iOS users can finally tap intou00a0alternative keyboard software. Although you’d be forgiven for not changing from the stock Apple keyboard (pictured left) — given that Cupertino has buried the switchu00a0for enabling alternatives deep within settings. Itu00a0has also given the stock iOS keyboard some TLC, adding a word prediction feature called Quick Type. This draws inspiration from various third party keyboard software makers by offeringu00a0a trio of next-word suggestions above the Qwerty keyboard to speed up typing. So now you can just tap on a suggested word to type it…”If you do want to swap the stock iOS keyboard for something not made in Cupertino there’s plenty of alternatives to choose from. UK-made predictive keyboard maker SwiftKey is among the first to launch its software on iOS. Like Apple, SwiftKey’s keyboard offers a trio of word predictions positioned above the keyboard as you type. But of course it claims its word prediction engine is superior to Apple’s. As well it might, given SwiftKey has had skin in the gameu00a0since 2008,u00a0and currentlyu00a0has more thanu00a0200 million active devices using its machine learning software. Theu00a0SwiftKey predictive engineu00a0learns how youu00a0write and adapts its predictions to your syntax and slang. Au00a0cloud profile featureu00a0that lets you connect itu00a0withu00a0your Facebook and Google accounts so it learns more about your language use, to generate better predictions.nnSwiftKey will beu00a0hoping to add significantly to its active deviceu00a0tally now that it’s available on iOS, especially given that its iOS app isu00a0free.”SwiftKey’s keyboard also supports the finger-dragging input method that users of other smartphone platforms have been relishing for years — so, instead of tapping, you can slide your finger fromu00a0letter to letter tou00a0form words. It’s not necessarily the quickest way to type but it can be pretty satisfying to squiggle out your name. SwiftKey’s app also includes a choice of two keyboard themes at launch: light or dark.”Another keyboard maker that’s carved a significant profile for itself on Android is Swype, now owned by Nuance. The Swype app isu00a0also here at the startu00a0of iOS 8. Swype offered au00a0finger-dragging input method before SwiftKey (it calls this ‘Swyping’). It also does next word predictions whichu00a0learn from your usage. And its iOS app includes a larger choice of customizable keyboard themes than SwiftKey. However it is charging for theu00a0app: currentlyu00a0onu00a0discount offer foru00a0$0.99.”And then we come to Fleksy — a keyboard brimming withu00a0confidence in its ability to understand what you meant to type, not what you actually typed. So it’s done away with boundaries between letters. Sloppy typing is positively encouragedu00a0here. (On Android, Fleksyu00a0even has an entirely invisible keyboard mode.)u00a0In addition to an ultra enthusiasticu00a0auto-correctu00a0algorithm,u00a0Fleksy’s keyboard supports gestures foru00a0selecting an alternative word spelling, or deleting mistyped words. And it lays claim to typing speed records. The keyboard can also be customized in size and color. Theu00a0app is currently priced at $0.99.”Minuum also relies on a robust auto-correct algorithm but its party trick is the ability to squash the Qwerty layout into a little bar at the bottom of the screen so that it takes up lessu00a0space. Less Qwerty on screen obviously meansu00a0more properu00a0content hitting youru00a0eyeballs… but at a price.u00a0Minuum’s iOS app is currently priced at a (discounted) $1.99.”Shanghai-based TouchPal does word prediction, supports the swiping input method, offers a choice of keyboard themes, and has au00a0shortcut key to summonu00a0emoji.nnIts just launched iOS 8 app is currently free. Whether its word prediction engine is as good as SwiftKey and Swype is up for debate though.”There are a swathe of emoji-focused keyboards launched already for iOS 8, including Keymoji — which suggests emoji or combinations of emoji as you type (complete with a textual translation beneath — in case you were wondering what a particular emoji cocktail is supposed to mean). It’s a free app. And is about as annoying to use as it sounds.”And then there is PopKey… Or, at least, there mightu00a0be if Apple approves its app.u00a0Apple mayu00a0very well not do that though, in the interests of preserving its users’ sanity. Because PopKey is a keyboard with a GIF shortcutu00a0feature — encouraging users to toggle from typing au00a0missive to spicing up saidu00a0missive via an animated GIF selector. Basically this keyboard wants you to say it withu00a0someone else’s gurning face. That, my friends, is what they call ‘progress’… The app, should it actually make it onto the App Store, will apparently be free.”Another iOS 8 keyboard app that’s aiming to make it ontou00a0Apple’s store is ScribbleKey. As the name suggests, this one has a thing for pictures. Theu00a0keyboard lets you toggle between boring old Qwerty keys and a pixel-painting interface. Hereu00a0you can pick colors and pens and make your feelings known with scribbles. Or play Pictionary.nnScribbleKey is listed as coming in September, as au00a0free download. Freeu00a0will getu00a0you five colors. Additional shades areu00a0an in-app purchase, costing $0.99 per color pack.”The free MyScript — Stack keyboard app for iOS 8 supports a more utilitarian type of scribbling by letting users draw letters or characters on the screen then transcribing them into text above. This is a feature that’s most likely to be useful foru00a0inputting character-based/logographic languages such as Chinese or Japanese.u00a0The app supports 58 languages in character by character mode.”
Apple’s new mobile world order, iOS 8, ushers in support for third party system wide keyboards for the very first time. Which means a tsunami of keyboard makers are right now rushing at the platform hoping to mine gold in them thar hills. We’ve rounded up a selection of alt keyboard contenders — some with storied histories already on the Android platform, others hoping for their first break on iOS…
Natasha was a senior reporter for TechCrunch, from September 2012 to April 2025, based in Europe. She joined TC after a stint reviewing smartphones for CNET UK and, prior to that, more than five years covering business technology for silicon.com (now folded into TechRepublic), where she focused on mobile and wireless, telecoms & networking, and IT skills issues. She has also freelanced for organisations including The Guardian and the BBC. Natasha holds a First Class degree in English from Cambridge University, and an MA in journalism from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
