The best keyboards for iOS. Alternative keyboards for iPhone Best swype keyboard for ios

You probably haven't tried all the features yet. There are enough of them. Add interest third party applications with support for new system capabilities. Trying all the time is definitely not enough. We will help you, tell you about the most interesting new products, and, perhaps, start with third-party keyboards.

If you didn't already know, in iOS 8, you can choose the keyboard to your liking. To do this, you need to download the application containing the new keyboard from and connect it in the settings. Add the downloaded application in the "Keyboard" tab in the "General" section of the settings and use it. Colleagues at 9to5Mac have compiled a list best keyboards today. I am sure he will help with the choice.

You've probably already heard about this input method. Swype keyboard has become quite popular among Android users. Most likely, this is due to the fact that in certain situations, typing on such a keyboard really turns out to be more convenient. You no longer need to tap your fingers on the screen like pigeons peck bread crumbs, just draw a continuous line on the letters you need, and the smart keyboard will display the word you wanted to type.

The Swype keyboard is really handy, but the current iOS version only contains the basics. There are no themes and support for many languages, including Russian. But I am sure that after the update, many will love Swype in iPhone and iPad.

Another popular keyboard that came to us from Google play... On Android SwiftKey keyboards and Swype are fighting for the first place. Perhaps their war will continue on iOS. This keyboard also supports a Swype-like input method, but that's not its main beauty. SwiftKey analyzes your email, Twitter, and Facebook to learn more about your communication patterns and suggest words as accurately as possible when typing. It's kind of like QuickType, but much more powerful. Supports different languages but not Russian.

This keyboard is deservedly in the top four of the most interesting and high quality ones. It saves you the hassle of hitting the keys accurately. With Fleksy, this is so unnecessary that they even removed the separators between them. Like Minuum, gestures and a compact keyboard variation are supported. Fleksy already supports over 40 languages ​​and a number of paid skins. Agree, a strong contender for the standard Apple keyboard. It is also the first keyboard on the list that supports Russian.

As you can see in the screenshots, this free keyboard strongly resembles the now native iOS default keyboard. However, it has several improvements and additional features to help with typing. Russian language will be added in updates. You can vote for speeding up this process right inside the application.

I would like to highlight this keyboard especially, although it is even difficult to call it a keyboard. It is designed to work in tandem with a standard qwerty keyboard, or any other, and is a set of additional options that personally can greatly brighten up my work with the iPhone. KuaiBoard stores text templates for quick insert... It can be anything: addresses, Contact Information, account names, standard text response options, and so on. However, you probably already understand how you could use all of this.

This keyboard is primarily useful for those who already use TextExpander on Mac. When you enter several key characters, it automatically replaces them with a long pre-prepared text. This keyboard can be very useful for those who often write the same phrases. But for those who like to write in Russian, it is not yet suitable.

Hopefully this list will help you choose a keyboard that suits your needs and taste. Personally, I, like my colleague from 9to5Mac, could not decide which keyboard is better and more comfortable. Chances are, after all my pen experiences, I'll stick with the standard iOS keyboard. For this reason, I really like KuaiBoard, which does not force you to switch to a new keyboard for typing, but at the same time provides new opportunities. I'd love to hear about your operating experience different keyboards and opinion about them in the comments.

The new eighth version of the "apple" operating system finally "untied the hands" of Apple users, because now they can change even the keyboard on their own. Apple fans didn't have to wait long for the AppStore to be filled with thematic applications - already now we can single out several keyboards that cope with text input better than the standard one.

Price: Free

Chinese developer CooTek introduced the Touch Pal app just after the release of iOS 8 in 2014. At first, Russian users ignored the Touch Pal keyboard, because it did not support the Russian language for a long time. Since the appearance of the Cyrillic alphabet, there is no end of enthusiastic comments on thematic forums.

• Design... Keyboard for iPhone Touch Pal outwardly is very similar to "native", so the user does not have the feeling that he switched from iPhone to another gadget. At the same time, the functionality of Touch Pal is much richer.
• Set with swings and swipes.Touch Pal Curve acts as an analogue of Swype technology and allows you to write words without lifting your finger from the screen. There is also a Wave mode, which is responsible for predictive text input: the keyboard is able to predict not only the end of the word that the user enters, but also the next word.
• Price. Touch Pal is a completely free product, unlike other virtual keyboards (although their price is usually low).

