QKeyboard is an iOS writing assistant built around one simple idea: writing help should be available where your text already lives.
Instead of switching between apps, copying text into a chatbot, generating a response, then copying it back, QKeyboard lets you rewrite and refine text directly from your iPhone keyboard.
It started from a personal problem. I regularly communicate with international colleagues, and I often know what I want to say but spend too much time trying to make the wording sound natural, clear, and appropriate for the situation.
QKeyboard is an iOS writing assistant built around one simple idea: writing help should be available where your text already lives.
Instead of switching between apps, copying text into a chatbot, generating a response, then copying it back, QKeyboard lets you rewrite and refine text directly from your iPhone keyboard.
It started from a personal problem. I regularly communicate with international colleagues, and I often know what I want to say but spend too much time trying to make the wording sound natural, clear, and appropriate for the situation.
QKeyboard was built to make that process faster.
What QKeyboard does
Rewrite directly from your keyboard
Select text in Messages, Mail, Notes, Slack, Teams, or another supported app, open QKeyboard, choose a writing mode, and review the result before replacing the original text.
You can rewrite:
Selected text
The current sentence
The current input field
Text from your clipboard
Longer drafts inside Quick Rewrite
QKeyboard does not silently replace your text. You always get a chance to review the result, copy it, retry it, or replace the original when the host app allows it.
Quick Rewrite
For longer text, QKeyboard includes a focused composer experience.
Paste a draft, choose a mode, and review a clean result in a dedicated workspace. You can refine the result further, compare changes, and copy the version that feels right.
This is useful for:
Emails
Work updates
Client messages
Meeting summaries
Applications
Personal messages
Short social posts
Any text that needs a quick second pass
Writing modes that fit your workflow
QKeyboard includes built-in modes such as:
Rewrite
Grammar
Shorter
Professional
Friendly
Translate
You can also create custom writing modes with your own instructions.
For example, you can create modes for:
Writing concise project updates
Making messages sound more diplomatic
Using a specific brand voice
Simplifying technical explanations
Writing in a more direct style
Preserving your preferred sentence structure
Translating between Vietnamese and English
Once created, custom modes can be reused across the app and keyboard.
Refine only what matters
Sometimes the entire paragraph is fine, but one sentence is unclear.
QKeyboard lets you refine a specific part of the result instead of rewriting everything from scratch. You can clarify, shorten, soften, or strengthen selected text while keeping the surrounding context intact.
Choose how your AI works
QKeyboard supports two AI approaches:
QKeyboard AI: use the built-in managed AI experience.
Bring Your Own Key: connect your own supported provider or custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
BYOK configuration is designed for users who want more control over their provider, endpoint, or model. API keys are stored locally in Apple Keychain on the device.
Share extension
You can also share text from another app directly to QKeyboard, choose a writing mode, and copy the result back when finished.
Privacy and control
QKeyboard is designed around intentional actions.
Text is sent to an AI service only after you explicitly choose a rewrite action. The result is shown for review before any replacement happens.
The app does not use advertising identifiers or cross-app tracking SDKs. BYOK API keys are stored in Apple Keychain, and private writing content is not turned into a permanent public history.
Because QKeyboard uses Apple’s custom keyboard architecture, the initial setup requires enabling the keyboard and allowing Full Access. This permission lets the keyboard contact the selected AI provider. Some apps and secure text fields may still restrict third-party keyboard access, which is an iOS limitation QKeyboard cannot override.
Who QKeyboard is for
QKeyboard is made for people who:
Write in more than one language
Communicate with international colleagues
Want to sound more natural in English
Need to adjust tone quickly
Write frequently from an iPhone
Prefer refining their own thoughts instead of generating completely unrelated text
Want reusable writing instructions
Prefer choosing their own AI provider
Want writing assistance without constantly switching apps
Why I built it
I did not want to build another chatbot that asks you to start from a blank prompt.
I wanted something closer to the moment where writing actually happens: when you are already typing a message, editing an email, replying to someone, or trying to make one sentence sound right.
That is why QKeyboard focuses on three things:
Quick. Keyboard. Rewrite.
The app is intentionally focused, lightweight, and built around getting from rough text to usable text with as little friction as possible.
QKeyboard is still new, and there is a lot more planned for the roadmap. I am looking for feedback from people who write regularly on iPhone, especially multilingual users, developers, students, founders, and anyone who often needs to adjust tone before pressing Send.
Try QKeyboard and let me know what feels useful, what feels confusing, and what should be built next.
Download QKeyboard on the App Store
Learn more at qkeyboard.app