How to make a keyboard like on iPhone on Xiaomi smartphone: the full guide

You’re used to the handy iPhone keyboard with its distinctive design, smooth animations and intuitive gestures, but you use a Xiaomi smartphone? Good news: it’s quite possible to transfer the printing experience from iOS to Android — and you don’t need to buy a new iPhone. In this article, we’ll break down three working ways to install an iPhone-style keyboard on Redmi, POCO or Mi devices, compare their pros and cons, and give you tips for setting up for maximum comfort.

It’s important to understand that there’s no full-fledged iOS keyboard emulation on Android — Apple doesn’t provide official tools to port its services. However, third-party developers have created apps that replicate the look, sounds, and even some of the features of the original keyboard. We’ve tested dozens of options and selected the best solutions that work on MIUI (including the latest versions of MIUI 14/15).

Before you get to the instructions, check if your device supports keyboard installation from Google Play. Some Xiaomi models (especially Chinese versions) may have limited access to third-party keyboards, in which case you will need to unlock the bootloader or install via APK.

1. Method: Install the iOS Keyboard (the easiest)

The iOS Keyboard app from developer iKeyboard is one of the most popular solutions for simulating the iPhone keyboard on Android. It copies not only the design, but also the sounds of pressing, vibration, and also supports gestures (such as swipe to delete words).

To establish:

• 📱 Open Google Play and find the iOS Keyboard: iPhone Emoji app (iKeyboard Team developer).
• 🔽 So, take it and set it up. ~25MB).
• ⚙️ After installation, go to Settings → System system → Language and input → Virtual keyboard.
• 🔄 Include iOS Keyboard in the list of available keyboards.
• 🖊️ Return to any input field (such as Notes) and hold your finger on the keyboard icon in the bottom bar – select iOS Keyboard.

When you first start, the app will prompt you to select a theme.

• 🌓 Light Mode (light theme, like on iPhone by default).
• 🌑 Dark Mode (a dark theme similar to iOS 17).
• 🎨 Custom (hand-tuning colors).

Make sure the keyboard is activated in Android settings

Select your preferred theme (light/dark)

Set up the click sounds in the app menu

Check the work of emoji (should open with a long press on the 😊)

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The app supports Russian, but some features (such as text prediction) are worse than the original Apple keyboard, and there is no full synchronization with iCloud – saved words and phrases will not be transferred automatically.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) The keyboard can slow down when you type fast. MIUI For the standard Google keyboard, the solution is to disable animations in the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers → Scale of window animation and select No animation).

2. Method: Gboard with iPhone theme (alternative for minimalists)

If you don’t need all the features of the iOS keyboard, just the look and feel, you can get by with a standard Gboard with a theme installed, which doesn’t require third-party apps to be installed and is more stable than emulators.

Instructions:

1. Install Gboard from Google Play (if not already installed).
2. Open any field to enter text, click on the keyboard icon in the bottom panel and select Gboard.
3. Touch the badge. ⚙️ (settings) on the keyboard → Topics.
4. Search for iPhone or iOS, select your favorite theme (e.g., "iOS 16 Light" or "Minimal iPhone").
5. Apply the topic and check the result.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 Stable operation without lags (unlike third-party keyboards).
• 🌍 Full support of the Russian language and text prediction.
• 🔒 Security – Gboard is developed by Google, there is no risk of data leakage.

Disadvantages:

• 🎨 Limited Customization – You can’t change sounds or animations.
• 📱 No gestures (such as swipe to delete a word).

Standard MIUI

Gboard

iOS Keyboard (emulator)

Another (I will write in the comments)-->

3. Method: Manual creation of theme for SwiftKey (for advanced)

If you like SwiftKey, but you want it to look like an iPhone, you can create a custom theme, which takes longer, but gives you maximum flexibility.

