La Langue: Mon iPad parle français maintenant (et le vôtre aussi) — Flip your tech to French without panicking

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So… I set my iPad to French and promptly spent five minutes looking for Réglages while whispering mais où est le bouton retour?! 10/10 immersion. Would recommend. Also: would like my mom to stop texting “why are your screenshots in French now??” 😅

Below is a friendly, fool-proof guide to flipping your devices to French (and back again), with extra hacks to make your daily screen time feel like a mini-séjour linguistique.

Why do this?

  • Micro-immersion all day: dates, alerts, buttons = constant vocab drip.

  • Real-world phrasing: you’ll start saying Mettre à jour, Partage, Supprimer without thinking.

  • Bonus humility: you’ll discover how often you just guess where things are. (It’s character-building. And funny.)

iPhone / iPad (iOS & iPadOS)

Path (English): Settings → General → Language & Region → Add Language… → French → Use French.
Chemin (français): Réglages → Général → Langue et région → Ajouter une langue… → Français → Utiliser le français. (Apple Support)

Per-app French: Settings → scroll to an app → Language → Français (helpful for Maps, Notes, Netflix). (Apple Support)

Key extras

  • French keyboard: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New → Français (AZERTY). Globe key to switch.

  • Dictation & Siri en français: Settings → Siri & Search → Language → Français; enable “Allow Siri When Locked.”

  • Region for formats: Settings → General → Language & Region → Region = France for 24-hour time, decimal , comma. (Apple Support)

Panic button: Can’t find things? In Réglages, pull down to search “Langue”. The prompt “Utiliser l’anglais ?” will get you home.

Android (Pixel and most phones)

Path: Settings → System → Languages & input → Languages → Add a language → Français → drag to top.
Per-app language (Android 13+): Settings → System → Language & region → App languages → choose app → Français. (Google Help)

Key extras

  • Gboard French keyboard: Settings → System → Languages & input → On-screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages → Add French.

  • Google Assistant en français: Assistant settings → Languages → add Français (you can keep English too). (Google Help)

Panic button: Search Settings for “Language” (or “Langue”). Long-press spacebar on Gboard to switch keyboards if you got stuck on AZERTY.

Mac (macOS)

Path:  → System Settings → General → Language & Region → “+” → Français → Use French (restart if asked). (Apple Support)

Key extras

  • Add keyboard & quick toggle: System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit → add Français; press Control + Space to switch. (Apple Support)

  • Formats: In Language & Region, set Region = France for dates, numbers, and 24-hour time. (Apple Support)

Windows 11

Path: Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language → Français → Set as Windows display language (sign out/restart). (Microsoft Support)

Key extras

  • Keyboard layouts: Time & language → Language & region → … (Language options) → Add a keyboard → French. Use Win + Space to switch. (Microsoft Support)

  • App & Store language: Preferred languages order can drive app/site language independently of the Windows display language. (Microsoft Support)

Tiny gotchas (a.k.a. “learning opportunities”)

  • Autocorrect will sass you. Add names & café vocab to your personal dictionary to tame it.

  • Passwords aren’t affected. But AZERTY ≠ QWERTY—be mindful when typing hidden passwords.

  • Voice features: Download French voice/speech packs for dictation/TTS if prompted. (Microsoft Support)

Level-up tasks by CEFR level

  • A1: Change device language + add French keyboard. Long-press letters for accents (é, è, ê, ç).

  • A2: Set Maps/Weather to French; ask Siri/Assistant simple things: Quel temps fait-il à Aix ?

  • B1: Per-app French for Notes, Calendar, and Camera. Narrate what you tap: J’appuie sur Partager, j’ajoute la légende…

  • B2: Switch region to France, enable 24-hour time, metric units, and read one full Settings screen out loud daily.

  • Advanced: Keep system in French, but write work emails in English by using per-app language + bilingual keyboard shortcuts. Bonus: set Office/Google Docs proofing to French for grammar help. (Microsoft Support)

Handy official guides (if you get lost)

Apple (iPhone/iPad) • Android (device & per-app) • macOS • Windows language packs. These walk you through the same steps shown above. (Apple Support)


Your turn 👇

What did switching to French teach you today—new words, menus you never noticed, or a hilarious autocorrect fail? A1-A2 folks: post one Settings path in French you followed. B1-B2-Advanced: share your best immersion hack (widgets, shortcuts, or Siri/Assistant routines). On papote !

Location: France