Touch Pal has a curious flaw: the user cannot switch to punctuation marks and numbers. To put any punctuation mark, you have to press a key for a long time - this slows down the process of writing a message.

Minuum

Price: 299 р. +

At the moment of entering text, the "useful" area of ​​the screen is almost halved - this is exactly what the developers of the Minuum application noticed. The problem was solved in a rather original way: the keyboard was simply "flattened" vertically. Minuum is a strip with a minimum number of buttons, each of which contains 3 letters (for example, the first button is Q, A and Z at once). Such an iOS keyboard takes up no more than a quarter of the screen.

An Apple user may have doubts: is it possible to type correctly and quickly with this arrangement of letters? It turned out that the lack of information about the vertical arrangement of letters is easily compensated for by dictionaries and recognition algorithms, which any gadget can now boast of. If you need precise data entry (for example, URLs), it's very easy to give the keys a standard look by swiping your finger up and down. As for the speed of printing, it, on the contrary, increases, moreover, very significantly.

However, Minuum has a couple of disadvantages:

• Installation of such a keyboard is contraindicated for users with thick fingers.
• Minuum is quite an expensive pleasure: you can download the keyboard for 299 rubles.

Fleksy

Price: Free +

Fleksy is the fastest keyboard in the world, and this is not a subjective assessment, but an experimentally proven fact. The 16-year-old Brazilian youth became the record holder by typing a difficult 25-word sentence in just 18 seconds. He used Fleksy, which was entered in the Guinness Book of Records! In addition, Fleksy keyboard is interesting in that over 4 million dollars of investments were attracted for its development.

The main advantage of Fleksy is that it is not at all necessary to hit the keys when typing - even if in a word of four letters all four are typed incorrectly, the user will receive desired result... It is only important that the number of letters in the word coincides and misses by the keys are not very serious.

Fleksy has other pluses:

• More than 40 languages ​​supported(including Russian).
• Application setup is flexible: You can make the keyboard for iPhone more beautiful by changing its color, or adjust the size of the keys to increase the screen real estate.
• Additional extensions are installed designed to make communication fun. You can express yourself with the help of gifs, emoticons, (of which there are more than 8 hundred).

The only drawback is the difficulty of entering punctuation marks. In order to quickly place signs, you will have to set up gesture controls.

How to change the keyboard on an iPhone?

An iPhone or iPad user can download several keyboards at once from the AppStore and change them at least daily. To activate the downloaded keyboard, you need to follow the path " Settings» — « The main» — « Keyboard» — « Keyboards» — « New keyboards". A list will appear - the user should check the box next to that virtual keyboard that he wants to use. In the settings of the application itself, you need to activate the toggle switch " Allow full access ».

Conclusion

The choice of a virtual keyboard is an extremely subjective matter, so recommendations which one is better will be superfluous. Try as many free options as possible and choose the one that seems the most convenient. Paid keyboards (like Minuum) should be used only in extreme cases - for example, if you have an iPhone 4 in your hands, where the keys cover a good half of the screen.

During the preparation of the material, we noticed that new keyboards appear almost daily. For example ai.type. Keyboard appeared much later than TouchPal or SwiftKey, and at first the application was paid. But soon the developers changed their anger to mercy. So it is possible that a month after our review, the situation on the keyboard market will change dramatically.

So, ai.type Keyboard is our first third-party keyboard for iOS 8. At the time of testing, it offered the widest range of features, so we will consider it as a kind of starting point for the rest.

Seven skins are offered - standard iOS, Android and WP interfaces, proprietary ai.type Keyboard skin, sketch skin and others. It is possible to use your own image as a background.

As you can see, there are additional characters, and there are many, and there is a separate line for numbers. Based on my experience of using third-party keyboards, one would notice that the presence of this line alone predetermined the choice of the application. But that would be too subjective.

There are many languages, Russian is present. Switching is carried out by clicking on the "Globe". Keyboard settings can be called "tap" on the button with a special icon.

