iOS 8 brought widget support, unleashed the potential of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, added a new set of new tools to developers, and, of course, got support for alternative keyboards from third-party developers. With a selection of seven available solutions, we will introduce you in this material.
The basis of all keyboards is the QuickType technology, once demonstrated at WWDC 2014. With its help, accelerated predictive typing is possible, in which, thanks to the database of dictionaries, the system will automatically select words and even whole phrases.
The iOS keyboard has remained virtually the only element that hasn't received any major changes since the launch of the first iPhone. So:
7 best alternative keyboards for iOS 8
SwiftKey
For quite a long time it has existed on the Android mobile platform and has already managed to establish itself from the best side. SwiftKey automatically remembers frequently used words and phrases, and also actively uses the built-in dictionary.
Download SwiftKey for iPhone and iPad (App Store)
Fleksy
It is considered the fastest keyboard in the world. This was proven by a 16-year-old from Brazil, who managed to score a difficult sentence with Fleksy in a record 18.19 seconds.
The achievement was possible thanks to the unique Fleksy technology. The main requirement when typing is to press the keys exactly as many times as there are letters in the word. Moreover, you can press all five letters incorrectly, and the word will still print the one that was intended. The keyboard allows you to miss spells. The number of letters typed and the area where the user tapped is taken into account. Next, a dictionary search works.
Download Fleksy for iPhone and iPad (App Store)
KuaiBoard
The non-standard keyboard has three accelerated text input techniques on board at once:
- TextBoard - creates templates (pieces of letters, signatures, messages, addresses) and automatically applies them when typing. The most interesting thing is that it can be both simple phrases and whole paragraphs.
- MeBoard - imports all contact information from the notebook, up to the place of residence and work e-mail, for convenient filling out forms and eliminating routine actions.
- LocationBoard - in one tap, you can send current geolocation data to friends and acquaintances.
Download KuaiBoard for iPhone and iPad (App Store)
Minuum
How much space does the original keyboard take on an iPhone or iPad display? More than a third, and sometimes even half of the screen. The developers of the Minuum alternative keyboard decided to save space and squeezed it upright. Instead of a scattering of keys, Minuum boasts a small strip with a minimum of buttons containing three letters of the alphabet each (for example, the first column with the letters Q, A and Z now makes up one button). Typing speed with Minuum increases dramatically.
Download Minuum for iPhone and iPad (App Store)
Swype
The main feature of the keyboard is the ability to enter text without lifting your finger from the display. It is enough to click on the first letter of the word and swipe through the rest of the letters. Next, the application will automatically select what it wants, as if predicting the words that the user wants to write. You only have to lift your finger when writing a new word. The culprit is a unique technology in which a software analyzer tracks the trajectory of a finger. A pleasant addition will be the presence of a variety of keyboard themes.
Download Swype for iPhone and iPad (App Store)
TextExpander
The program uses templates for fast typing. You can hide entire paragraphs of text behind any combination of numbers and letters. There is nothing new or extraordinary here.
Download TextExpander for iPhone and iPad (App Store)
TouchPal
Another alternative keyboard for iOS 8 that offers multiple input methods:
- TouchPal Curve - an analogue of the Swype keyboard (entering words without lifting your finger)
- Wave - based on predictive typing with selection of word endings and even prediction of the next word.
Download TouchPal for iPhone and iPad (App Store)
Read about how to install the virtual keyboard downloaded from the App Store in this article.
See also:
- Singer Irakli smashed the new iPhone 6 and posted a video on Instagram.
- What would the Apple Watch interface look like on an iPhone?
- iPhones are growing in size and price, but the margins of Apple smartphones are falling year after year.
