Guide
iPhone keyboard keeps disappearing? The 20-second fix
Three causes, one symptom: an iOS update reset your keyboards, a password field forced the system keyboard back, or it ran out of memory. Fix each in 20 seconds.
This happens to every custom keyboard on iOS, not just one app. Three separate causes get reported as the same symptom, and the fixes are different. (If what vanished is an Apple Text Replacement entry rather than the keyboard itself, that is a different fault with its own fixes.)
Cause 1: an iOS update reset the list
A major update can wipe the enabled-keyboards list. Your app and all its data are fine - only the keyboard’s registration with iOS is gone.
Fix:
- Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards
- Add New Keyboard
- Pick the keyboard again.
Nothing to restore, nothing to migrate. In Fast Reply, the Keyboard screen confirms when it can see the keyboard is installed, so you know it took.
Cause 2: a secure field kicked it out
Password fields, passcode entry and some payment fields refuse third-party keyboards by design. iOS silently swaps to the system keyboard - and often stays there in the next app too, which reads as “my keyboard turned itself off”.
Fix: tap and hold the globe key and pick your keyboard again. Nothing is broken; this is iOS protecting credential entry, and it’s the correct behaviour. It is also the one place Apple’s built-in Text Replacement beats any custom keyboard, since it lives in the system keyboard and keeps working there.
Cause 3: the extension was terminated for memory
Keyboard extensions run under a tight memory budget. A keyboard that loads heavy assets can be killed mid-use, which looks like it vanished.
Fix: this one is on the developer, not you. It’s the reason Fast Reply keeps the keyboard itself deliberately plain - the library lives in the app, and the keyboard loads only what it needs to draw the keys and insert text.
Keeping it in reach even when it’s off
If you keep losing the keyboard mid-task, use the other doors into the same library:
- The widget - your most-used replies on the home screen.
- The iMessage app - inside Messages, no keyboard switch.
- The Share sheet - send a reply into whatever app you’re in.
- Siri shortcuts - ask for a reply by name.
All four are covered on the features page.
While you’re in Settings
Two things worth knowing about Fast Reply specifically:
- Typing needs no Full Access. Insertion works with it off (why that matters). You only grant it to send images or files from the keyboard and to use the
{{clipboard}}placeholder, and typed text is never logged or transmitted. - Reordering keyboards - drag Fast Reply above the others in Settings › Keyboards and the globe key reaches it in one tap instead of three.
Common questions
Why does my keyboard keep disappearing on my iPhone?
Three causes get reported as one symptom: an iOS update reset the list of enabled keyboards, a password or payment field forced iOS back to the system keyboard, or the keyboard extension ran out of memory and was closed. Re-add it in Settings, or tap the globe key to switch back.
My iPhone keyboard disappeared while typing - how do I get it back?
Tap and hold the globe key and pick it from the list. If it is not in that list, go to Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard and add it again; nothing you saved is lost.
Why does my custom keyboard disappear after an iOS update?
A major iOS update can reset the list of enabled keyboards. The app and its data are untouched; only the keyboard’s registration with iOS is lost, so you re-add it in Settings.
Why does iOS switch back to the default keyboard on its own?
Secure fields force it. Password, passcode and some payment fields refuse third-party keyboards by design, so iOS swaps to the system keyboard and sometimes stays there afterwards. Tap the globe key to switch back.
Will I lose my saved replies if the keyboard turns off?
No. Your library lives in the app, not in the keyboard extension. Re-adding the keyboard brings everything back exactly as it was.