Glossary
Allow Full Access
Allow Full Access is an iPhone setting that you switch on for a third-party keyboard before it can have open access, such as network access. Apple warns that a keyboard with this setting on is permitted to collect and transmit the text you type.
Updated October 17, 20263 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Full Access.
Allow Full Access is an iPhone setting for a third-party keyboard. It is the switch that gives the keyboard open access, which lets a custom keyboard go beyond its default limits. People often shorten it to Full Access. The setting belongs to each keyboard, not to iPhone as a whole.
You switch it on for each keyboard yourself
Apple says users must explicitly turn on Allow Full Access for a keyboard in Settings before it can have open access 1. A keyboard you install therefore lacks open access until you turn this on.
Without it, a custom keyboard is sandboxed
Apple says custom keyboards run in a sandbox whose default configuration disallows network access and prevents writing to the containing app's shared group containers 2. Network access is the part that matters for dictation, because a keyboard that sends your speech to a server, or downloads a model, needs a connection. A keyboard that works only on the phone may not need the setting at all, so check the keyboard's own instructions.
The warning is about what the keyboard can collect
Apple's warning on third-party keyboards says that if you enable Full Access, developers are permitted to access, collect and transmit the data you type 3. That warning comes from a 2014 news report that quotes Apple's text, so check Apple's current wording as well. The warning does not say that every keyboard does this. It says the setting gives the developer permission to do it.
What to check before you switch it on
- Find the keyboard in Settings and read why it asks for Full Access.
- Read the keyboard's privacy policy for what it sends and stores.
- Switch the setting on only for a keyboard that needs it, such as one that does cloud dictation.
- Switch it off again when you no longer use that keyboard for speech.
Our question on whether a third-party keyboard can see what you type covers the same points in a shorter form. The page on third-party keyboards explains the wider rules for keyboards on both phones.
Related terms
- Third-party keyboard: a keyboard app from a developer other than the phone's maker.
- Gboard: Google's keyboard app, which has a microphone key for voice typing.
- Dictation: the general act of speaking words that software writes down.
- On-device speech recognition: recognition that runs on the phone rather than on a server.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
Related terms
- Dictation and Voice to Text on iPhone and AndroidThe topic this term belongs to
- GboardGboard is Google's keyboard app for Android and iPhone, and its microphone key turns speech into text in any app where you can type. On Android it can run speech recognition on the phone, while on iPhone the voice input is handled inside the Gboard app and sent to Google.
- Google voice typingGoogle voice typing is the speech-to-text input that Google provides on Android, so you can speak words into a text field. Its name and location vary by phone: Gboard shows a microphone key, while Samsung Galaxy phones list Google Voice Typing next to their own voice input.
- Live CaptionsLive Captions is a feature that shows text for speech and audio as it happens, using the phone's own processing. Google calls it Live Caption on Pixel phones, and Apple calls it Live Captions on iPhone. It reads what others say, so it is the reverse of dictation.
- Live TranscribeLive Transcribe is a Google app for Android phones that turns the speech of people around you into captions as they talk. It helps you follow a conversation. It does not type your own words into a text field, which is what dictation does.
- Real-time text (RTT)Real-time text (RTT) is a way of sending text as it is typed, so the other person can read each word before the sender finishes. It is used in conversation by many deaf and hard of hearing people, and it has no send step like an ordinary text message. It is a typing channel, not a speech technology.
- Samsung voice inputSamsung voice input is the voice-to-text feature built into the Samsung Keyboard on Galaxy phones and tablets. It works only with that keyboard, so it is a separate choice from Google Voice Typing.
- Speech Services by GoogleSpeech Services by Google is the Android speech engine from Google that turns speech into text for other apps and reads on-screen text aloud. Google's Play Store listing now uses the title Speech Recognition & Synthesis, and reviews on that listing still call the app by the older name.
- Third-party keyboardA third-party keyboard is a keyboard app from a developer other than the phone's maker, which you install and switch to in place of the built-in keyboard. Apple calls the iPhone version a custom keyboard, and Apple's rules limit what it can do, such as network access and microphone use.
- Transcript Assist (Galaxy AI)Transcript Assist is a Samsung Galaxy AI feature that converts a saved recording in the Voice Recorder app into text. It works on select Galaxy models and needs a working internet connection. It transcribes recordings you already made, so it is not live dictation into a text field.
- Voice Access (Android)Voice Access (Android) is a Google feature that lets you operate an Android phone or tablet by speaking commands, such as opening an app or tapping a labelled item. Google built it for people who have difficulty using a touch screen. It is a control tool that can also enter text, and it is separate from Windows Voice Access on PCs.
- Voice message transcriptsA voice message transcript is written text of the words in an audio message, produced by the messaging app so you can read instead of listen. Apple, Google and WhatsApp each offer one, with different defaults and different privacy arrangements. It turns audio into text, the reverse of dictation.
Pages that use this term
- Dictation and Voice to Text on iPhone and AndroidTopic
- iPhone Dictation Not Working? How to Fix ItGuide
- Best Dictation Apps for iPhone and AndroidGuide
- Voice Typing in WhatsApp and Messaging AppsGuide
- Dictation App Permissions: Mic, Full Access, ClipboardGuide
- Offline Voice Typing on iPhone and AndroidGuide
- Can a third-party keyboard see what you type?Question
- Can you use Whisper AI as a keyboard on iPhone or Android?Question
- How do dictation keyboards work on iPhone and Android?Question
- What is the best free dictation app for iPhone?Question
- What should a dictation app's privacy policy tell you?Question
- Why is the dictation button missing on my iPhone keyboard?Question
- Third-party keyboardGlossary