this is how you use a full keyboard on your Apple Watch

Do you ever send messages via your smartwatch? We explain how to set up a full keyboard on your Apple Watch, so you can type whatever you want!

Set up full keyboard on your Apple Watch

On your Apple Watch, you can read messages from, for example, WhatsApp in the notification center. Handy of course, especially if you don’t have your iPhone at hand. But that’s not all, because it is also possible to respond to the messages via your Watch. To do this, simply tap on the app (which appears at the top of your screen) and choose the reply you want to send.

Also read: 10 hidden features of your Apple Watch that you didn’t know yet

In Dutch you can currently only choose from a number of standard answers, including ‘Hello’ and ‘Wat is er?’. You are therefore limited in the number of responses you can give, which means that sometimes there is no suitable answer. Fortunately, it is also possible to add a full keyboard to your Apple Watch, so that you can decide for yourself which answer you give.

This is how you add a keyboard to your watch

With the newer generations of the Apple Watch, it is possible to add a full keyboard as standard. These Apple Watches have a larger screen, so there is room for a larger keyboard. You need an Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8 or an Apple Watch Ultra for this.

Unfortunately, there is not yet a full keyboard available in Dutch for the Apple Watch. You must therefore add the English keyboard to your watch. For that you have to grab your iPhone. How to add the English language keyboard to your Apple Watch:

Once you have done that, when receiving a message it is possible to switch from the canned replies to the English keyboard. You do this by holding your finger on the dictation button for a few seconds. Choose ‘English (UK)’ and the full keyboard will automatically appear on the screen of your Apple Watch. You then decide for yourself what you type.

Older Apple Watch? This is how you add a keyboard

Don’t have a suitable Apple Watch to add a full keyboard as standard? Then you can install a new app on your watch, which makes it possible to type. A well-known app for this is Shift Keyboard. You then pay a one-off amount and can then add the keyboard to any Apple Watch. It must run on watchOS 6 or later.

When setting, you have two choices: ‘Full’ and ‘Precise’. The second feature enlarges the keys, but requires you to scroll with the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown to use the full keyboard. At ‘Full’ all keys appear directly on screen. Unfortunately, there is also no Dutch keyboard available (yet) with Shift Keyboard.

This is the best Apple Watch for typing

With older generations of the Apple Watch, it is often quite difficult to type with a full keyboard. This is due to the smaller housing of the watches, you often tap the wrong letter on the keyboard. The Apple Watch Ultra is therefore the best watch to install the keyboard on. The Ultra has a 49 mm screen, which gives you much more space to type.

Also Read: Apple Watch Ultra review: Is it still worth the high price?

Are you still looking for a new Apple Watch? Or is your current Watch due for replacement? The Apple Watch Ultra is the best watch at the moment, especially if you want to type with a full keyboard. If you find it too expensive, the Apple Watch Series 8 is a good alternative. View the best prices in our price comparison, so you can be sure that you are not paying too much!