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iPhone XS Max – How to Change System and App Language Settings

The iPhone XS Max allows you to easily change the system language as well as the language for individual apps. This gives you the flexibility to use different languages on your device based on your needs and preferences.

Changing the System Language

The system language controls the language used across iOS, including settings, menus, and built-in apps like Phone, Messages, Mail, etc. Here are the steps to change it:

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Tap on General
  3. Scroll down and tap on Language & Region
  4. Under iPhone Language, tap on the current language
  5. Select the desired language from the list
  6. Tap on the language and then tap on Change to [Language] to confirm

Your iPhone will now switch the system language, which may take a few minutes. All the text across iOS will change to the selected language. This includes settings, menus, notifications, and stock apps.

If you also want the keyboard layout to match the language, go back to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards and add the relevant language keyboard.

Setting Preferred Language Order

You can set multiple preferred languages in iOS. Apps will use the first available language based on your preferred order.

To configure this:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Language & Region
  2. Tap on Preferred Language Order
  3. Tap on Add Language and select another language
  4. Drag the languages to arrange them in your order of preference

Now when you open apps, iOS will check if the app supports your first preferred language. If not, it will try the next language in your list and so on.

Changing App Language

While the system language changes texts across iOS, most third-party apps allow changing language independently. Usually, there is a setting within the app to change the display language.

For example, to change the language on the App Store app:

  1. Open the App Store app
  2. Tap on your profile icon on the top right
  3. Scroll down and tap on Language under Settings
  4. Choose the desired language

The App Store will now display in the selected language, while the system language remains unchanged.

Some apps may not have a language toggle within the app. In that case, you can change the iOS region which forces apps to change language:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Language & Region
  2. Tap on Region
  3. Select the relevant region for your language

So if you want an app to display in Japanese, choose Japan as your region. This will force apps that support Japanese to display in that language.

Tips for Changing iPhone Language

Here are some additional tips when changing the language on your iPhone XS Max:

  • If you cannot understand the current system language, look for the Settings gear icon to change it. The icon helps identify the Settings app easily.
  • Use the search bar within Settings to quickly find the Language & Region settings by typing language.
  • When adding a language keyboard, ensure the keyboard layout matches the characters for your selected language script.
  • You can use Siri voice commands to change system language or region. Just invoke Siri and make the change verbally.
  • If an app language does not change automatically based on the region, check its settings to change it manually.
  • To revert back to original language, go to the language list and drag your preferred language to the top.

Fixing Language Issues

In some cases, you may experience issues after changing iPhone language where text in some places does not update. If you face such problems:

  • First turn the iPhone off and back on
  • Ensure you have set only one primary language
  • Try changing the region along with iPhone language
  • Check if the app supports the language and change accordingly
  • As last resort, reset all settings on your iPhone

Resetting all content and settings will remove your preferred languages and other customizations. But it usually resolves any inconsistencies with languages across iOS and apps.

Summary

The iPhone XS Max makes it easy to use different languages for system UI and individual apps. Change the iPhone language if you want to switch the system-wide language. Use Preferred order to set priority for languages in apps. And each app usually has its own language setting that you can configure. With these options, you can conveniently use your iPhone in multiple languages tailored to your needs.

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