iOS 16 quietly added native Dvorak keyboard support, delighting weirdos like me - The Verge

Here’s a amusive iOS 16 diagnostic that’s astir wholly slipped nether our radar: autochthonal enactment for the Dvorak keyboard layout. Ars Technica reported this week that the touch-typing optimized keyboard tin present beryllium selected successful Apple’s bundle alongside the much accepted QWERTY, AZERTY, and QWERTZ layouts. Previously, Dvorak connected iOS has lone been disposable via an external carnal keyboard, oregon third-party software.

Although I’ve gone connected the grounds arsenic being a arrogant Dvorak idiosyncratic for implicit a decade, erstwhile it comes to touchscreen keyboards I’ve ever been blessed with QWERTY. The main payment of Dvorak is the mode it shares the workload arsenic betwixt each of your fingers erstwhile touch-typing. It places each the vowels connected the near broadside of the keyboard’s location row, and each the astir commonly-used consonants are connected the right, making them quicker and easier to reach.

But connected a smartphone keyboard you’re not utilizing each your fingers, you’re lone typing with your thumbs. And, if anything, I deliberation that makes it adjuvant that QWERTY weirdly spaces retired each the astir commonly utilized letters. Less accidental for thumb clash, you know?

As you tin spot from the screenshot astatine the apical of this story, the Dvorak layout looks a small unusual connected iOS due to the fact that of the missing keys connected the apical near of the keyboard. That’s due to the fact that those usually grip punctuation (the apostrophe, comma, and period, to beryllium precise) which the iPhone keyboard hides distant successful a sub-menu. After trying to usage it for 5 minutes I deliberation I’m going to instrumentality to QWERTY, but consciousness escaped to springiness it a spell if you’ve got much patience.

Still, it’s bully to spot the iPhone getting a small Dvorak love, and it seems Steve Wozniak agrees. Ars notes that the Apple co-founder has utilized the layout for astir 30 years, aft learning Dvorak from everyone’s favourite fake typing teacher connected a formation to Tokyo successful the aboriginal 90s. “I spent 5 hours learning it and ne'er again looked astatine a QWERTY keyboard,” helium told Ars. “That’s each it took.”

Apple has agelong supported the Dvorak layout connected Mac computers with a elemental bundle toggle, but, arsenic pointed retired by Ars, the 1984 Apple IIc went arsenic acold arsenic including a dedicated hardware fastener to hop betwixt QWERTY and Dvorak connected US models (elsewhere successful the satellite the aforesaid fastener seemingly changed the keyboard betwixt the section layout and a modular US keyboard).

To springiness Dvorak a spell connected iOS 16, unfastened your iPhone’s Settings, past spell to General, Keyboard, and yet “Keyboards.” Select your language, and you should spot Dvorak listed arsenic 1 of the disposable layout options.