Steps:

1. Install SwiftKey from Google Play.
2. Open the SwiftKey app (not the keyboard!) and go to Themes → Build your theme.
3. Choose an empty theme and set up: 🎨 Background color: #F2F2F7 (Light grey, like on an iPhone). ⚪ Keyboard color: #FFFFFF (white-coloured). 🔤 Color of text: #000000 (black). 🔘 Keyform: Rounded (like in iOS).

Save the topic and apply it.

For the same, you can download iOS-style emoji icons and install them through the iFont app (available on Google Play), but this process requires root rights or ADB-Teams that can be risky for beginners.

4. Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

To make it easier for you to determine, we have compiled a table with a comparison of all methods:

If you want to be as close as possible to an iPhone and you're willing to put up with possible lags, choose iOS Keyboard. If stability and predictive quality are the priority, stay with Gboard with the theme. SwiftKey is suitable for those who like customization and are willing to take the time to set up.

5. Gesture adjustment and additional chips

To make the keyboard on Xiaomi work almost like on the iPhone, configure the following options:

• 👆 Gesture to delete word: In iOS Keyboard, Backspace swipe left removes the word as a whole (like on iPhone). → Seal. → Gesture removal.
• 🔊 Pressing sounds: In iOS Keyboard, go to App Settings → Keyboard sounds and select "iPhone Click." In Gboard, the sounds are included in Settings. → Pressed sound.
• 🌐 Language bar: On iPhone, language swipe is swiped over space. In Gboard, you can configure this in Settings → Languages → Swipe by space for language change.
• 📱 Vibration: In iOS Keyboard, vibration can be adjusted in the app settings. In Gboard, vibration is enabled in Settings. → Press vibration.

If you’re using iOS Keyboard, look for the “iPhone Cursor” feature, which allows you to move your cursor while holding your finger on a space (like the real iPhone).

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To prevent the keyboard from moving when dialing in messengers (for example, WhatsApp or Telegram), turn off the option of the floating keyboard in the Gboard or iOS Keyboard settings.

Possible problems and solutions

When installing an iPhone-style keyboard on Xiaomi, the following difficulties may arise:

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI For the Chinese market (e.g. Xiaomi) 13 Pro CN) Third-party keyboards may be blocked, and the solution is to change the firmware region to the global one. ROM) or installing through ADB The Adb shell ime enable com.ikeyboard.ios.keyboard/.IOSKeyboard This method requires an unlocked bootloader and can result in a data reset!

Other common problems:

• 🚫 Keyboard does not appear in the list: Reboot your phone and check if the option to Show all keyboards in Settings is enabled → System system → Language and input.
• 🐢 Lags when typing: Turn off animations in the developer settings (see section 1) or clear the keyboard app cache.
• 🔕 No sounds: Make sure the phone settings do not turn off the keys (Settings) → Sound. → Systemic sounds).
• 📵 Emojis don’t work: In iOS Keyboard, go to Settings → Emoji and select the package "iOS 16 Emoji".

If the keyboard is unstable after installation (for example, disappears when switching applications), try:

1. Clear the application data (Settings → Applications → iOS Keyboard → Storage → Clear the data).
2. Reset the keyboard.
3. Turn off energy saving for the keyboard (Settings → Battery → Power saving mode → Apps → iOS Keyboard → No restrictions).

7. Alternative applications (if nothing fits)

If none of the above methods suit you, try these alternatives:

• 🍎 iKeyboard – iOS 17 Style: More modern version with support for dynamic wallpaper (like iOS 17).
• ⌨️ Go Keyboard: Old but tested keyboard with the theme "iPhone X Style".
• 🎨 Chroom: Minimalist keyboard with support for iOS-style themes (paid, but no ads).
• 🤖 AI.type Keyboard: Flexible look and feel settings, including iPhone imitation.

Check reviews before installing – some keyboards may contain ads or collect data. We recommend sticking to proven solutions: iOS Keyboard or Gboard.

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On Xiaomi devices with a Snapdragon processor (for example, the Redmi K60 Pro), third-party keyboards work more stable than on models with MediaTek (for example, the Redmi Note 12).

FAQ: Frequent questions