6 Alternative iPhone Keyboards That Are Better Than Apple’s Default

3 weeks ago 4

I've had a idiosyncratic gripe with my Apple default keyboard for a portion erstwhile it comes to definite functions, and I got bushed of waiting for the adjacent caller update to hole each these insignificant problems. Instead of settling for what my iPhone gave me, I decided to effort retired a fewer outer keyboards instead.

If you've been reasoning astir trying retired caller keyboards that suit your circumstantial needs but don't cognize wherever to start, determination are galore options you tin research and spot what suits you best. Here's each you request to know.

Why Try Another Keyboard?

Downloading an outer keyboard mightiness not beryllium for everybody: if you're comfy with your iPhone's onscreen keyboard and consciousness that you're not looking to summation immoderate circumstantial vantage from it different than mundane typing, you mightiness not fuss with an outer keyboard.

However, the iPhone keyboard comes with definite issues faced by galore users sporadically, including lags, update-related issues, inaccurate suggestions, and the disappearance of the keyboard altogether. Personally, I find the substance replacement diagnostic connected my telephone to beryllium precise frustrating to use. For example, I person ever had occupation utilizing substance replacement for my email address, due to the fact that adjacent aft typing it retired fully, my keyboard often replaces it with the shorter substance that I had assigned.

You could commencement by checking retired your keyboard's settings. To marque changes to your iPhone's onscreen keyboard, spell to Settings > General > Keyboard. Here, you tin adhd other keyboards successful different languages, power connected a one-handed keyboard, and alteration different features specified arsenic astute punctuation and slide to type.

If you privation to dip your toes into thing isolated from your onscreen keyboard, however, determination are galore alternatives for you to try. Here are six outer keyboards that tin beryllium amended than your iPhone's keyboard, and what unsocial intent they bring to the table.

Once you download an outer keyboard, you tin power betwixt your default Apple keyboard and your caller keyboard utilizing the globe icon successful the lower-left country of your keyboard.

1 Gboard: Best for Versatility

Google's Gboard is simply a must-try keyboard if you're looking for a mode to benignant smoothly and faster arsenic an iPhone user. On my archetypal try, I felt a noticeable quality successful my typing utilizing Gboard, fixed however marginally faster (in presumption of substance appearing on-screen) it is than Apple, and amended accuracy for auto-suggestions.

The keyboard makes it casual for you to benignant amended and faster with a fewer main features. First, Glide Typing allows for creaseless and accelerated typing by allowing you to descent your fingers from 1 cardinal to another. While your Apple onscreen keyboard besides has this diagnostic successful the signifier of slide-to-type, Gboard offers amended accuracy and feels overmuch smoother. Another diagnostic to effort is dependable typing, which converts audio to substance arsenic a transcription.

But the main crushed I similar to usage Gboard is the built-in Google features that you tin entree close from your keyboard. You tin straight use Google Translate, bash a Google search, oregon insert a GIF, sticker, emoticons, oregon emoji from your Gboard. Apple's keyboard lone allows for GIFs to beryllium utilized portion you usage iMessage, portion Gboard's GIFs tin beryllium utilized successful immoderate app you are typing in.

Further, for multilingual users, Apple's keyboard mightiness not beryllium the best, since it severely restricts however you entree different languages. For instance, I tin lone adhd up to 3 languages connected a multilingual keyboard, with the connection options offered by Apple not covering the section dialects I use. The keyboard besides does not let translation support. By comparison, with the summation of Google Translate (which supports implicit 240 languages), Gboard blows Apple's default keyboard retired of the h2o successful presumption of variety.

2 SwiftKey: Best for Autocorrect

Microsoft's SwiftKey is simply a fierce rival to Google's keyboard successful presumption of functionality. Its accuracy erstwhile it comes to autocorrect and suggestions has sped up my typing velocity by leaps and bounds compared to the velocity I'm utilized to with the default keyboard. Although I was skeptical astir SwiftKey's assertion to supply amended accuracy implicit clip done its AI-powered intelligent keyboard, I've recovered that connection suggestions and predictions person improved implicit clip arsenic I usage the keyboard regularly.

If you person a wont of mistyping words and making a batch of typos portion texting similar I do, past SwiftKey tin beryllium a amended alternate than Apple's default keyboard. You tin besides entree Microsoft's hunt relation and code rewrite relation utilizing Copilot from the keyboard, arsenic good arsenic the Copilot chat from your browser, which tin beryllium accessed from SwiftKey.

SwiftKey, similar Gboard, besides lets you entree GIFs, and a translator, connected apical of a clipboard for casual copy-and-paste crossed apps, a camera (to insert and instrumentality pictures), and a Create Mode for AI representation procreation done a shortcuts toolbar. The keyboard show itself tin beryllium customized aft you motion successful to your Microsoft account.

One happening I find that Gboard does amended than SwiftKey, however, is the keyboard's quality clip erstwhile you constituent to a note, app, oregon textbox to commencement typing, wherever SwiftKey lags by a fewer milliseconds sometimes.

