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Using the Keyboard

Updated

The GIF Vault Keyboard lets you use your saved GIFs in any app — WhatsApp, Telegram, Mail, Notes, and more — not just Messages. It shows the exact same vault as the main app, right where you are typing.

How to Enable the Keyboard

The keyboard needs to be added once in the iOS Settings app:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Go to General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
  3. Tap Add New Keyboard…
  4. Select GIF Vault from the list.
  5. Tap the newly added GIF Vault keyboard and turn on Allow Full Access.
💡 Why Full Access? iOS requires this permission for the keyboard to read your vault and copy GIFs to the clipboard. The GIF Vault Keyboard does not record what you type and does not send anything over the internet — it only displays your saved GIFs and copies the one you pick.

How to Use It

  1. In any app, tap a text field to bring up the keyboard, then press and hold the globe icon (🌐) and choose GIF Vault. (You can also tap the globe repeatedly to cycle through your keyboards.)
  2. Scroll through your vault and tap the GIF you want.
  3. A "Copied! Now paste it where you want it." message confirms the GIF is on your clipboard.
  4. Long-press the text field and tap Paste to insert the GIF.

To switch back to your regular keyboard, tap the globe icon in the bottom-left corner of the GIF Vault Keyboard.

Why copy and paste? iOS keyboards are only allowed to type text directly — they cannot insert images. Copying to the clipboard is how every GIF keyboard works, and pasting takes just one extra tap.

Your Vault, Everywhere

  • Shared Database: The keyboard shows the exact same local vault as the main app and the iMessage extension. Changes appear the next time the GIF Vault keyboard opens or reloads.
  • Sort Order: The keyboard follows the sort order you picked in the main app, and using a GIF from the keyboard counts towards its usage for the Most Used ordering.

Troubleshooting

The Keyboard Asks for Full Access

If the keyboard shows a message about enabling Full Access, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > GIF Vault and turn on Allow Full Access, then reopen the keyboard.

GIF Vault Is Not in the Keyboard List

Make sure the GIF Vault app is installed, then restart your device and check Add New Keyboard… again.

The Pasted GIF Does Not Animate

Whether a pasted GIF stays animated is decided by the app you paste into. Most messaging apps (Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram) keep the animation; some apps only accept still images. For Messages, you can also use the dedicated GIF Vault iMessage extension.

"No GIFs in your vault yet"

The full message is "No GIFs in your vault yet. Open GIF Vault to add some." Open the main app and import media, then reopen the keyboard.

"Open GIF Vault to finish updating your vault"

After updating the app, open GIF Vault once so it can finish upgrading its database. The keyboard will then show your collection as usual.

Changes from Another Device Have Not Appeared

The keyboard reads the vault stored locally on your device; it does not run iCloud Sync itself. Open the main GIF Vault app and allow iCloud Sync to finish, then reopen the keyboard.