Whether you’ve just moved to a new country, you’re learning a new language, or you accidentally set your iPhone to a language you don’t understand—changing the language on your iPhone is easier than you might think. Apple’s iOS system is designed to be intuitive and multilingual, offering dozens of language options right at your fingertips.
In this comprehensive 2000-word guide, we’ll walk you through how to change the language on your iPhone step-by-step, including how to set different languages for individual apps, manage keyboards, change region settings, and even troubleshoot common language-related issues.
Let’s dive into how you can master language settings on your iPhone like a pro.
Table of Contents
- Why You Might Need to Change Your iPhone Language
- How Language Settings Work on iPhone
- Step-by-Step: How to Change the System Language
- How to Change the Language for Individual Apps
- Changing the Keyboard Language
- Switching Siri’s Language and Voice
- Changing the Region Format
- Using Language Preferences in Safari
- Managing Language for Accessibility
- How to Revert Back if You Don’t Understand the New Language
- Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Final Tips for Multilingual iPhone Users
- Conclusion
1. Why You Might Need to Change Your iPhone Language
There are several practical and personal reasons why someone might want to change the language on their iPhone:
- You’ve moved to a new country or region.
- You’re learning a new language and want to practice it.
- A family member or friend set your phone to a different language by accident.
- You bought or received a used iPhone with settings in a foreign language.
- You want certain apps to display content in different languages.
Luckily, Apple offers one of the most language-flexible mobile operating systems out there.
2. How Language Settings Work on iPhone
Apple’s iOS uses a primary language setting for the entire system and also allows secondary languages for individual apps, keyboards, and dictation. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- System Language: Affects all menus, system apps, settings, notifications, and more.
- App Language: Some apps allow you to set a language different from the system default.
- Keyboard Language: Dictates which keyboard layout appears when typing.
- Region Format: Affects date, time, currency, and number formatting.
Understanding these levels will help you manage your phone more effectively.
3. Step-by-Step: How to Change the System Language
Let’s go through the standard way to change your iPhone’s main language:
Steps:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap General.
- Tap Language & Region.
- Tap iPhone Language.
- A list of available languages will appear. Tap the one you want.
- Confirm your choice by tapping Change to [Selected Language].
- Wait a few seconds for your iPhone to update the language system-wide.
Your device will now switch all system menus, Apple apps, and interface text to the selected language.
📝 Note: You may need to restart your iPhone for some language changes to take full effect.
4. How to Change the Language for Individual Apps
Some apps (especially from Apple and major developers) allow you to override the system language.
Steps:
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap the name of the app (e.g., Safari, WhatsApp).
- Tap Language.
- Choose a different language from the list.
This is especially useful if you use one language for work and another for personal use.
5. Changing the Keyboard Language
Switching keyboard languages lets you type in multiple languages with appropriate autocorrect and suggestions.
To Add a New Keyboard:
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard.
- Tap Keyboards > Add New Keyboard.
- Select the language you want to add.
To Switch Keyboards While Typing:
- Tap the globe icon on the bottom-left of the keyboard to cycle through your enabled keyboards.
You can also hold down the globe icon to see all keyboards and switch directly.
6. Switching Siri’s Language and Voice
Want Siri to speak and understand a different language? Here’s how to adjust it:
Steps:
- Go to Settings > Siri & Search.
- Tap Language.
- Select the language and region combination you prefer.
- Then go back and tap Siri Voice to choose the voice style and accent.
⚠️ Note: Changing Siri’s language will reset voice recognition data and require retraining.
This setting is helpful if you’re bilingual or prefer Siri in a different accent.
7. Changing the Region Format
Language and region are separate settings. You might speak English but live in a country that uses different formats for time, currency, and dates.
To Change Region:
- Open Settings > General > Language & Region.
- Tap Region.
- Choose your desired region.
- Confirm and wait for the changes to apply.
This impacts how dates are shown (DD/MM/YYYY vs. MM/DD/YYYY), currency symbols, and more.
8. Using Language Preferences in Safari
If you read websites in multiple languages, you can set Safari to prioritize your preferred languages.
How to Do It:
- Go to Settings > Safari.
- Tap Preferred Language.
- Add or remove languages based on your browsing needs.
Safari will automatically try to display websites in your chosen languages, when possible.
9. Managing Language for Accessibility
If you’re assisting someone with accessibility needs (like voice control or text-to-speech), setting the correct language is essential.
VoiceOver Language:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver.
- Tap Speech.
- Choose a voice and language.
This ensures spoken feedback is delivered in the correct language for the user.
10. How to Revert Back if You Don’t Understand the New Language
Accidentally set your iPhone to a language you don’t understand? Here’s how to fix it:
Visual Guide to Revert:
- Open the Settings app (look for the gear icon).
- Tap the third option from the top (General).
- Scroll down and tap Language & Region (usually 6th option).
- Tap the first option (iPhone Language).
- Choose English or your preferred language.
- Confirm with the blue button.
If you’re unsure, using another phone to mirror the layout can help.
11. Troubleshooting Common Issues
📌 Issue 1: My app is still in the old language.
- Not all apps support multiple languages.
- Try force-closing and reopening the app after changing the system language.
📌 Issue 2: Keyboard won’t switch languages.
- Make sure multiple keyboards are enabled.
- Try holding the globe icon to switch manually.
📌 Issue 3: Siri not responding in the new language.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Retrain voice recognition under Settings > Siri & Search > Listen for “Hey Siri”.
📌 Issue 4: Some menus still show the old language.
- This can happen during partial updates.
- Restart your phone or update to the latest iOS version.
12. Final Tips for Multilingual iPhone Users
- Enable multiple keyboards to switch languages while typing.
- Use dictation in different languages—just switch keyboards and speak.
- Use Safari’s translate feature when reading foreign-language websites.
- Set different languages for different apps if you’re multilingual in daily life.
- Use Focus Mode or Shortcuts to create language-specific settings based on your location or time of day.
13. Conclusion
Changing the language on your iPhone is a simple yet powerful way to personalize your device and make it more usable, especially in a global world where many people speak more than one language. Whether you’re practicing Spanish, switching to your native tongue, or just exploring new features, iOS gives you the tools to make it happen seamlessly.
From the system language to Siri’s voice and even individual apps, you now have full control over your iPhone’s multilingual capabilities.
So go ahead—change that language setting and make your iPhone truly speak your language!
Would you like a custom thumbnail or short YouTube description for this article too?