A keypad apparatus includes a printed circuit (110) configured for a keypad. Dome actuators (108) are placed on top of the printed circuit. A backlight (106) with apertures (103) is placed over the dome actuators such that the dome actuators rest entirely within their associated apertures. This assembly is covered with a retainer (104) placed on top of the backlight to form a flat-profile keypad that can be used on an exterior of a phone housing (112). The retainer can be labeled to define the key functions, or a preferred replaceable key label (102) can be placed over the retainer. This provides an integral assembly with key labels that are easily customized.