How to turn off predictive text on an iPhone

What changed: the screenshots are now our own iPhone 17e on iOS 27.0.1, dark mode, and the wording is checked against those screens.

howtosimply.com/guides/how-to-turn-off-predictive-text-on-an-iphone/ · Checked October 2026 · iPhone 17e · iOS 27.0.1

5 of 5 steps with real screenshots · 2 official sources below

Device

iPhone

Shown on

iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)

App

Settings

Path

Settings › General › Keyboard

Real screenshots

5 of 5 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

2 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open Settings and tap General

   Open the Settings app, then tap General.

   Done

2. 

   Tap Keyboard

   This opens the Keyboards page.

   Done

3. 

   Switch off Predictive Text

   It is on the Keyboards page under the heading All Keyboards, below Auto-Correction.

   Done

4. 

   Decide about Show Predictions Inline

   With Predictive Text on, the row below it is Show Predictions Inline, which writes a grey suggestion ahead of your cursor. You can switch it off on its own. Once Predictive Text is off, the row disappears from the page.

   Done

5. 

   Check the keyboard

   With Predictive Text off, the row of word suggestions above the letters is gone. On ours the formatting bar in Notes sat straight above the keys.

   Done

What changed: the screenshots are now our own iPhone 17e on iOS 27.0.1, dark mode, and the wording is checked against those screens.

If you do not see this option

• Change it from the keyboard. Touch and hold the emoji or globe key, tap Keyboard Settings, then switch off Predictive Text. Source: Use predictive text on iPhone
• Your language has no predictions. Apple says predictive typing and inline predictions may not be supported in your language. Source: Use predictive text on iPhone

If this does not work

• Corrections still pop up. Apple notes that with Predictive Text off you may still see corrections for misspelled words. That is Auto-Correction, a separate switch. Source: Use predictive text on iPhone
• You only wanted the grey text gone. Turning off Predictive Text also turns off inline predictions, Apple says. To keep the suggestions above the keyboard, leave Predictive Text on and switch off Show Predictions Inline. Source: Use predictive text on iPhone
• Old words keep coming back. Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Reset, Reset Keyboard Dictionary deletes the words the keyboard has learned. Source: Save keystrokes with text replacements on iPhone

About this guide

Predictive text is one of the typing features that Apple lets you switch off and on in the keyboard settings. The screenshots are our own, taken on an iPhone 17e running iOS 27.0.1, in dark mode.

Good to know

Autocorrect is a separate switch on the same page: how to turn off autocorrect on iPhone.

In short: Settings, General, Keyboard, Predictive Text off.