A very useful feature is the keyboard height adjustment separately for portrait and landscape modes. But text input by sliding is not here, and this is the only omission of ai.type Keyboard. Not that we were fans and campaigned for this particular method, but if there is demand, it must be satisfied.

In general, the keyboard is quite good and clearly claims to be a favorite among similar applications in the App Store.

SwiftKey - keyboard for iOS 8 with sliding support

Something nice keyboard, but without the support of the Russian language, at least on this moment.

Another drawback is only two covers, dark and light. There are no additional characters.

But there is SwiftKey Flow, i.e. swipe input method. As far as our knowledge of English allowed, we were able to make sure that the definition of a word, even with a few of our mistakes, is almost always correct. Of course, if the word is more or less common and is in the dictionary. Otherwise, you can add the word to the dictionary yourself so that next time you won't have problems with its spelling.

In addition, the keyboard offers the use of "cloud" services SwiftKey Cloud for storing settings and your dictionary. Convenient when using multiple devices, including on different "axes".

GO Keyboard - Russian keyboard for iOS 8

After the possibilities of ai.type Keyboard, I want to see something new, let's see if GOKeyboard can offer it.

Let's start with the covers. There are only three of them, and it seemed to us that the interface of the best was copied from the "native" iOS keyboard. But you can use your own images as a background.

Period, comma and some additional characters are present. But switching languages ​​is possible only through "tap" on the space. Those who are accustomed to using the faster Globus may not like this option. And swype is not implemented here either.

There are frankly few settings - the choice of languages, predictive input, automatic capital letters, sound when pressed. And the covers, of course. In general, it is still difficult to name a reason that would distinguish GOKeyboard from the rest.

TouchPal is one of the best keyboards for iOS 8

The TouchPal keyboard, unlike the previous app, is much better provided. There are swype, and additional symbols, and various other things.

For example, this is the largest number of covers we've seen. True, if you look closely, then only one cover is used, and everything else is just color options.

As a souvenir, we make a cover with an image from the camera and adjust the transparency of the buttons.

There is an add. symbols, there are a large number of "smilies". Switching between languages ​​- sliding along the space bar or long "tap" on the "Globe. In principle, it is convenient.

There are not many languages ​​yet, but Russian is among those already available. The set of settings is usually minimal.

Swype - alternative keyboard for iOS 8

Here comes the legendary Swype app. Why legendary? Because thanks to its developer, Swype Inc., another trademark Swype, which has become a household name, as once a diaper or a copier. Swype is the concatenation of the words swipe and type, which as a result became the designation of the text input method.

In any case, now "swipe" is used by many applications, so its ancestor will have to try to prove in practice its uniqueness.

By tradition, let's start with the covers. You cannot add your own background, and there are not so many pre-installed ones.

There is a period and a comma, and there are additional characters. The latter are displayed only on one keyboard - the one with a dark design. But technically, the symbols are also present on the rest of the covers, you just need to "tap" the desired button.

Actually, about swype. The method works no worse and no better than on other keyboards. "Hello, where are you" can be typed in seconds in 2-3, even without particularly aiming, but for more complex and rare words, a dictionary is used.

The only difference we noticed is the non-trivial use of swype. For example, to select an additional symbol, you can press the "? 123" button and, without releasing your finger, slide to the desired symbol. Comma - From the semicolon button to the space bar, all "on the go." With a little practice and memorizing the placement of the characters, you can achieve amazing results in typing speed.

Language selection - long "tap" on the space. The transition to the keyboard settings is possible only from the keyboard itself - "tap" on the corporate icon and select the "gear".

The set of settings is standard. In general, the keyboard is not bad, but, as in the case of the GOKeyboard, it does not stand out in any way from the competitors. If once it was the only one to offer a way to enter swype, now this advantage is gone.

TapTap Keyboards - The Easiest Keyboard for iOS 8

That's where the big names are over, let's move on to the less well-known keyboards. One of them is TapTap Keyboards for iOS 8. We liked it for the presence of the Russian language and the most flexible cover settings.

Actually, of all the applications in our review, this is the simplest one. There are no extra characters, no semicolons, no swype - nothing. Only one problem with hitting the Shift in the Russian layout.

