Since iOS 16, the iPhone has natively supported the Dvorak keyboard layout, giving users an alternative to the default QWERTY layout.
Dvorak was designed to make two-handed typing faster and more ergonomic compared to QWERTY. Patented by August Dvorak in 1936, the layout reduces finger motion by placing all vowels in the middle row on the left side of the keyboard and commonly-used consonants like R, S, T, N, and L on the right side. However, given that typing on a smartphone involves your thumbs only, Dvorak is not as beneficial on the iPhone.
On an iPhone running iOS 16 or later, the Dvorak layout can be enabled for the English language in the Settings app under General → Keyboard → Keyboards → English → Dvorak, alongside existing QWERTY, AZERTY, and QWERTZ options.
Prior to iOS 16, using Dvorak on the iPhone required installing a third-party keyboard from the App Store or connecting a capable external hardware keyboard.
Dvorak has long been supported on the Mac. It can be enabled in the System Settings app by clicking Keyboard, clicking the "Edit…" button next to Input Sources, clicking the plus sign in the bottom-left corner of the window, and selecting Dvorak.
