How can I install a (phonetic) hebrew keyboard?

There is no way for users to install custom keyboards in any iOS device. You might search the app store to see if there is a Hebrew Qwerty keyboard app which may be useful for some purposes (via copy/paste, etc).

To ask Apple to add this, go to

http://www.apple.com/feedback

(Hebrew qwerty IS available if you want to use a bluetooth hardware keyboard with your phone)

oub.oub.oub wrote:

if I use an external bluetooth keyboard for the iphone (BTW the logitech keyboard for the ipad does not work)

how can I then select the hebrew phonetic?

You tap on Hebrew in the keyboard list in settings, and then choose Hebrew qwerty under the Hardware category of the menu that comes up.

oub.oub.oub wrote:

so the following keyboard should work??? (to make sure before buying it)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EOWBKE/?tag=thewire06-20

It should. If it doesn't, just return it.

You should be able to see the iphone setting for Hebrew Qwerty in the Hardware section of the keyboard settings already right now without any bluetooth. Is that not the case for you?

oub.oub.oub wrote:

when this option activated, it does not change how the internal iphone hebrew keyboard behaves, but it is suppose to change the bluetooth keyboard?!

Yes, that is exactly how it works. iOS keyboard layout settings always have two categories: The top one (named "software") is for the internal screen keyboard, the bottom one (named "hardware") is for hardware keyboards.

If you want something added to the top category, you have to ask Apple via feedback. If you want to use a layout in the bottom category, you need to connect a bluetooth keyboard.

I don't know why Apple has not already done this yet for Hebrew -- many keyboards have qwerty, azerty, and qwertz screen variations to accomodate English, French, and German users. Perhaps not enough feedback.

Tom Gewecke wrote:

oub.oub.oub wrote:

when this option activated, it does not change how the internal iphone hebrew keyboard behaves, but it is suppose to change the bluetooth keyboard?!

Yes, that is exactly how it works. iOS keyboard layout settings always have two categories: The top one (named "software") is for the internal screen keyboard, the bottom one (named "hardware") is for hardware keyboards.

If you want something added to the top category, you have to ask Apple via feedback. If you want to use a layout in the bottom category, you need to connect a bluetooth keyboard.

I don't know why Apple has not already done this yet for Hebrew -- many keyboards have qwerty, azerty, and qwertz screen variations to accomodate English, French, and German users. Perhaps not enough feedback.

This has to be one of the stupidest things Apple has done (and yet one more reason why I won't be buying another iOS device). Back in iOS 4 and early iOS 5 days, Hebrew QWERTY worked correctly for both internal and external keyboards. If there was a separate setting for either the internal or external keyboard, I never saw it because "it just worked." Now, typical of Apple's latest offerings, it just doesn't work. I used to use Hebrew QWERTY on my iPad all the time, but now I can't. I've complained with every software update, but Apple does nothing.

If you want stickers in the Hebrew QWERTY layout for your external keyboard, you can get them from http://www.alephboard.com. Choose the Model ב stickers for Apple-style Hebrew QWERTY.

RadicalDad wrote:

Back in iOS 4 and early iOS 5 days, Hebrew QWERTY worked correctly for both internal and external keyboards. If there was a separate setting for either the internal or external keyboard, I never saw it because "it just worked."

I do think you are mistaken about that. Perhaps you used an app of some sort. I publish info on the keyboards provided by Apple with each iOS update, and my records indicate that the settings have always been the same.

iOS 4 Hebrew:

Virtual: hebrew

Hardware: hebrew, hebrew-qwerty

iOS 5 Hebrew:

Virtual: hebrew

Hardware: hebrew, hebrew-qwerty

iOS 6 Hebrew:

Virtual: hebrew

Hardware: hebrew, hebrew-qwerty

iOS 7 Hebrew:

Virtual: hebrew

Hardware: hebrew, hebrew-qwerty

I am quite positive that my iPad had Hebrew QWERTY support on the internal keyboard when I first got it. I was quite pleased to see it. I only use the Hebrew QWERTY layout and am very slow with the Israeli layout. I have lecture notes and emails written in Hebrew on my iPad using the standard internal keyboard, not a specialty app. When I went to Israel for a semester last year, I broke down and purchased Unicode Pad and created a Hebrew QWERTY keyboard there, but I found that too cumbersome to use with the forced cut-and-paste that app requires. So yes, I know that I had Hebrew QWERTY support initially.

I see that you have been tracking this issue, and the only thing that comes to mind is that for a few iOS 4 and iOS 5 updates, Apple was doing it "wrong" and Hebrew QWERTY was indeed available on the internal keyboard, even if it wasn't marked as such. I had no idea that there was a separate internal and external setting for the keyboard layout until I saw this thread. When I first got my iPad, I never had to go that far to make it work in Hebrew QWERTY.

I must say that I find this distinction ridiculous. Typical Apple ridiculous, unfortunately. What could possibly be the purpose in restricting access to a particular keyboard layout to only the external keyboard?

RadicalDad wrote:

I must say that I find this distinction ridiculous.

"Hardware" layouts do need to be separate and different, since they need to handle over 200 possible key combinations for a variety of different hardware keyboards that users might have. But there is indeed no excuse for Apple not providing qwerty, azerty, qwertz versions of the screen keyboard for Hebrew like it does for many other languages.

Your firm recollection would seem to indicate there must have been a Hebrew QWERTY screen keyboard earlier, perhaps misnamed in Settings by Apple. My Google research so far unfortunately only comes up with pictures of the non-Qwerty version for iOS 3, 4, 5.

http://www.jweekly.com/blog/full/38377/first-look-at-the-iphones-new-hebrew-keyb oard/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDExgQFU6rY

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=256731&a=256731&po=8,00.asp

Hebrew qwerty is the same as Hebrew phonetic. If you connect a Bluetooth keyboard and have Hebrew qwerty checked in the hardware part of keyboard settings, then hitting the A key will produce aleph.