When
it launched the iPhone in 2007, Apple essentially created the
touchscreen keyboard as we all now know it. But until 2014, Apple’s own
built-in keyboard was the only game in town for iPhone. Then, with iOS
8, the company enabled third-party developers to create alternative
keyboards (which, it must be admitted, had by then been available on the
Android operating system for years).
Since
then, all kinds of alternative iOS keyboards have appeared in the App
Store. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites, which each do something
useful that the iOS default can’t.
One
word of caution before you download any of them: Most of the
third-party keyboards we’ve tested require you to enable the Allow Full
Access option (in Settings > Keyboards); as iOS will warn you, making
that change means those keyboards could in theory snoop on any text you
enter. Because of those security worries, third-party keyboards are
restricted in what they can do: For example, whenever you select a
password field in Safari, you’ll be automatically switched back to the
standard iOS keyboard.
SwiftKey
While you can simply type in SwiftKey as you would on iOS’s own keyboard, the real fun comes when you start swiping.
That means you don’t have to lift your finger or thumb from the screen
as you type; you can instead just slide it from one letter to the next.
SwiftKey will use the pattern to determine what word you’re trying to
type; its accuracy is surprisingly good. Even if it guesses wrong, it
will offer predictive suggestions above the keyboard that you can tap to
select.
SwiftKey’s layout is otherwise identical to the built-in
keyboard, which makes it easy to adjust to. In my experience, it’s not
quite as good as iOS’s keyboard for standard typing, but the swipe input
method can often be much faster — especially if you need to type with
one hand. SwiftKey is free, with additional cosmetic themes available
for in-app purchase.
Emoji++
Apple’s built-in emoji keyboard is pretty solid, but if you’re looking to up your emoji game, the $0.99 Emoji++
has a few niceties to offer. For one, it uses a vertical scrolling
interface rather than Apple’s horizontal one, which makes it easier to
operate one-handed, especially on larger iPhones. (Likewise with the
scroller on the right side, which lets you quickly skim through
different categories of emoji.) And it has both a section of recently
used emoji as well as the ability to set certain emoji as favorites:
Just tap and hold on an icon that you use frequently, and it’ll be added
to the quick-access panel, marked with a heart.
Fleksy
Rather than just making a single alternative way to enter text, Fleksy
has turned the keyboard into a platform. By default, it offers a
strikingly different-looking keyboard. But if you dive into the Fleksy
app, you’ll find you can not only change the color and styling of the
keyboard, but you can also enable a number of extensions to add new
functionality. For example, one extension lets you press and hold on the
spacebar, then swipe back and forth to move the cursor. Another lets
you quickly shrink the keyboard’s width and put it on the right or left
for easier one-handed typing. Others let you add a row of hot keys or
numerals at the top of the keyboard. There’s also a built-in GIF and
sticker search for when words just aren’t enough. Fleksy is free, but
you can unlock additional themes and extension slots via in-app
purchase.
GIF Keyboard
Speaking
of pictures, if you’re a frequent poster of animated images, then maybe
you could use a keyboard dedicated to the task. The free GIF Keyboard
allows you to browse and search an extensive and frequently updated
catalog of images and videos. You can search by keyword, look at
trending and popular images, or (my personal favorite) search via emoji
to find an animated way to capture exactly the mood you’re in. There’s
also a list of your recent GIFs, as well as favorites that you’ve saved.
GIF Keyboard’s usefulness is a bit limited, though, since you have to
then use iOS to paste in your selected images — and not all apps support
animated GIFs.
DrawType
When
there isn’t an existing image that conveys exactly how you’re feeling,
it’s handy to be able to sketch your own. You could open up a drawing
app and create one in there, but wouldn’t a keyboard be even more
useful? That’s where the $0.99 DrawType
comes in: You can choose from a relatively limited handful of colors
and line thicknesses, and create your own work of art to send. As with
GIF Keyboard, you’ll have to paste the result, and not every app
supports it.
Dan Moren is a freelance writer and podcaster who contributes frequently to Six Colors and Macworld and who co-hosts the tech podcasts Clockwise and The Rebound.