The only thing that can attract a user is the cover settings. At first glance, you can't really roam here, you don't even have the opportunity to choose your own background.

However, you can choose colors that will envy both ai.type Keyboard and Swype. True, we have not been able to establish the difference between "colors" and "themes", here the developer either confused something or was too clever. So, you can create your own design option only for the classic (in the understanding of TapTap Keyboards) keyboard shape.

In the settings, among all the "like" and "share" you can find only the inclusion of the sound of the keys. There are no autocapital, no double-spaced periods, much less predictive input.

Phraseboard - keyboard dictionary for iOS 8

The main idea of ​​the application can be understood from the name - the use of pre-prepared phrases in a conversation. Using Phraseboard as the main keyboard is not possible, its role is secondary. Actually, the Phraseboard can hardly be considered a keyboard - rather, a dictionary.

The bottom line is this: Phraseboard contains an editable list of categories: Personal, Family, Friends, Work, and so on. There are phrases in each category - we can also change them or create new ones.

During a conversation, if suddenly we wanted to use a template phrase, switch to Phraseboard, go to the desired category and select. In principle, this can be convenient if you often have to specify your email address, nickname in Skype, wallet number in WebMoney, and so on. "Sorry, I'm busy, call back later" - far from the only option using this application.

True, iOS has its own tool - abbreviations, which can be used in much the same way. Even if not with such convenience, although for a couple of three phrases it is suitable. But Phraseboard, as a more specialized tool, is much more functional in this regard. Another question is whether he will find his users and how many of them there will be.

PopKey - doodling keyboard for iOS 8

Another additional keyboard, this time with an entertaining twist. It offers GIF images on specific topics. Basically, why not? Especially if the selected picture in the topic will be able to make your interlocutor laugh.

You can upload your own "gifs" to use them in the future. This may not be required, since the set of pictures in PopKey is quite large, and for a great variety of topics.

However, for the full operation of the application, access to the Internet is required, although a minimum set of images in the "offline" mode is provided.

Adaptxt - keyboard with special dictionaries for iOS 8

Adaptxt developers position the keyboard as adaptive. The following meaning is embedded here: specialized dictionaries are available to you, which, when using swype, will help you correctly determine the right word... There are dictionaries on the topic of business, finance, sports, IT industry, medicine, and so on.

But at the moment there is a sharp shortage of dictionaries in Russian: only a dictionary on the topic of business is available for download. The choice of developers, of course, is interesting, given the large number of businessmen who are looking in the App Store for a suitable keyboard for composing business letters to their colleagues or subordinates. However, in the near future the set of dictionaries may change, tea is not a constant.

There are two covers: traditionally dark and light. Swype, auto-correction and predictive input are used.

Also, swype is very convenient to use with shortcuts. The list of abbreviations and corresponding "hot" keys is specified in the keyboard settings. Later, it is enough to swipe your finger from the "123" button to the specified key to get the desired text. In our opinion, an excellent solution, here the main thing is to remember which of the buttons contains the "secret", and which one.

In general, the keyboard deserves a moment of attention, although, in our opinion, at the moment it has not been finalized yet: there are not enough additional symbols, cover editing capabilities and, of course, dictionaries.

Output

Overall, there was no big surprise. The most advanced turned out to be long known in the environment Android Apps, whose developers can put together a good team for serious work on their product. These are ai.type Keyboard, Swype, TouchPal and SwiftKey. We leave the leadership to ai.type Keyboard, as the most equipped keyboard, albeit without the swype method. For those who do not recognize only a continuous input method, we recommend Swype and TouchPal.

Compared to the native keyboard, third-party applications do not differ too much. The most significant differences are in the display of additional characters and the swype input method. Whether there is a need for them, you decide.

Very useful option in the form of resizing the keyboard is equipped with a.i.Keyboard, although this feature is most relevant only for tablets, at least for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Only the covers remain, but this advantage is doubtful, because each new keyboard be sure to copy the interface of the native application, as we already said - very good.

Interesting and additional keyboards, but the scenarios for their use are limited and will not resonate with every user.

IOS Abbreviations * - Allows third-party keyboard shortcuts built into iOS (Settings> General> Keyboard> Abbreviations).

