Keyboard apps

I imagine that, having clarified this question, you may be wondering why you should download an alternative keyboard app and change the default one, which sure works perfectly. The answer is very simple: sometimes your default keyboard Android device and iOS is limited. The purpose of installing a keyboard app is to get a personalized typing experience. An example? One of the most popular alternative keyboards integrates Google on it, allowing you to search Internet directly from the keyboard.

Guide to the best keyboard apps

Swiftkey (Android/iOS)

Keyboard apps are popular on Android Play Store and iOS App Store. One of the most downloaded is the virtual keyboard for Android and iOS, Swifkey.

Swiftkey is one of the keyboards free most popular with Android and iOS users. The reason is given by its main characteristic: the ability to write texts by sliding the letters, so you never have to take your fingers off the keyboard.

Switkey's swipe system is very smart, and in addition to recognizing words as you swipe letters, it can learn over time. By continuing to use this keyboard application you will see how it will be able to learn the words you use the most to offer you an automatic text completion in an effective way.

If you guarantee full access to the application, Swiftkey can also integrate with external services: it will understand what you write in different contexts, such as email or social media for example, to better learn your writing.

However, if you are using the application for the first time, you will find all the sections dedicated to statistics empty. The application will show you the typing heatmap with the areas of the keyboard that you touch the most, but also the words that it was able to fill in automatically and the expected words.

Among the other features of the Swifkey application is the possibility to change the graphical layout of the keyboard, through a series of interfaces available in the section Themes

Gboard (Android/iOS)

One of the keyboard applications that I consider the most outstanding is Gboard, the virtual keyboard developed by Google.

Gboard is free for Android and iOS and its main feature is undoubtedly the integration with the Google search engine. A tool that should not be underestimated, since you can perform any Google search directly from the keyboard, without changing the application.

To do a search on Google, using the Gboard keyboard, simply type what you are looking for in the small box that will appear by pressing the symbol Google on the keyboard. Consider the advantage of using the Gboard keyboard while typing in a messaging application: you can do a Google search without leaving the application and send the search result to the recipient of the message quickly and easily, using the key Share.

Among the other features of Gboard is support for typing in up to three languages ​​at the same time and the ability to change the keyboard theme to customize it from an aesthetic point of view.

Finally, even with Gboard, you can write a text message by swiping the letters, so you never have to take your fingers off the keyboard. Gboard, like all virtual keyboards, should be used to improve over time - frequent use is needed to get the most out of the autocomplete system. .

Go Keyboard (Android/iOS)

At this point I imagine you are wondering why I chose this app out of the many keyboard apps available on Android and iOS. .

Go Keyboard, unlike Swifkey and Gboard, offers additional functions in my opinion very valid. As we will see specifically in the following lines, Go Keyboard is a virtual keyboard that makes its strong point of customization possibilities.

Go Keyboard offers Swipe functionality, now built into many other popular virtual keyboards, but other than that it stands out from previous apps with its customization tools available in settings.

When you download install this keyboard, you will first notice its particular layout. Above the letters there is a special menu with different symbols. The first symbol I want to tell you about is sheet : allows you to access some virtual keyboard settings.

You can choose whether to enable or disable word suggestions and the scroll mode or even change the sound of the keys when you type a word. There are other values ​​that you can modify and customize to your liking: for example, you can choose to enlarge or reduce the Virtual and also whether to enable or disable the cursor mode.

The other customization features I told you about are visible by pressing the button three point symbol, through which you will have access to the menu Settings

For example, tap the item Need help, if you want to discover in detail all the other functions of the Go Keyboard virtual keyboard.

The variety of language settings they can change the language of the virtual keyboard. I also point out the presence of Insert configuration, through which you can further personalize your typing experience with this keyboard.

Go Keyboard also offers many customizations from an aesthetic point of view: touch the voice Themes in the menu below. A new screen will allow you to download one or more themes available in the list: as you will see, there are numerous cosmetic packages to customize the keyboard.

The other tools offered by the application are visible on the main screen: touch the smiley in the top menu or the symbol of the heart : You will be able to see tons of emojis and stickers to personalize your messages. By pressing the symbol T-shirt instead, you can have quick access to downloaded themes for the virtual keyboard. This way, you can change the look of your keyboard whenever you want, just with a simple tap.

Other popular keyboard apps

Before concluding this article dedicated to keyboard applications I want to give you some tips. There are many virtual keyboards for Android, but the keyboards that come from the Android Play Store or the iOS App Store are the only ones completely safe and reliable.

That is why I advise that you do not download a keyboard from Online stores that are not the default ones of the operating system. These keyboards, downloadable as apk on Android, they should be considered unofficial. The risk is that they are compromised and designed to keep track of the texts you type, including passwords.

That said, if the list of keyboard apps which I suggested above doesn't satisfy you, here is an additional rundown of other fairly common Android and iOS keyboards.

• Fleksy keyboard - Another popular smart keyboard available free for Android and iOS. Its main functionality allows you Write texts without even removing your finger from the screen, through the classic swipe mode This keyboard has a minimal and essential user interface and also makes efficient use of gestures. Flesky keyboard allows you to delete typed words, move in text and perform other operations, just using simple gestures on the keyboard surface.

• Minimal keyboard - Available on Android and iOS, this is a very unique virtual keyboard that allows you to set all the letters that are on the same line. The keyboard is free for the first 30 days on Android (then unlimited version for 3,49 euros). On iOS, however, the Minumm keyboard does not offer trial versions and requires immediate purchase.

• Kika keyboard - A keyboard for Android and iOS designed for the little ones that focuses on emojis, stickers, symbols and animated GIFs. The keyboard is available for free, integrates with numerous themes, and offers tons of customization possibilities that will allow you to change the keyboard's user interface frequently.