How to Turn Off Typing Sounds on an iPhone

By default, every iPhone plays a distinct, subtle “click” sound every time your finger taps a letter on the digital keyboard. This auditory feedback is a skeuomorphic design choice intended to mimic the feel of a physical, mechanical keyboard, reassuring your brain that the keystroke was successfully registered on the flat glass screen.

While some users find this satisfying, the constant rapid-fire clicking can be incredibly annoying in a quiet office, a library, or while lying in bed next to a sleeping partner. You do not need to keep your phone on silent mode all day just to mute the keyboard; you can turn the typing sounds off permanently in the settings.

Method 1: The Permanent Settings Toggle (Recommended)

If you want the keyboard to remain silent forever, regardless of whether your phone is on ring or vibrate, you must disable the feature deep within the Sounds menu.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down slightly and tap on Sounds & Haptics.
3. Scroll down past the ringtone volume sliders to the section labeled “System Sounds & Haptics.”
4. Look for the option labeled Keyboard Feedback and tap it.
5. You will see two toggle switches:
   • Sound: This controls the audible clicking noise. Toggle this switch to the OFF position.
   • Haptic: This controls the physical, subtle vibration (the “thump” you feel) when you press a key. Many users turn the sound off but leave Haptic on, as it provides the physical reassurance of typing without the annoying noise.

The change is instantaneous. The next time you open Messages or Safari and begin typing, the keyboard will operate in complete silence.

Method 2: Using the Physical Silent Switch (The Temporary Fix)

If you generally like the clicking sounds when you are at home, but need to quickly silence the phone because you just walked into a meeting or a movie theater, use the physical hardware switch.

• Look at the upper left edge of your iPhone (above the volume buttons).
• Flick the small Ring/Silent switch so that the orange indicator line is visible.

When the phone is in Silent Mode, all system sounds are muted, including incoming text tones, ringtones, and the keyboard clicking sounds. When you leave the meeting, simply flick the switch back, and the keyboard clicks will return.

(Note: If you have an iPhone 15 Pro with the solid-state Action Button, you must press and hold the Action button to enter Silent Mode, provided you haven’t remapped the button to a different function).

Why Are Third-Party Keyboards Still Clicking?

If you followed Method 1, but you notice your phone is still clicking when you type in a specific app, you are likely using a third-party keyboard like Google’s Gboard, Microsoft SwiftKey, or Grammarly.

The “Keyboard Feedback” setting in iOS only governs the default Apple keyboard. Third-party keyboards operate under their own independent rules. To silence them, you must open that specific app.

For example, if you use Gboard:

1. Open the standalone Gboard app on your iPhone home screen.
2. Tap on Keyboard Settings.
3. Look for the toggle labeled Play sound on keypress.
4. Turn the toggle to the OFF position.