Change Your iPhone's System Language in Settings

To change the language your iPhone displays, open Settings, tap General, then tap Language & Region. At the top, you'll see iPhone Language with your current language listed. Tap it, scroll through the list of available languages, and tap the one you want. Your iPhone will restart briefly to explore the change, and all menus, buttons, and system text will appear in your new language.

The language you choose here controls everything: the Settings app, Messages, Mail, Siri, and every built-in app. It does not change the language of apps you downloaded from the App Store unless those apps have their own language settings inside them.

If you don't see your language in the list, it may not be available for your iPhone model or iOS version. Older iPhones support fewer languages than newer ones. You can check which languages your device supports by looking at Apple's official specifications for your model.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to Settings > General > Language & Region and tap iPhone Language to see all available options for your device.
  • Your iPhone will restart when you select a new language, and the change affects all system text and built-in apps when ready.
  • Third-party apps (ones you downloaded) may have their own language settings separate from your system language, found inside each app's own settings.
  • If your language isn't listed, update your iOS to the latest version, as newer updates sometimes add language support.
  • You can set a different region (which affects date, time, and currency formats) separately from your language in the same Language & Region menu.

Where to Find Language & Region Settings

On any iPhone, the path is the same. Tap the Settings app (the gray icon with gears). Scroll down and tap General. Inside General, look for Language & Region — it's usually near the top of the list, above Keyboard and below Software Update.

Once you tap Language & Region, you'll see several options. The first one, labeled iPhone Language, is what controls your system language. Below it you'll see Region, Calendar, and Time Zone — these are separate settings that control how dates, times, and numbers display, but they don't change the words on your screen.

Selecting a New Language from the List

When you tap iPhone Language, your screen shows every language available for your device. The list is alphabetical and includes languages like English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and many others. Scroll through until you find the one you want, then tap it once.

Your iPhone will show a confirmation message asking if you want to change the language to your selection. Tap the button to confirm. The phone will restart — this takes about 10 to 20 seconds — and when it comes back on, everything will be in your new language. You don't need to do anything else; the change is permanent until you switch languages again.

Changing Language for Individual Apps

Some apps you read from the App Store have their own language settings that override your system language. To change the language for a specific app, open Settings, scroll down past General, and look for the app's name in the list. Tap it, then look for a Language option inside that app's settings.

Not every app has this option — many apps straightforward use whatever language your iPhone is set to. But popular apps like Netflix, Spotify, Google Maps, and Microsoft Office often let you pick a different language than your system language. This is useful if you want your iPhone menus in English but want to watch Netflix in Spanish, for example.

What Happens When You Change Your Language

When you switch your iPhone's language, the change is when ready and affects nearly everything you see. Your home screen, Control Center, notifications, Siri voice, keyboard suggestions, and all built-in apps (Mail, Messages, Calendar, Photos, etc.) will display in your new language. Even error messages and system alerts will appear in the language you chose.

Your personal data — photos, messages, contacts, calendar events — does not change. Only the labels and buttons around that data change. If you had a contact named "Mom" in English, that contact name stays the same; only the word "Contacts" at the bottom of the screen changes to the equivalent word in your new language.

If you change your language and then change it back, everything returns to normal. There's no penalty or data loss for switching languages multiple times.

Troubleshooting: Language Not Showing or Not Available

If you don't see your language in the list, first check your iOS version. Open Settings > General > Software Update and see if an update is available. Newer iOS versions sometimes add languages that older versions don't support. If an update is available, install it, then go back to Language & Region and check again.

If your language still doesn't appear after updating, it may not be supported on your device. Very old iPhones (iPhone 5 and earlier) support fewer languages than newer models. You can check Apple's official support pages for your specific iPhone model to see which languages are available.

If the Language & Region menu itself won't open or is grayed out, restart your iPhone by holding down the power button and sliding to power off, then turning it back on. If the problem continues, you may need to restore your iPhone using a computer and iTunes or Finder, though this is rare.

Setting Region Separately from Language

Below iPhone Language in the Language & Region menu, you'll see Region. This controls how your iPhone displays dates, times, phone numbers, and currency — not the language itself. For example, you can set your language to English and your region to France, which means you'll see English text but dates will display in the French format (day/month/year instead of month/day/year).

You can change your region the same way you change your language: tap Region, scroll through the list, and tap your choice. This change is when ready and doesn't require a restart. Most people set their region to match their country, but you can set it to anywhere you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my iPhone's language delete my data?

No. Changing your language only changes the words and labels you see on screen. All your photos, messages, contacts, calendar events, and app data remain exactly as they were. You can switch languages as many times as you want without losing anything.

Can I set different languages for different apps?

Some apps have their own language settings inside their individual settings pages. Open Settings, find the app's name in the list, and look for a Language option. Not all apps offer this, but many popular ones do. Your system language will still control the iPhone's menus and built-in apps.

What if I accidentally change my language and can't read the menu?

You can still change it back by memory. Open Settings (the gear icon), tap the second option (General), then tap the option that appears near the top of that screen (Language & Region). Tap the first option in that menu (iPhone Language), and look for your language in the list. The languages are alphabetical, so English appears near the top.

Does changing my language affect Siri?

Yes. Siri will speak and understand commands in whatever language you set your iPhone to. If you want Siri to use a different language than your system language, open Settings > Siri & Search, tap Language, and choose a different one. This overrides your system language for Siri only.

Can I use my iPhone in two languages at once?

Not for the system language — your iPhone displays in one language at a time. However, you can set a second language for Siri, and individual apps can use different languages than your system. If you need to regularly switch between two languages, you can change your system language in about 30 seconds whenever you need to.