How to Make Your Keyboard Bigger (iPhone and Android)

Mobile phone keyboards are too tiny. If you frequently have trouble seeing characters or keep hitting the wrong keys, then increasing the size of the keyboard makes a world of difference.

Although there isn’t much screen real estate to work with, this tutorial will walk you through several methods to make the on-screen keyboard bigger on your iPhone or Android.

How to Make the iPhone Keyboard Bigger

If you use the default keyboard for the Apple iPhone, you can zoom in on the display, switch to horizontal orientation, or activate bold text to make the keys bigger and easier to see.

Enable Zoomed View on iPhone

Zoomed view enlarges the default size of the iPhone keyboard, including the entire iOS user interface (buttons, menus, icons, etc.) and the apps that run on it.

To enable Zoomed view:

1. Open the iPhone’s Settings app.
2. Enter the Display & Brightness category.
3. Scroll down and tap Display Zoom.

4. Switch the Display Zoom view from Default to Larger Text.
5. Tap Done.
6. Tap Use Zoomed on the confirmation pop-up.

Your iPhone’s screen should momentarily darken while it switches to Zoomed view.

If you don’t like how everything appears zoomed in, you can always switch to the Default display setting via Settings > Display & Brightness > Display Zoom.

Use iPhone in Horizontal View

Almost every app on your iPhone works in horizontal orientation (a.k.a. landscape view). That enlarges the keyboard, minimizing typing errors.

Just hold your iOS device sideways to enter landscape view. The keyboard should also expand to automatically fill the screen’s width whenever you invoke it.

If your iPhone fails to work in horizontal orientation:

1. Swipe down the top-right of the iPhone’s screen to open the Control Center.
2. Make sure that the Portrait Orientation Lock icon (lock with a circling arrow) is inactive.

Note: iOS does not support landscape view for the iPhone’s Home Screen, so you can’t use the horizontal version of the keyboard while interacting with, say, Spotlight Search.

Enable Bold Text on iPhone

Enabling bold text on the iPhone does not make the keyboard bigger but impacts the text size and improves character visibility.

To enable bold text:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Display & Brightness.
3. Enable the switch next to Bold Text.

Bold text applies to all text you see on your iPhone. If you don’t like that, you can always switch back to normal text via the Display & Brightness screen.

What About Third-Party Keyboard Apps for iPhone?

Popular third-party keyboards for the iPhone—such as Gboard and Microsoft SwiftKey—do not provide additional options to increase the key size. However, the App Store features several keyboards that offer such functionality but from lesser-known developers—e.g., TuneKey and ReBoard.

As an example, here’s how to increase the key size in ReBoard:

1. Download and install ReBoard.
2. Open the ReBoard app, tap Start Installation, and follow all on-screen prompts to add the keyboard to your iPhone.

3. Tap on a text input area to invoke Reboard.
4. Tap the Settings icon on the lower left corner of the keyboard.
5. Tap the Plus icon next to Keyboard Size.

Privacy Warning: Before installing a third-party keyboard, review the app’s data collection policies (scroll down the App Store page) and make sure they don’t violate your privacy and security.

How to Make Keyboard Bigger on Android Devices

If you use Google’s default Gboard on your Android phone, you can increase the display size, raise the keyboard height, or switch to horizontal view to make the keys bigger.

Increase the Android Display Size

Android lets you increase the display size to make the user interface and the keyboard appear larger. To do that:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Display.
3. Scroll down and tap Display size and text.
4. Use the slider next to Display size to make everything (including the keyboard) bigger or smaller.

Increase the Gboard Height

Gboard for Android allows you to increase the keyboard height to minimize typing errors. To do that:

1. Tap on any text input field to bring up the Gboard—e.g., start composing a new message.
2. Tap the Gear icon on the top right corner of the keyboard.
3. Tap Preferences.

4. Tap Keyboard height.
5. Pick an option to increase the keyboard size—e.g., Mid-tall, Tall, Extra-tall.

Activate Bold Text on Android

You can activate bold text on the iPhone to make keys easier to see. To do that:

1. Open the Settings app on Android.
2. Go to Display > Display size and text.
3. Turn on the switch next to Bold text.

Use Android Device in Horizontal Orientation

Another way to make the Gboard bigger and more accessible to see is to hold your Android phone in horizontal orientation.

If the Android user interface fails to switch to landscape view, open the App Drawer (swipe down from the top of the screen) and make sure that Auto-Rotate is off.

What About Third-Party Keyboards for Android?

Unlike on iOS, most third-party keyboards for Android feature separate settings that let you increase the keyboard size. As an example, here’s how to access them in Microsoft SwiftKey:

1. Download and install Microsoft SwiftKey.
2. Open the Microsoft SwiftKey app, tap Enable SwiftKey, and follow all on screen instructions to activate the keyboard.

3. Visit the SwiftKey keyboard settings screen and tap Layout & keys.
4. Tap Resize.
5. Drag the surrounding handles to adjust the keyboard size.

Android keyboards from OEMs (original equipment manufacturers)—like Samsung—also allow you to change the key size. For example, if you use the Samsung Keyboard, you can visit the phone’s keyboard management screen via its Settings app to make the keyboard bigger.

It’s Now Easier to Type On Your iPhone or Android

A larger keyboard goes a long way toward reducing typos and increasing typing speed on mobile devices, and the various methods and workarounds above should help you with that. Use a third-party keyboard app on your iPhone or Android if you need more customization options.