An Amharic keyboard for iPhone, iPad and Mac: the full Fidel layout, Geez numbers and symbols, smart word suggestions, and a phonetic mode that turns English letters into Amharic. Private and offline on every device; the iPhone and iPad keyboard needs no Full Access.
Support
Questions, bugs or ideas? Email henoktasissa@gmail.com and I will get back to you.
Getting started on iPhone and iPad
1. Add the keyboard
Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard, then choose Ethio Keyboard.
2. Switch to it
In any text field, tap and hold the globe key (or the globe at the bottom of the screen) and choose Ethio Keyboard.
3. Type Amharic with English letters
Tap the language key twice (EN, then the key that shows "A→አ") to reach phonetic mode. Type selam and press space to get ሰላም. Tap a suggestion to pick a different word.
Getting started on Mac
Requires macOS 13 or later (Apple silicon and Intel).
1. Install
Open the downloaded disk image, drag Ethio Amharic for Mac to your Applications folder, open it and press Install.
2. Add the keyboard
Open System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit → + → Amharic → Ethio Amharic Keyboard. Then log out and back in once, so apps that were already open can use it.
3. Type Amharic with English letters
Choose Ethio Amharic Keyboard from the input menu in the menu bar. Type selam and press space to get ሰላም. A small palette shows the vowel forms of the letter you are typing; press 1–7 or click one to change it. Press Tab to switch between letters that sound the same (ተ and ጠ). Press Control+Option+Space to type English without leaving the keyboard.
Good to know
In the palette the 1st vowel form is typed e, the 5th is ie, and the 6th has no vowel (pe gives ፐ, pie gives ፔ, p gives ፕ). A lone c gives ክ; press Tab for ች. If Amharic only works in newly opened apps after an update, log out and back in.
Download and more
Screenshots, the install guide and the Mac download are at ethio-keyboard-launch.vercel.app.