To dictate in any app on your iPhone, you need to add the Subtle keyboard to iOS and then activate it in a text field. This only needs to be done once.
Step 1: Add the Subtle keyboard
- In the Subtle app, go to Finish your setup and tap Add Subtle Keyboard.
- iOS opens the Settings app. In Subtle's permissions, enable each item on the checklist:
- Bluetooth — for pairing and connection
- Microphone — for voice capture
- Speech Recognition — for transcription
- Keyboards → enable Subtle in the keyboard list, and enable Allow Full Access
- Return to the Subtle app. You should see Keyboard added confirmed.
What "Allow Full Access" means: iOS requires Full Access for third-party keyboards to communicate with the companion app for dictation processing. Without it, the keyboard cannot pass audio to Subtle for transcription. Subtle's Privacy Policy governs how your data is handled.
- Don't see Subtle in the Keyboards list? Try reinstalling the app, then repeat the steps above.
- Toggles won't enable? Confirm you're in Settings → Subtle. Screen Time restrictions may require a parent/admin device to approve the change.
Step 2: Activate the keyboard in a text field
Adding the keyboard is only half the setup — you also need to switch to it in a text field before dictation becomes available.
- Open any app with a text field — Messages, Notes, Mail, or any browser address bar.
- Tap inside the text field so the keyboard appears.
- Tap the 🌐 globe key at the bottom-left of the keyboard to cycle through your installed keyboards.
- Keep tapping until you see the Subtle keyboard (it shows the Subtle mic button).
- Return to the Subtle app — it should confirm Keyboard is ready to use.
- You only need to activate it once — after that, the globe key switches to Subtle on subsequent taps.
- You can switch back to your regular keyboard at any time by tapping the globe key again.
- Keyboard added but dictation still doesn't work? Make sure you completed Step 2 — the keyboard must be activated in a text field at least once.