GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format) are a fun and popular way to express emotions or reactions in texts, social media, messaging apps and emails. The animated images allow you to quickly convey feelings or thoughts without typing long messages.
If you have an iPhone, you can easily access GIFs right from your keyboard. With just a few taps, you can search through thousands of animations and insert the perfect GIF into your texts and chats. First, open any app where you can type a message, like Messages or WhatsApp. Then, bring up your keyboard. Next, tap the emoji icon in the bottom left. After that, swipe right until you get to the GIF tab. Now, you’ll see a search bar where you can look for whatever kind of GIF you want. Finally, just tap on a GIF to send it. In summary, accessing GIFs on your iPhone is quick and simple – just open your keyboard, go to the GIF tab, search, and tap to insert.
In this simple guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to get a GIF keyboard on your iPhone:
Download a GIF Keyboard App
The first thing you need is a keyboard app that provides access to GIFs. There are several options available in the App Store, but some top choices include:
- GIPHY: This app offers one of the largest GIF libraries with over 2 billion animations. It’s completely free to download.
- TENOR: Similar to GIPHY, TENOR has an extensive catalog of high-quality GIFs to choose from. It’s also free.
- GIF Keyboard: As the name suggests, this app focuses solely on GIFs. It has helpful features like trending and favorite GIFs.
- Bitmoji: If you like personalized animations, Bitmoji allows you to create your own personal avatar and access GIF stickers.
The process is quite simple for any of these keyboard options. First, you’ll want to visit the App Store on your iPhone and download the app you prefer. The installation process only takes a few seconds. Next, you’ll open the newly installed keyboard app and follow the prompts to enable full access. Afterwards, you can switch between keyboards seamlessly. Specifically, when you are typing in any app, you can tap on the globe icon to switch to the newly added keyboard. The transition between keyboards is smooth and quick. Overall, adding a new keyboard to your iPhone is straightforward. You just download the app, enable access, and then start using the new keyboard. The whole process should only take a few minutes from start to finish.
Enable Full Access
Once you’ve downloaded a GIF keyboard app, the next step is to enable full keyboard access. This allows the app to function as your iPhone keyboard.
To enable access:
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard
- Tap Keyboards and select the GIF keyboard app
- Toggle on Full Access
You may be prompted to give the app permission to act as a keyboard. Confirm by selecting Allow Full Access.
With full keyboard access enabled, you’re ready to start using GIFs from the app keyboard.
Switch Keyboards to Access GIFs
To start adding GIFs to your messages, all you need to do is switch your keyboard:
- Open any app where you can enter text (Messages, Mail, Notes, etc.)
- Tap the Globe or Emoji icon next to the space bar
- This will bring up your keyboard options – select the GIF keyboard
- The keyboard will change to display the GIF search and library
It’s that simple! Now you can browse through categories or search for specific GIFs. When you find the perfect match, just tap it to insert it.
Here are some tips for using your new GIF keyboard:
- Scroll through trending and recent GIF sections for popular animations
- Use the search bar to find GIFs for specific words or phrases
- Tap and hold a GIF to preview the animation before inserting
- Bookmark your favorite GIFs so they’re easy to find again
- Resize the GIF before inserting by pinching in or out
- Most apps allow you to paste copied GIFs directly into the text field
The keyboard typically stays on the GIF app until you manually switch it back. To return to your normal keyboard, just press the Globe or Emoji icon again.
Customize Your GIF Keyboard
For faster access to your favorite GIFs, you can customize and personalize your keyboard:
- Create your own keyboard – Some GIF apps allow you to make a custom keyboard with your most used animations. Just tap the GIFs you want to add.
- Make a favorites tab – Add frequently used GIFs to a favorites section that appears right on the main keyboard screen.
- Sync across devices – Keyboard apps like GIPHY allow you to sync your keyboard so it’s the same on all your devices.
- Adjust keyboard settings – Tweak settings like auto-correct, auto-capitalization, and sound to customize your typing experience.
- Change keyboard size – Enlarge the keyboard for easier GIF browsing or shrink it for more compact use.
Take some time to explore the app settings and preferences to optimize your GIF experience. Adding a few personal touches makes the keyboard feel like your own.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you’re having issues getting your GIF keyboard to work properly, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Ensure the app has full keyboard access enabled in Settings
- Check that the keyboard is selected as the active option when typing
- Try force quitting and reopening the GIF app
- Update to the latest version of the iOS software
- Offload the app and reinstall to refresh the keyboard
- Clear the app cache and saved data to reset settings
- Try rebooting your iPhone to restart all apps and services
- Check if the problem is isolated to one app or all apps
With some simple troubleshooting, you should be able to sort out any problems getting your GIF keyboard up and running.
Express Yourself with GIFs
Adding a GIF keyboard makes it fun and easy to spice up your iPhone chats and messages. With endless animation options at your fingertips, you can find the perfect GIF to showcase your emotions and reactions in every conversation.
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So download a keyboard app, customize your keyboard, and start expressing yourself with GIFs today!