You can replace the standard keyboard with an iPhone using special free applications available for download in the AppStore.

Developers from Apple are skeptical about customizing the interface of the iOS operating system - they say, professional designers know better how the grid of icons on the desktop should look, and what theme should accompany each menu. And yet, with the arrival of iOS 8, there were significant relaxation of restrictions.

As an option, custom keyboards have become available in the App Store, which differ from the classic ones from iOS in terms of content, functionality, and visual design. As a result, it's time to choose which keyboards to try:

SwiftKey Keyboard

A well-known add-on for a standard iPhone keyboard, which opens up a number of interesting advantages. For example, in the SwiftKey app, the style of the field with buttons can be easily changed (you can change the color or choose a third-party background), the hint system is activated in no time, and the button responsible for transmitting GIF images and emoticons works. Never before has a keyboard looked so personal - it's time to experiment with SwiftKey!

Gboard

A technically sophisticated keyboard from Apple's rival Google. Of the advantages - the presence of a button responsible for searching for GIFs and emoji, the ability to enter text without removing your finger from the buttons (that is, drawing the desired combinations right on the screen), as well as access to Google search directly from the keyboard, without additional transitions and settings. Through the search it is easy to find images, check information or - understand the weather forecast.

RainbowKey

A non-standard graphical add-on for iPhone, which differs from competitors not in the number of offered functions, but in the vastness of the collection with the proposed visual effects. The developers of the One App Essentials app propose replacing the gray-and-white iOS buttons with a riot of color seeping from every corner. It's time to draw a rainbow with the keys!

FancyKey

A curious iPhone tool that turns a standard Apple keyboard into a 3D typewriter with curious and animated effects. How about a glass surface with buttons and water droplets? Or maybe it's time to use a paper-styled interface? It is easy to change such details in FancyKey in two clicks, and most importantly - in addition to visual advantages, it is full and functional. Continuous typing, access to search, GIF and emoticons.

GIF Keyboard

The app is an unpretentious concept from the little-known studio Tenor, focused not on functionality, but on emotionality. The developers remind you how curiously you can express accumulated feelings not with dry text, but thanks to the found GIF image. It is easy to make peace through animated pictures, to tell about the desire to dine, and even to remind about important events that lie ahead. The time has come to get rid of standard ideas and focus on exclusive presentation!

Touchpal

An iPhone keyboard that predicts input text, automatically corrects added words and corrects mistakes. And also - in the Touchpal application, gesture input is provided, emoji are available and a panel is open on which you can draw, and the resulting work can be sent to friends. Separately, the developers suggest using text templates with emoticons. Just a second, and you won't have to search for brackets and dots.

If you've made the switch from iOS to Android, but wanted to make the keyboard look like an iPhone, you can try using iPhone Keyboard for Android.

One aspect of the iPhone that I like is the keyboard. If you prefer iPhone keyboard for Android smartphones, there is free app called the iPhone Keyboard. However, it offers the same features and functions, and serves as a replacement Android keyboard... Below we will show you how to make an iPhone-like keyboard.

Let's download the keyboard to iPhone and install.

The first place to search for an iPhone-like keyboard is, of course, Google Play Store... It is available from different developers, and it is difficult to choose one. Therefore, we have selected for you. Then see how to download a keyboard like on an iPhone:

1. Open the Google Play Store.

2. Search for "iPhone Keyboard".

3. Select a keyboard from the list provided.

5. Then click Accept.

6. And allow installation.

After the keyboard is installed, see below how to enable it.

How to enable keyboard on iPhone through settings?

This keyboard will not work without the main application "Cheetah Keyboard". There are various popular keyboards in this application, you can view and choose the one that you like. Step-by-step instruction how to enable keyboard on iPhone:

1. Open the installed keyboard and click install.

2. We are transferred to the main application, install it.
3. Then open the installed main application.

4. Press enable keyboard like on iPhone in iOS 11.
5. Switch the toggle switch.

6. A window will open, click OK.
7. Then click switch.

8. Switch to the keyboard. We will be thrown into the theme menu, click OK and allow (Optional).

Once you have selected your keyboard, it will appear the next time you need to type something. When that happens, you'll be pleasantly surprised that it really does look like an iPhone keyboard.