Change your iPhone's 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. Tap it, choose your language from the list, and tap Done. Your iPhone will restart briefly and display everything in the new language.
The process is the same whether you're running the current iOS version or an older one. The menu names stay consistent across iPhone models, from the iPhone 15 down to older devices still receiving updates.
If you don't see Language & Region in General, your iPhone may be running an older iOS version. In that case, look for Language directly in the General menu instead.
Key Takeaways
- Open Settings, tap General, then Language & Region, and select iPhone Language to change what language your entire phone displays.
- Your iPhone will restart automatically after you choose a new language, and all menus, apps, and system text will switch when ready.
- You can also set a second language for Siri and keyboard input without changing the system language itself.
- If an app was designed only for English, it may not translate even after you change your iPhone's language.
What happens when you change the language
When you select a new language and tap Done, your iPhone shuts down and restarts. This takes about 30 seconds. During the restart, iOS rewrites all the text in your system menus, settings, notifications, and built-in apps to match your choice.
Third-party apps—ones you downloaded from the App Store—may or may not change language. Many popular apps like Gmail, WhatsApp, and Spotify detect your system language and switch automatically. Others stay in English or whatever language they were set to before. There's no way to force an individual app to change language through Settings; you have to look inside that app's own settings menu.
Text you created yourself—notes, messages, calendar entries, reminders—does not change. Only the labels and buttons around that text change.
Setting a different language for Siri and the keyboard
You can use one language for your iPhone's display and a different language for Siri voice commands and text input. This is useful if you speak one language at home but your phone is set to another.
To change Siri's language, go to Settings > Siri & Search > Language and pick a new one. To add a keyboard in a different language, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, tap Add New Keyboard, and select the language you want to type in. You can then switch between keyboards by tapping the globe icon on your keyboard.
These changes are independent. You can have your iPhone display in Spanish, Siri respond in French, and type in Arabic without affecting the others.
Changing the region without changing the language
In the same Language & Region menu, you'll see Region below iPhone Language. Region controls how dates, times, phone numbers, and currency display—not what language they're in. For example, you can keep your iPhone in English but set the region to United Kingdom to see dates as DD/MM/YYYY instead of MM/DD/YYYY.
Changing the region does not restart your iPhone. The change takes effect when ready.
If your language isn't in the list
Apple includes dozens of languages and regional variants. If you're looking for a specific dialect—Simplified Chinese versus Traditional Chinese, or Portuguese (Brazil) versus Portuguese (Portugal)—scroll through the full list carefully. The variants are usually grouped together.
If your language truly isn't available, you cannot add it. Your options are to use the closest available language or to keep your iPhone in English and change only the keyboard and Siri language to match what you speak.
Changing language on a shared or family iPhone
If multiple people use the same iPhone, changing the system language affects everyone. There is no way to set different languages for different user accounts on iPhone the way you can on a Mac or Windows computer.
If you share an iPhone with family members who speak different languages, the best approach is to add multiple keyboards and let each person switch between them as needed, rather than changing the system language itself.
Troubleshooting language changes that don't stick
Occasionally, an iPhone will revert to its original language after a restart or update. This usually happens if the language file didn't read completely during the initial change. To fix it, go back to Settings > General > Language & Region, select your language again, and wait for the restart to complete fully without interrupting it.
If the language keeps reverting, connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network and try the change again. A weak connection can prevent the language files from installing properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will changing my iPhone's language affect my Apple ID or iCloud account?
No. Your Apple ID and iCloud account remain unchanged. The language setting only affects what language your iPhone displays. You can sign in and out of your account in any language without any problems.
Can I change the language for just one app?
Not through iPhone Settings. Some apps have their own language menu inside the app itself—check the app's settings or preferences. If the app doesn't have its own language option, it will follow your iPhone's system language.
What if I accidentally change my iPhone to a language I don't understand?
Go to Settings (the gear icon, usually in the bottom right or top left of your home screen), tap the second option from the top (which should be General), tap the third option down (which should be Language & Region), tap the first option (which should be iPhone Language), and select English or your preferred language from the list.
Does changing the language use up storage space?
No. Language files are part of iOS and don't take up additional space on your device. Switching between languages doesn't affect how much storage you have available.
Can I use multiple languages at the same time?
Your iPhone's display can only show one system language at a time. However, you can add multiple keyboards and switch between them while typing, and you can set Siri to respond in a language different from your display language.