanish as your primary language?”
Tap Use [Your Chosen Language].
Your iPhone screen will instantly go completely black for a few seconds, displaying only the white Apple logo. This is normal. The operating system is rapidly applying the new text files across the device. When the screen turns back on, your iPhone will be completely translated.
How to Manage Multiple Preferred Languages
If you are bilingual, you might prefer the main operating system to be in English, but you want certain specific websites or third-party apps to display in French if they do not support English.
Apple allows you to create a “Preferred Language Order.” This is a ranked list. If an app you download does not support your number one language, the iPhone will automatically check if it supports your number two language, and use that instead.
- Go back to Settings > General > Language & Region.
- Under the “Preferred Languages” header, you will see a list of every language you have added to the phone.
- To change the priority order, press and hold the three horizontal lines (the hamburger icon) on the far right side of a language.
- Drag the language up or down the list.
The language sitting at the absolute top of the list will always be the primary language used by the main iPhone operating system.
How to Remove a Language
If your list of preferred languages has become cluttered, or you accidentally added the wrong dialect (e.g., you added French Canadian instead of France French), you can easily delete it from the system memory.
- In the Language & Region menu, look at your list of Preferred Languages.
- Place your finger on the language you wish to delete and swipe left across the screen.
- A red Delete button will appear on the right side.
- Tap the red button.
Note: You cannot delete the language sitting at the very top of the list. If you want to delete your primary language, you must first drag a different language to the top spot to replace it.