3 Typewise: Best for Accuracy

Typewise is antithetic from immoderate different keyboard I've tried retired before: the archetypal happening you'd announcement upon setup is that this keyboard does not person a accepted layout. Instead of the default layout of rectangular/square keys you'd spot connected a mean keyboard, Typewise's keyboard has a hexagonal cardinal setup, with the enactment to power to a default layout.

While this struck maine arsenic odd, I rapidly understood wherefore the keys were shaped this way: since the hexagonal keys are somewhat bigger than a accepted key, my accuracy portion typing is ever somewhat amended with Typewise. The keyboard does not travel with immoderate extensions but offers a fewer typing hacks and gestures that alteration a convenient typing experience.

After utilizing Typewise's casual tutorial, you tin easy commencement utilizing these features, specified arsenic a speedy swipe up for capitalization, a near swipe for deletion and a close swipe for restoration of words. Typewise is for texters who privation to benignant rapidly without overmuch effort, and similar utilizing keyboard swipes to execute actions. With a pro subscription ($1.99/month), you tin entree customized themes, an AI adjunct for amended grammar and writing, and much multilingual keyboards.

4 Grammarly: Best for Writing

When it comes to taking notes and penning essays connected my iPhone, which I often do, Grammarly is my go-to keyboard. This AI penning keyboard makes your beingness easier erstwhile penning professionally done your iPhone. You tin instrumentality vantage of Grammarly's Revision Mode to observe mistakes successful your penning and usage the Tone Detector to alteration however your penning sounds.

Grammarly's AI adjunct and Generative AI, disposable with a premium upgrade ($29.99/month), tin besides assistance rewrite code and observe your substance for plagiarism. I started utilizing Grammarly for its grammatical accuracy and assistance successful writing, and person since started preferring its autocorrect diagnostic (Smart autocorrect) implicit Apple's default keyboard. When it comes to speed, Grammarly's keyboard feels identical to Apple's.

Grammarly's keyboard is champion suited for you if you thin to constitute long-form substance specified arsenic essays, documents, oregon analyzable notes connected your iPhone, oregon if you usage work-related apps and connection platforms. I find Grammarly's keyboard to beryllium the champion keyboard to usage erstwhile I constitute nonrecreational emails and texts done my telephone to debar typos and informal tones.

5 Fleksy: Best for Extensions

If you are looking to adhd extensions to your iPhone keyboard portion customizing it, Fleksy is simply a coagulated enactment to consider. With this keyboard, texting tin beryllium a batch much social. You tin hunt the web, usage GIFs and stickers, stock a opus from Spotify oregon a video from YouTube, and usage Yelp from the comfortableness of this keyboard.

You tin besides customize the look of your keyboard with themes (both escaped and paid options are available). Using the app, I experimentation with customized add-ons (such arsenic one-handed mode, assorted ocular effects for typing, predictions, and tips) and hotkeys for easier typing.

Fleksy has a fewer chill features I bask using, specified arsenic swiping near to erase words you typed and swiping up to adhd words to your dictionary. The swiping to erase words diagnostic has saved maine a batch of clip portion texting erstwhile I marque mistakes, though typos are usually corrected accurately by Fleksy.

A large crushed I similar to power to Fleksy (and this tin beryllium subjective) is however satisfying I find the typing sounds and customized pop-up effects connected each missive arsenic I type. This is thing I similar to usage erstwhile I americium texting oregon typing informal, unsmooth notes connected my Notes app, which is wherefore I predominant Fleksy erstwhile I request to scratch that itch successful my encephalon for a satisfying texting dependable and ocular effects.

6 Phraseboard: Best for Custom Phrases

Phraseboard is simply a keyboard that serves 1 intent best: creating and rapidly accessing customized phrases that you usage often. While Apple's substance replacement feature tin assistance too, since I've had my just stock of problems with muddled phrases and inaccurate replacements, Phraseboard has go a bully resource. Plus, with Phraseboard, you tin simply entree a room of saved phrases and insert them without typing immoderate shortcut text. These phrases tin past beryllium sorted into customized categories (work, friends, etc.)

Phraseboard's keyboard is simply a decent one, with a mean typing speed. But this keyboard is champion utilized if you're solely looking for a operation keyboard, and since I lone power to this keyboard to insert phrases, I find that it works for basal typing but is champion utilized successful operation with a accelerated keyboard similar Gboard oregon SwiftKey.

You tin besides entree customized fonts (the typewriter font is my most-used 1 for taking notes successful third-party apps that don't supply this font) and usage styles for your keyboard. I usage Phraseboard chiefly erstwhile taking notes and composing emails, and successful different instances wherever I usage often repeated phrases that I don't spot substance replacement to execute. For unlimited categories and phrases, Phraseboard requires a subscription (pro entree starts astatine $8.99).


There are galore different alternatives connected the App Store if you are looking for circumstantial multilingual keyboards oregon font/multimedia-focused keyboards. You tin ever power backmost and distant betwixt an outer keyboard and Apple's default if you request immoderate clip to determine which keyboard works champion for you.

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