To get a Morse code keyboard on your phone, install Google's Gboard keyboard app and add its Morse code layout. On Android, you add it in Gboard's language settings. On an iPhone or iPad, you add "Morse Code (US)" inside the Gboard app. Then you type with a dot key and a dash key. This guide gives the steps for both phones, explains each setting and fixes the usual problems.
The short answer
- Android: Settings > System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard > Gboard > Languages > English (U.S.), then swipe right to Morse code and tap Done.
- iPhone or iPad: open the Gboard app, tap Languages > Add Language, then tap Morse Code (US).
- To type: touch the globe key, choose Morse, then tap the dot (.) and dash (-) keys.
The steps follow Google's Accessibility Help, which has separate versions for Android and iPhone.
What you need
- Gboard. Google's help pages for both Android and iPhone/iPad start with installing Gboard, which is free on the App Store, according to MacRumors.
- English (U.S.). Google says Morse code is available for English (United States) on devices running Android 5.0 and higher. The iPhone layout is named Morse Code (US).
- The Morse alphabet. The keyboard has only two keys, so you need to know the patterns. See "Learn the patterns first" below.
Add the Morse keyboard on Android
- Install Gboard from your app store.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap System, then Languages & input.
- Tap Virtual keyboard, then Gboard.
- Tap Languages, then English (U.S.).
- Swipe right through the layout options, tap Morse code, then tap Done.
Google's instructions use these menu names. Your phone's Settings app may word them a little differently, so look for Languages & input if a name does not match.
Add the Morse keyboard on iPhone or iPad
- Install Gboard from the App Store.
- Open the Gboard app and tap Languages, then Add Language.
- Scroll down and tap Morse Code (US).
Google adds one warning for iPhone and iPad. If you already have more than three languages set up, you need to remove one before you can add Morse.
How to type with the Morse keyboard
- Open any app where you can type, such as Messages or Notes.
- Tap the text box.
- On Android, tap the globe until you reach Morse code. On iPhone or iPad, touch and hold the globe and choose Morse code (US).
- Tap the dot (.) and dash (-) keys to enter a letter.
For example, H-E-L-L-O is .... . .-.. .-.. ---. After a short pause, Gboard turns each dot-dash pattern into a letter. The keyboard also shows Morse sequences in the suggestion strip above the keys, according to MacRumors' 2018 report and Google's blog post. Use them to check your work.
Morse code keyboard on Android and iPhone side by side
| Android | iPhone or iPad | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Gboard from your app store | Gboard from the App Store |
| Where you add Morse | Settings > System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard > Gboard > Languages > English (U.S.) | Gboard app > Languages > Add Language |
| Layout name | Morse code | Morse Code (US) |
| Limit to know | Needs English (U.S.) and Android 5.0 or higher | Remove a language first if you have more than three |
| Switching to it | Tap the globe until you reach Morse | Touch and hold the globe |
A worked example: type SOS
Try this once so the timing makes sense.
- Switch to the Morse keyboard.
- Tap the dot key three times (
...). After the character timeout, the letter S appears. - Tap the dash key three times (
---). The letter O appears. - Tap the dot key three times again. The second S appears.
If you set the character timeout to Never, tap the spacebar after each group to send the letter yourself. That is slower, but it removes the pressure of the clock while you learn. Our SOS Morse code guide shows how to send the same pattern by sound, light or tapping.
Gboard Morse settings explained
| Setting | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sound on keypress | Plays a sound when you tap a key | Gboard Morse settings (Android and iPhone) |
| Character timeout | Sets how long Gboard waits before turning a pattern into a letter | Hold the spacebar, then Language Settings > Morse (U.S.) |
| Send letters manually | Set the timeout to "Never," then tap the spacebar to send each letter | Same menu |
| Word timeout | After a set time, adds the word and a space; off by default | Gboard Morse settings (Android) |
| Key repeat | Hold the dot or dash key to repeat it | Gboard Morse settings |
If letters appear too early while you are still thinking, lengthen the character timeout or set it to Never. If it feels too slow, shorten it.
Learn the patterns first
The keyboard does not teach Morse, it only accepts it. Learn the sounds first so you are not counting dots on your phone.
- Open the Morse code alphabet and click letters to hear them.
- Use the Morse code trainer to practise by ear.
- For a gentler start, read our learn Morse code course.
Google also lists a Morse typing trainer at g.co/morse, meant for people who have set up the Gboard Morse keyboard.
Try a listening drill
A good first exercise combines our tool and your phone.
- In the English to Morse tool, type a short word such as SOS or HELLO.
- Set the speed to 10 WPM and press Play, without looking at the dots.
- On your phone, type what you heard with the Gboard Morse keyboard.
- Compare it with the letters you chose.
Keep the speed low at first. Our Farnsworth spacing page explains how stretched gaps help beginners.
A seven-day plan to get fast on a phone
Typing Morse is a skill, so a short daily habit works better than one long session. Our Koch method pages add letters in this order: K and M, then R, S, U, A, P, T and L. Use the same order on your phone.
- Day 1: K and M. Type each ten times from memory.
- Day 2: Add R, then type all three letters in random order.
- Day 3: Add S and U.
- Day 4: Add A and spell your first name.
- Day 5: Add P and T and spell three short words.
- Day 6: Add L and run the listening drill above.
- Day 7: Type a short message to yourself and check every letter.
Five minutes a day is enough to start. If you miss a day, repeat the last day instead of jumping ahead.
Which tool should you use?
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Type Morse into messages and notes on a phone | Gboard's Morse layout (this guide) |
| Hear the sound of each letter on a computer | Our on-screen Morse keyboard |
| Convert a whole sentence to Morse or back | The translator |
| Flash a message with your phone's light | The light Morse page |
What the Morse keyboard is good for
Gboard's Morse keyboard started as an accessibility feature. Google's blog says it was built with developer Tania Finlayson, who uses Morse code assistive technology, and that Gboard for Android lets you connect external switches so a person with limited mobility can operate the device. Google's Android help page confirms that the Morse layout works with accessibility services such as TalkBack and Switch Access.
It is also a good way to practise sending. Typing Morse on a phone builds the same habit as tapping: you think in patterns, not letters. If you later want hardware, see our guide to the best Morse code key for beginners.
Using a computer instead
Google's instructions cover phones and tablets. On a computer, the closest option here is our on-screen Morse keyboard. It plays the sound of each letter when you click it or press the matching key on your keyboard. It is a practice tool, not an input method, so it will not type Morse into other apps. For whole messages, paste text into the translator instead.
Troubleshooting
- No Morse option on Android. Check that you are in the English (U.S.) language. Google says that is where Morse is available, on Android 5.0 and higher.
- No Morse option on iPhone. If you have more than three languages, remove one, then add Morse Code (US).
- Can't find the Morse keyboard when typing. Tap the globe until you reach it, or touch and hold the globe on iPhone.
- Letters appear too early or too late. Adjust the character timeout, or set it to Never and send each letter with the spacebar.
- Wrong letters. Slow down and check your pattern against the alphabet page.
- No sound. Turn on Sound on keypress in the Morse settings.