Tips & Tricks
Get the most out of UnderText with these helpful tips and features!
⌨️ Keyboard Layouts
UnderText supports 6 different keyboard layouts to match your language and typing preferences:
Available Layouts:
- QWERTY - English and International (most common)
- QWERTZ - German keyboard layout (Z and Y swapped)
- AZERTY - French keyboard layout
- Spanish QWERTY - Spanish-specific layout
- Korean Dubeolsik (두벌식) - Standard Korean layout
- Vietnamese Telex - Vietnamese typing with tone marks
💡 Tip: Change your keyboard layout in Settings → Keyboard Layout. The layout persists across all apps.
🇻🇳 Vietnamese Telex Input
UnderText includes a full-featured Vietnamese Telex input system with smart auto-corrections:
Tone Marks
a + s → á (acute/sắc)
a + f → à (grave/huyền)
a + r → ả (hook/hỏi)
a + x → ã (tilde/ngã)
a + j → ạ (dot below/nặng)
Special Characters
a + a → â (circumflex)
a + w → ă (breve)
e + e → ê
o + o → ô
o + w → ơ
u + w → ư
d + d → đ
w alone → ư (standalone w transforms to ư)
Smart Auto-Correction
UnderText automatically corrects ưo → ươ when followed by valid syllable endings:
luongw → lương ✓
luwong → lương ✓ (works both ways!)
tuwoi → tươi ✓
ruwou → rượu ✓
lwon → lươn ✓
cwops → cướp ✓
💡 Smart Detection: The auto-correction only applies when followed by i, u, n, p, c, t, m (valid Vietnamese syllable patterns). Tone marks are preserved during transformation!
🌍 Translation Modes
Free Tier: Unlimited Live Translation
- Unlimited Apple Translation (on-device)
- Live translation as you type
- 300ms delay for smooth performance
- Works offline after language models are downloaded
- Tap "Translate" button or use real-time mode
Premium: AI-Powered Translation
- Everything in Free tier, PLUS:
- AI-powered Azure OpenAI GPT-4o-mini translation
- Superior accuracy and context awareness
- Advanced language understanding
- Token-based daily quota for AI translation
- Apple Translation always available (fallback when AI tokens run out)
💡 Upgrade Tip: Tap the ribbon banner or gear icon → Premium section to subscribe. Yearly plan ($24/year) includes a 3-day FREE trial!
📚 Word Learning Features
Interactive Word Actions
Tap any translated word to access powerful learning tools:
- 🔊 Speak - Hear correct pronunciation (native speaker voice)
- 📋 Copy - Copy word to clipboard
- 📖 Dictionary - Look up definition and usage
- ⭐ Learn - Add to flashcard deck for review
Flashcard System
UnderText saves complete sentence pairs, not individual words. This helps you learn vocabulary in context!
Example:
You type: "How are you?"
Translation: "¿Cómo estás?"
Tap "estás" → ⭐ Learn
Saved flashcard:
Front: "How are you?"
Back: "¿Cómo estás?"
Flashcard Review (Spaced Repetition)
- Open the main UnderText app
- Go to the Flashcards tab
- Tap a card to flip and reveal the translation
- Rate your retention: Again / Hard / Good / Easy
- Difficult cards appear more frequently
💡 Learning Philosophy: Learn words naturally as you use them in real conversations. The complete sentence context helps you remember how words are actually used!
🔄 Language Switching
How to Switch Languages
- Tap the ⚙️ gear icon in the keyboard
- Select "From" and "To" languages
- Use the ↔️ swap button to reverse direction
💡 Tip: You can quickly swap languages using the swap button (↔️) without going back to the main app!
✓ Back-Translation Verification
Want to confirm your translation is accurate? Use back-translation:
- After translating, expand the translation pane (swipe up)
- Tap the Define button (don't select any word)
- UnderText reverse-translates the result back to your original language
- Compare to verify accuracy
Example:
English → Spanish: "I love you" → "Te amo"
Back-translation: "Te amo" → "I love you" ✓ Accurate!
🎨 Customization Options
Keyboard Settings (Gear Icon)
- Keyboard Layout - Choose from 6 layouts
- Translation Service - Apple Translation or Azure OpenAI (Premium)
- Haptic Feedback - Enable/disable key press vibration
Main App Settings
- Default Languages - Set preferred From/To languages
- Subscription Management - View plan and upgrade options
🔒 Privacy & Full Access
Why Full Access is Required:
- Network access for Azure OpenAI (only if you configure it)
- On-device Apple Translation (iOS 26.0+)
- Speech synthesis for pronunciation
- Dictionary API for definitions
We do NOT track, log, or store anything you type. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.
💰 Subscription Plans
Free Tier (Free Forever)
- Unlimited Apple Translation (on-device)
- Live translation as you type (300ms delay)
- Works offline
- All 20+ languages supported
- Vocabulary flashcards
- All 6 keyboard layouts
Premium ($3/month or $24/year)
- Everything in Free tier, PLUS:
- AI-powered Azure OpenAI GPT-4o-mini translation
- Superior accuracy and context awareness
- Token-based daily quota for AI translation
- Apple Translation fallback (unlimited, when AI tokens run out)
- Priority support and early access to features
💡 Best Deal: Yearly plan ($24/year) includes a 3-day FREE trial and saves 33% vs monthly!
🆘 Troubleshooting
Translation Not Working?
- Verify iOS version is 26.0+ (Settings → General → About)
- Enable Full Access: iOS Settings → General → Keyboard → UnderText → Allow Full Access
- Download language models: iOS Settings → General → Language & Region
- Check internet connection (for Azure OpenAI only)
Keyboard Not Showing Up?
- Go to iOS Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards
- Tap "Add New Keyboard"
- Select "UnderText"
- Enable "Allow Full Access"
Want Better Translation Quality?
- Free tier gives you unlimited Apple Translation (on-device)
- Upgrade to Premium for AI-powered superior accuracy
- Premium uses Azure OpenAI GPT-4o-mini for better context awareness
- Premium tokens reset daily; Apple Translation is always available as fallback
📧 Need More Help?
Visit our Support Page or contact us at xntuan@icloud.com