The Apple Writing Tools alternative for iPhone.

PromptPad is an AI keyboard for iPhone that works like Writing Tools as buttons above your keys. It adds custom one-tap shortcuts, Instant and Preview modes, and 9 keyboard languages, and it runs on iPhones without Apple Intelligence through cloud AI. On supported iPhones it can also use Apple Intelligence on device.

If your iPhone supports Apple Intelligence and Apple's built-in actions cover what you need, Writing Tools may be all you need. PromptPad is for people who rewrite often, want their own actions, or don't have a supported iPhone.

• It is free and already there. Nothing to install, no subscription.
• It is private. Apple processes text on device or with its Private Cloud Compute.
• It covers the common jobs. Proofread, Rewrite, Friendly, Professional and Concise, plus summaries, key points, lists and tables.
• It works across the system, wherever you can select editable text.

It needs a supported iPhone

Apple Intelligence runs on recent iPhones only, such as iPhone 15 Pro and later models. Apple lists the supported devices on its website. On an older iPhone, Writing Tools is not available.

Select first, then choose

You select the text, open Writing Tools, and pick an action. That is fine once in a while. If you rewrite ten messages a day, a button above the keys is faster.

Apple's actions, not yours

The built-in actions are general. If you want "Polite no, keep it short" or "Client update, end with the next step" every time, you need a way to save your own instruction as a button.

Accurate as of October 2026. Apple adds features with each iOS release, so check what your iPhone already does.

You don't have to choose. Many people keep the Apple keyboard for Writing Tools and dictation, and switch to PromptPad with the globe key when they want a saved shortcut. On a supported iPhone, PromptPad's on-device mode runs on Apple Intelligence too, so your text stays on the phone either way.

Common reasons people add PromptPad on top:

• Their own one-tap actions. See custom shortcuts.
• Quick fixes in any app. See the grammar keyboard page, which also compares Apple Proofread.
• Tone changes without selecting text. See how to rewrite text in one tap.
• Writing in 9 languages, including Arabic and Persian.

If your iPhone doesn't support Apple Intelligence, PromptPad's cloud mode gives you AI rewriting anyway. Your text is sent to a cloud AI model (currently from OpenAI), the result comes back, and the text is not stored. The free plan includes 20 cloud AI runs; Pro makes them unlimited.

The PromptPad AI keyboard installs next to the Apple keyboard. Read how to add the keyboard to set it up.