Frequently asked questions

iPhone and iPad (on the App Store) and Mac (available now, macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel).

No. Nothing you type is stored, logged or sent anywhere, on any device. There is no tracking, no ads and no account. Read the Privacy Policy.

Yes. The dictionaries are bundled inside the apps. The Mac keyboard never connects to the internet, and the iPhone keyboard does not ask for Full Access.

Yes. Type selam and get ሰላም. On iPhone and iPad tap the EN key twice for phonetic mode; on Mac it is the default.

Email henoktasissa@gmail.com with your device, OS version and the app you were typing in.

It is live on the App Store.

Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Ethio Keyboard. Then tap and hold the globe key in any text field and choose it. Full Access is not needed.

Tap the EN key twice to reach phonetic mode. Type selam, then press space for ሰላም. Tap a suggestion to pick a different spelling.

Yes: nine colour themes, three key sizes, key-press preview and key click (which follows your Sounds & Haptics settings).

No. Without Full Access iOS does not allow the keyboard to use the network at all, so your typing cannot leave your device.

macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

Open the downloaded disk image, drag Ethio Amharic for Mac to Applications, open it and press Install. The first time you open it, macOS may ask you to confirm the app was downloaded from the internet: click Open. Then add it in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit → + → Amharic → Ethio Amharic Keyboard and pick it in the menu bar. The guide has every step.

Usually not. Add the keyboard in System Settings, pick it from the menu bar and type. The exception is an update: apps that were open during an update keep an old connection and type English until you restart them. Logging out and back in once fixes every app at once. It is also the fallback if the keyboard is not in the list.

Make sure you pressed Install in the app, then look under Amharic after clicking Edit… → +. If it is still missing, log out and back in once and look again.

Two ways. Use the input menu in the menu bar (or Control + Space / the Globe key) to switch keyboards. Or press Control + Option + Space to type English without leaving Ethio Amharic Keyboard; a short label shows ABC or አማ.

Press Tab while the letter is underlined. It moves to the next same-sounding letter (t: ተ → ጠ, s: ሰ → ሠ, h: ሀ → ሐ → ኀ, p: ፐ → ጰ, and more). Shift + Tab goes back. It changes the last letter you typed.

See the full list.

No. Type c to get ክ, then press Tab to get ች (and Tab again for ጭ). Typing ch gives ቸ and Tab changes it to ጨ.

In this keyboard e is the 1st form, like se for ሰ. The 5th form is ie: type pie to get ፔ, or type pe and press 5. The palette shows the key to type under every form.

Type just the consonant: p gives ፕ, s gives ስ, b gives ብ. This is the 6th form. The palette labels it none.

Type the vowel on its own: a አ, u ኡ, i ኢ, e እ, o ኦ. Press Tab for the alternative letters (አ → ዐ). ኣ and ኤ can be clicked in the palette.

While the letter is underlined, press 1 to 7 (or 8 for the “wa” form), or click a form in the palette. For example, type s then press 4 to get ሳ.

Type . , ; : ? for ። ፣ ፤ ፥ ፧ while writing Amharic. Hold Option and press 1–9 for ፩–፱, Shift for the tens. Option + Space opens a picker with all the symbols.

Yes. A built-in dictionary suggests words in the palette as you type. By default what you typed stays selected; pick a suggestion with the arrow keys and Space, or Option + 1–5. You can make Space take the top suggestion in the settings.

No. It never connects to the internet. What you type is converted on your Mac and handed to the app you are typing in. It is not stored or logged. Read the Privacy Policy.

When macOS marks a field as secure, such as a password box, the keyboard does not touch your keystrokes at all.

No. It does not need Accessibility, Input Monitoring or Full Disk Access.

Check that Ethio Amharic Keyboard is selected in the menu bar. If it is and you just installed or updated, restart that app, or log out and back in once. Also make sure English typing is off: press Control + Option + Space and look for the አማ label.

That is the “old connection” issue: apps that were open during an install or update need a restart, or log out and back in once. Apps you open afterwards work straight away.

Some apps do not report where the cursor is, so the palette stays where it was. Drag it where you like, or choose Reset palette position in the settings. Control + Option + P shows or hides it.

Open Ethio Amharic for Mac, press Uninstall… and confirm. It removes the keyboard and its settings. If it still shows in the input menu, open System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit, select it and click −, then delete the app. See the guide.

That is expected. The − button in Input Sources only removes the keyboard from your list; it does not delete it, and you can add it back with +. To remove it completely, open Ethio Amharic for Mac and press Uninstall…. If you no longer have that app, move Ethio Amharic.app out of ~/Library/Input Methods (Finder → Go → Go to Folder…) to the Trash.