How To Disable Lowercase Keyboard On iOS
Sometimes I’d be compelled to text using someone else’s phone, as when my phone has no cellular network signal or battery charge. Sometimes that other person’s phone is an Android smartphone, in which case I’m sure to notice a certain distraction while texting. I’m referring to the way the keys on the virtual keyboard would go back and forth between uppercase and lowercase letters when the Shift key is tapped.
It was much to my chagrin, then, when I discovered in iOS 9 that Apple had begun displaying lowercase keys on the iOS keyboard — as opposed to keeping the keys uppercase at all times, regardless of the engagement of the Shift key. By all accounts, this was done by Apple to combat confusion among users with regard to the true state of the Shift key.
Fortunately, there’s a way to keep things (and by “things” I mean those keys) back to the way they were. Just read on to find out how, along with additional tips to customize the behavior of your iOS device’s keyboard.
Stop the iOS keyboard from switching to lowercase
Get rid of lowercase keys
If you think you need to download a third-party keyboard just to limit your iOS keyboard’s appearance to uppercase letters only, think again. Actually, all you have to do is toggle a particular switch in the Settings app.
Now, if you think that the switch in question is located in the Keyboard section under General in Settings (i.e., Settings > General > Keyboard), think again. Apparently, Apple deems the alternation of the iOS keyboard between uppercase and lowercase letters as more of a matter of accessibility, and hence its corresponding option is found deeper within General in Settings, specifically, in the Keyboard section under Accessibility (i.e., Settings > General > Accessibility > Keyboard).
And so, without further ado, here are the steps you simply have to follow to stop your iOS device’s virtual keyboard from switching between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Launch the Settings app from the home screen of your iOS device.
Find the option labeled General and tap it.
Find the option labeled Accessibility and tap it.
Find the option labeled Keyboard and tap it.
Tip: Right after opening the Settings app, scroll to the top and enter “keyboard” in the search bar. Then, tap the search result with the title “Keyboard” and the subtitle “General → Accessibility” to go directly to the Keyboard section under Accessibility.
Tap the switch opposite Show Lowercase Keys to turn it off.
And that’s it. Your iOS device’s keyboard will no longer switch between uppercase and lowercase letters when the shift key is engaged. Rather, it will only display uppercase letter keys, just as it had always done pre-iOS 9.
Note: Whether case-switching is enabled or not, the Shift key is designed so that it and its arrow icon are both gray when it is not engaged, but it turns white while its arrow icon turns black when it is engaged, and its arrow icon is additionally underscored when Caps Lock is activated.
Stop the keys on the iOS keyboard from popping up
Get rid of character preview
Another keyboard-related setting introduced in iOS 9 is the option for disabling the pop-up effect that happens on the keyboard when keys are pressed. Or as Apple likes to call it, “character preview” — a term which I find rather off the mark since it doesn’t offer a preview so much as a confirmation of the character being typed.
Anyway, character preview is not available on iPad, apparently because the keys are big enough to be seen even when being tapped. But it’s always been available on iPhone and iPod touch, where the smaller keys are far more likely to be obscured by typing fingers.
But if you find character preview more distracting than helpful, or if you just find it unnecessary especially given the relatively larger keys on larger iPhone models, you can easily turn it off. And you can find the appropriate setting right where you might expect to find it.
Launch the Settings app from the home screen of your iOS device.
Find the option labeled General and tap it.
Find the option labeled Keyboard and tap it.
Tip: Right after opening the Settings app, scroll to the top and enter “keyboard” in the search bar. Then, tap the search result with the title “Keyboard” and the subtitle “General” to go directly to the Keyboard section under General.
Tap the switch opposite Character Preview to turn it off.
With Character Preview disabled, keys no longer pop up off the keyboard when tapped. Rather, as on iPad, keys are merely highlighted or shaded when tapped.
The Keyboard section under General, where you can toggle Character Preview, is also where you can toggle a number of other keyboard-related options. These include Auto-Capitalization (for the automatic capitalization of words at the beginning of sentences), Auto-Correction (for the automatic correction of misspelled or mistyped words), Enable Caps Lock (for typing in capital letters when the Shift key is double-tapped), Predictive (for the use of predictive words and phrases through an additional row at the top of the keyboard), and “.” Shortcut (for the automatic typing of a period when the space bar is double-tapped).
