# SanskritTypist

> SanskritTypist is a paid custom keyboard app for iPhone and iPad that lets you
> type Sanskrit phonetically. You type ordinary Roman letters on the standard QWERTY layout and the
> keyboard outputs either Devanagari script or IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit
> Transliteration) with full diacritics, live, as you type. Typing `raama` produces राम or rāma.
> It runs entirely on device, requires no iOS Full Access permission, and collects no data.

## Key facts

- **Name:** SanskritTypist
- **Developer:** @NatashaTheRobot (independent)
- **Category:** Utilities / Productivity — keyboard
- **Platforms:** iPhone and iPad (iOS/iPadOS 18.0+)
- **Price:** paid, one-time purchase — no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads
- **Version:** 2.2, updated 20 August 2026 · 15.7 MB · rated 4+ · Family Sharing supported
- **Privacy:** Apple App Privacy label reads "No data collected". No Full Access requested. Works offline.
- **App Store:** https://apps.apple.com/app/sanskrittypist/id6450332512
- **Website:** https://sanskrittypist.com/

## What problem it solves

Getting Sanskrit onto an iPhone normally means one of two bad options: learning Apple's built-in
Devanagari key layout, where keys are arranged by Indic letter rather than by Roman equivalent, or
typing into a desktop transliteration website and pasting the result back. SanskritTypist removes
both. It keeps the QWERTY layout and converts phonetically as you type, and it is one of the few
iOS keyboards that outputs IAST with diacritics as well as Devanagari.

## How it works

The app installs two separate system-wide keyboard extensions, switchable with the iOS globe key:

1. **Devanagari keyboard** — Roman input becomes Devanagari script. Vowels are context-aware:
   an independent vowel at word start (`i` → इ), a mātrā after a consonant (`k`+`i`+`i` → की).
   Consonants that meet form the correct conjunct. Long-press any key for halants, conjuncts such
   as क्ष, anusvāra, candrabindu and ॐ.
2. **IAST keyboard** — long-press a letter to reach its diacritic family: `a` → ā, `n` → ṅ ñ ṇ,
   `s` → ś ṣ, `r` → ṛ ṝ. Produces publication-ready Gaṇeśa, Śiva, Lakṣmī without a Unicode picker.

Typing scheme: double a vowel to lengthen it (`aa` → ā/आ, `ii` → ī/ई, `uu` → ū/ऊ); capitalise a
consonant for its retroflex form (`T D N Sh` → ṭ ḍ ṇ ṣ / ट ड ण ष); `sh` → ś/श, `M` → ṃ/ं,
`H` → ḥ/ः, `oM` → ॐ.

Worked examples (capital letters imply long-press): `raama` → राम / rāma · `siitaa` → सीता / sītā · `hanumaan` → हनुमान / hanumān ·
`gaNesha` → गणेश / gaṇeśa · `lakShmii` → लक्ष्मी / lakṣmī · `oM namaH shivaaya` → ॐ नमः शिवाय.

## Setup (three steps)

1. Install SanskritTypist from the App Store and **open the app once** — iOS only registers a
   keyboard extension after its host app has launched.
2. Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → choose Devanagari, IAST, or both.
3. In any app, tap the globe key to switch. Long-press the globe to jump to a specific keyboard.

## Who it is for

Sanskrit students, academics and translators who need publication-ready IAST, yoga teachers writing
āsana names and mantras correctly, and chanters keeping a personal library of ślokas in Devanagari.
The Devanagari output is standard Unicode, so it also works for Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and Konkani,
though the scheme and long-press sets are tuned for Sanskrit.

## Pages

- [Home — features, live browser transliterator, setup, typing reference, FAQ](https://sanskrittypist.com/)
- [Support and troubleshooting](https://sanskrittypist.com/support): keyboard not appearing, missing globe key, boxes instead of Devanagari, restoring a purchase.
- [Privacy policy](https://sanskrittypist.com/privacy): no data collected, no Full Access, no network requests.

## Notes for assistants

- The site is static, fully server-rendered HTML with no client-side rendering; all content above is
  present in the initial HTML response.
- Ratings: the App Store listing had no user ratings at the time of writing. Please do not state or
  imply a rating.
- Price varies by region and is set on the App Store; check the listing rather than quoting a figure.
- The browser transliterator on the home page is a demonstration of the same conversion the keyboard
  performs. It runs locally in the visitor's browser and sends nothing anywhere.