PromptPadCustom AI shortcuts for your iPhone keyboard.
PromptPad AI Keyboard turns a writing instruction into a button above your keys. Build it once, then use it in every app you type in.
What a custom AI shortcut is
A custom AI shortcut is a saved instruction, like "make this polite and short", that sits as a button above the PromptPad keyboard. You type a message, tap the button, and the text in the field is rewritten in place.
There is no copying, no switching to a chatbot and no pasting back. The shortcut works in any app that lets you use a third-party keyboard: Messages, Mail, WhatsApp, Slack, Gmail, LinkedIn, Notes and the rest.
Every shortcut runs in one of two modes. Preview shows the result first, so you can Apply it or Regenerate. Instant replaces the text straight away. Nothing changes in Preview mode until you say so.
Three ways to make one
Start from the library
PromptPad has 16 ready-made shortcuts in Work, Social, Study, Writing and Language. Each one shows a before and after, so you know what it does before you add it.
Use the sentence builder
Pick the parts of a sentence, for example "Rewrite my text so it sounds friendly and keep it short". PromptPad writes the instruction for you. No prompt writing needed.
Write your own prompt
If you know exactly what you want, type the instruction in your own words. It becomes a button like any other.
Folders keep a long list tidy, so your work shortcuts and your group-chat shortcuts don't get in each other's way.
Shortcut ideas you can copy
Fix Grammar, Make Formal, Polite No, Shorten, Gen Z, Translate and Idea to Text come ready-made in PromptPad. The others below are examples of instructions you can build yourself. Copy the wording, or change it until it sounds like you.
Fix spelling and grammar. Keep my words and my tone.
For quick messages where you only want the mistakes gone.
Rewrite this for a manager or client. Polite, clear, no slang.
Turns a rushed note into something you can send at work.
Turn this into a kind, clear no. Keep it short and don't over-apologise.
For invitations, favours and requests you can't take on.
Cut this to the point. Keep every fact and the ask.
Good for long Slack messages and status updates.
Translate to Spanish. Keep names, numbers and links unchanged.
See the translate keyboard page for more languages.
Make this sound casual and current, like a group chat.
A social one. Fun, and a quick way to see how tone changes a message.
Fix mistakes but keep my casual style. Don't add exclamation marks.
For people who like their own voice and only want it cleaner.
Rewrite as a polite email to a professor, with a greeting and a sign-off.
For students who know what to ask but not how to phrase it.
Turn my rough notes into one clear message.
Type fragments, get a message someone else can follow.
Most tone jobs are covered in more detail on the rewrite text on iPhone page, and the plain correctness job on the grammar keyboard page.
Custom shortcuts vs other iPhone tools
iOS already has a few tools with "shortcut" in the description. They do different jobs, and each one is the right choice for something.
| Tool | What it does | Best for | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Replacement (iOS) | Expands a short code into fixed text you saved. | Addresses, sign-offs, phrases you type often. Free and built in. | Inserts the same text every time. It does not read or change your message. |
| Shortcuts app (iOS) | Runs multi-step automations across apps. | Workflows like "save this to Notes and message my team". | Usually started from the app, a widget or the share sheet, not from a button on your keyboard. |
| Apple Writing Tools | Apple's built-in proofread and rewrite actions. | Free, private rewrites on iPhones with Apple Intelligence. | Needs a supported iPhone. You select text first, then pick an action. See our Writing Tools comparison. |
| PromptPad custom shortcuts | Your own AI instructions as buttons above the keys. | Rewrites you repeat every day, in your tone, in any app. | iPhone only. The free plan includes 4 shortcuts and 20 cloud AI runs. |
Which AI runs your shortcuts
You choose the engine. On-device mode uses Apple Intelligence: it is free, unlimited, works offline, and your text never leaves your iPhone. It needs iOS 26 and an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. Cloud mode uses a cloud AI model (currently from OpenAI), gives the best quality and works on iPhones without Apple Intelligence. Your text is sent to the model, the result comes back, and the text is not stored.
If you have been pasting messages into a chatbot and copying the answer back, a custom shortcut does the same job without leaving the app you are in.
Questions about custom shortcuts
Do I need to know how to write prompts?
No. The sentence builder lets you pick a tone, a length and other options, and PromptPad writes the instruction. You can also add a ready-made shortcut from the library in one tap.
How many custom shortcuts can I have for free?
The free plan includes 4 shortcuts, 20 cloud AI runs and unlimited on-device runs. PromptPad Pro makes shortcuts and cloud runs unlimited.
Do custom shortcuts work in WhatsApp, Gmail and Slack?
Yes. Shortcuts live in the keyboard, so they work in any app that allows third-party keyboards. iOS switches to the Apple keyboard in password fields, and a few apps block third-party keyboards.
Does PromptPad keep the text I rewrite?
No. In cloud mode the text is sent to the AI model to produce the result and then discarded. In on-device mode nothing leaves your iPhone.
Keep going
PromptPad is an AI keyboard for iPhone. New to third-party keyboards? Start with how to add the keyboard, it takes about a minute.
Your next message
is already better.
Free on the App Store. Works in the apps you already use.
Download on theApp StoreFor iPhone. Free plan included. On-device AI needs iOS 26 and an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.