iOS 18 Gets Indian Language Keyboard, Siri, Search, Translation Upgrades

After announcing the iOS 18 update for iPhones at its annual WWDC conference in June, Apple has released two developer betas so far. Users have begun discovering plenty of subtle features and design improvements beyond the scope of Apple’s launch presentation. Although the final release for consumers isn’t expected till at least September, the company has now released in-depth information about what users in India can expect in terms of local language capabilities and customisation options. Here are some of the biggest changes coming to iOS 18, specifically for users in India.

Trilingual Predictive Keyboard

The iOS 18 keyboard will allow users to type phonetically in up to three languages using the standard English keyboard layout. Autocomplete and swipe-typing suggestions will show emojis based on language recognition as well as word replacement options in Indian language scripts. In the Messages app, language preferences will be preserved for each conversation, to help users communicate with different people using different typing styles. The phonetic keyboard supports Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu in addition to English. This will be available on the iPhone 12 and later

Moreover, 11 Indian language keyboards will now have alphabetical-order layouts with vowel and conjunction character keys appearing dynamically as needed. Users who want to type in Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu will benefit from this.

Lock Screen and Contact Posters

Your iPhone lock screen will be able to show the time in Indic languages, with adjustable fonts, thickness and colours. Arabic, Arabic Indic, Bangla, Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Malayalam, Meitei, Odia, Ol Chiki, and Telugu scripts are supported. Caller names can also be displayed in these languages when a user creates their own Contact Poster.

Search and Siri

iOS search now recognises words in Assamese, Bangla, Devanagari and Gujarati that might have multiple spelling variations with conjunction characters or accents. This means users don’t have to worry about exactly how a word was written in any of these scripts. Siri has also been given better localisation capabilities. It can answer Hindi questions with Hindi answers, or users can force it to respond only in English. Users can control iPhone features and search for information using a mix of English and Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil or Telugu words which should help with getting directions and speaking more naturally using common words and phrases. 

It is not yet known how the much-hyped Apple Intelligence features will work in Indian and other global languages, and what Apple’s timeline will be for rolling out wider support.

Translation and Transcription

The preloaded iOS Translate app will support Hindi in iOS 18. This also powers system-wide language tools, such as translation in Safari and Notes. Live voicemail transcription and live caller ID will be available in Indian English, and users will be able to search their call history and contacts from the dialler screen using T9 typing on the numeric keypad.

Another change that should be particularly useful for Indian iPhone users is easier SIM switching from the new customisable Control Centre overlay. Apple announced a slew of customisation and functionality updates coming to iOS 18, though not all iPhones currently in use will be able to support all of them.