iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 supports custom fonts now. While you can install custom fonts on both the new OS, it is worth noting that these newly installed fonts will only work in certain apps. A systemwide font setting would have made more sense as that would have meant consistency and uniformity across apps. Still, this is terrific news for people who work in the creative field. I will show you how to use custom fonts everywhere and within any app.
Artists, writers, and other creative folks will now be able to use different fonts while working on their craft. Fonts can lift up your mood, help convey your personality or just make for a positive change. Apple has entered a partnership with Adobe which means it will definitely work with Photoshop (releasing soon) among other apps in the future.
Let’s begin.
Also Read: 7 Best Creative Writing Apps for Android and iOS
Install Custom Fonts in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13
1. Fonts Manager in Supported Apps
The font manager option is available in apps that support custom fonts. This is because there is no systemwide settings, you will have to enable it inside each app you need it on. That also means you will have to check individual apps for this setting. Bit of a chore but that’s how it is for the time being. Let’s try it on the Mail app. It’s also available on Keynote, Pages, and Numbers apps but that’s it. Expect it to arrive on other apps soon.
Open Mail app and click anywhere on the screen to launch the default Apple keyboard.
This will also work with third-party keyboard apps like Gboard. That’s what I am using but I will also share a screenshot for the default keyboard.
Tap on the Aa icon on the keyboard and select Default Font.
You can now scroll through a list of available fonts. You can also search for a font if you know its name.
Tap on anyone to activate it. Here is how American Typewriter looks.
If you are using the default keyboard, you will have tap on the arrow pointing right before you can see the Aa button.
Now you can access the fonts the same way you did before. By tapping on the Aa font button.
To switch keyboards, you will tap on the globe icon and select Next Keyboard.
Also Read: 7 Best Presentation Apps for Android and iOS Phones
2. Install Custom Fonts on iOS 13 and iPadOS 13
While Apple has been generous enough to include a number of fonts to choose from, there are still many more to explore. If you are like me and want to install custom fonts on iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, one that’s not available by default, you can get them on the App Store. Open the App Store and search for ‘fonts’ to find a number of fonts apps. An example of such an app would be Font Diner. Install and launch the app and tap on Activate to install all the fonts that come with the free version. There are 23 at the time of writing this post. You can unlock more by purchasing the premium version.
Once you have installed the app, you will find all the fonts that come with the app under Settings > General > Fonts.
You can check the typography of the font before activating it for use in supported apps by clicking on the font type.
Choose the one you like and now you can use it inside supported apps like Mail, Word and so on. Note that default fonts that come pre-installed with iOS 13 won’t show here. This setting is available only for third-party fonts that you have installed separately.
3. Using Custom Fonts Anywhere on iOS and iPadOS 13
To use custom fonts anywhere across the system, inside any app instead of only the ones that are currently supported, you will need to download and install a fonts keyboard. Switching to that keyboard will let you use the chosen font in any app, instead of the apps that are currently supported by Apple which are very limited.
While there are plenty of fonts keyboard apps to choose from, I would recommend you to try Cool Fonts. Why? Because they not only offer some unique and awesome fonts, but also let you choose themes to design the look of your keyboard. Before you can use any fonts keyboard app, you will have to enable it in Settings.
Open Settings and under Cool Fonts, select Keyboards.
Now toggle the option to enable it.
In order to bring up the Cool fonts keyboard up while typing, you will need to activate it under Settings > Keyboards > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard. Scroll to the bottom to find Cool Fonts listed under Third-Party Keyboards.
Once you are done, you are ready to use these fonts while typing your next masterpiece. Go back to Mail app, or any other app, and tap anywhere to bring up the default keyboard. You know how to switch keyboards now (we discussed it above). See if you can switch to Cool Fonts keyboard.
Tap on the F icon to choose the font you want to type in. There are so many fonts to choose from and if you need more, go for the pro version to unlock even more.
Depending on the fonts keyboard app that you have installed, the default process would remain more or less the same. You enable keyboard and then activate it, and finally switch to it from the keyboard settings. The process of installing new custom fonts keyboard or activating it will remain the same on both iOS 13 and iPadOS 13.
Install Custom Fonts in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13
There are two ways to install and use custom fonts. One is the default way where you can install new fonts and then activate it to use across supported apps. The other method is to use a dedicated custom fonts keyboard that will allow you to use the chosen font inside any app. There are pros and cons of each.
The first method will let you use your favorite keyboard which can be Apple Keyboard or Gboard that comes with a number of features like search, YouTube and Maps integrations, and so on. The second one will restrict you to features that come with the fonts keyboard but allow you to use the selected font inside any app.
