What iOS Full Access means for a third-party keyboard

When iOS asks whether a third-party keyboard may have Full Access, the useful question is not whether the label sounds alarming. The useful question is what the keyboard can do after the permission is enabled.

What changes when Full Access is enabled

Apple gives a third-party keyboard a restricted environment by default. Full Access, which Apple’s developer documentation also calls open access, permits capabilities that include network communication and shared resources with the keyboard’s containing app.

This permission does not describe one universal data practice. Each keyboard developer decides when network requests happen and what the service stores. That is why the product’s privacy policy and observable behavior matter.

When UnimeType uses the network

UnimeType connects to a configured service after you choose an explicit action:

• Convert changes the requested text into the intended writing system;
• Polish adjusts the selected message;
• Explain helps you understand selected text.

The text needed for that action is sent to the configured service. For the exact data boundary, read Privacy and protected content.

When to leave Full Access off

Leave it off when:

• you do not plan to use network-backed actions;
• your school or workplace does not allow third-party keyboards;
• the message contains information you are not allowed to send to an external service;
• you have not yet read the applicable privacy policy.

A checklist before enabling it

1. Confirm which actions need the network.
2. Check when text leaves the device.
3. Check whether the service stores request text or chat history.
4. Use short selections when only one phrase needs help.
5. Never process passwords, recovery phrases, or payment details.
6. On a managed device, follow the organization’s policy.

Daily example

Suppose you have written:

If you choose Polish, the selected text may be sent for that action. If you simply open the keyboard and continue typing, that does not itself request Polish.

Frequently asked questions

Is Full Access required for ordinary typing? No. It is required for the network-backed actions UnimeType provides from the keyboard.

Does enabling it mean every key is automatically sent? The permission allows broader capability; it does not define a product’s trigger. UnimeType ties text-processing requests to explicit actions.

Should I enable it on a company phone? Only if the organization permits third-party keyboards and the configured processing service.

Related

• Privacy and protected content
• Actions
• When not to use an AI keyboard