Keyboards are among the most essential features of mobile devices as they enable users to communicate and perform various tasks. With the proliferation of smartphones and the increasing demand for more advanced and customized functionalities, keyboard apps have become a popular solution. In this article, we will explore some of the best keyboard apps available for Android and iOS operating systems, highlighting their features, benefits, and drawbacks. Whether you are looking for greater speed, accuracy, or personalization options, there is a keyboard app that can enhance your mobile experience.
We have compiled a list of 8 Best Keyboard Apps For Android & iOS for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
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8 Best Keyboard Apps For Android & iOS
1. Minuum Keyboard
Minuum is a keyboard app for touchscreens that aims to maximize screen space while providing fast and accurate typing. The app is known for its smart auto-correction that adapts to the user’s typing habits, as well as its shapeshifting feature that allows for one-handed typing and keyboard repositioning. Minuum also offers multi-language capability with downloadable language modules and supports various bonus panels, such as cursor control, clipboard tools, and smart emoji. The app constantly updates to improve its offerings and promises to bring more innovative ways of typing in the future.
Users can choose from different alphabet arrangements and keyboard layouts, including QWERTZ and AZERTY. They can also expand the keyboard to full size or use key magnification for precise entry. Minuum’s predictive engine suggests words and learns from the user’s vocabulary and language use patterns, while the smart emoji feature provides immediate access to emoticons. Rapid gesture shortcuts allow for quick access to all features via pop-up keys, and voice typing is possible with Google Voice Typing. Minuum prioritizes user privacy and only stores typing data on the device.
Minuum offers support through its website, where users can share ideas, give feedback, and get help. The app’s name is derived from the idea of a continuum of letters taking up minimal space. To stay updated on Minuum’s developments, users can join the mailing list.
2. Multiling O Keyboard
The MultilingO keyboard, also known as OKeyboard or OKey, is a lightweight and powerful keyboard option for mobile devices. The keyboard supports over 200 languages, accurate gesture input, and a PC keyboard layout that users can customize. The keyboard is also resizable to fit any screen size and offers unlimited theme options. Additionally, the keyboard features a fun text transformation tool and a calculator.
Users can choose between different keyboard layouts, including QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and DVORAK, or create their own. The keyboard also supports T9 prediction, flick or multi-tap input, and Japanese romaji or flick input. The keyboard is ultra-customizable, and users can easily switch between languages, layouts, voice input, or other keyboards.
The keyboard supports numerous languages, including Aceh, Afrikaans, Alemannic, Apache, and Asturian, among many others. It also supports a variety of character sets, such as Baybayin, Bugis, Kayah Li (Karenni), Khmer, Lao, Mon, and more.
The gesture input algorithm is still in its early stages, so users may need to make some adjustments to optimize its performance. The keyboard’s tips include making sharp corners and not swiping the entire word for long words.
Overall, the MultilingO keyboard offers a comprehensive and customizable typing experience for users in multiple languages and character sets.
3. NextApp Keyboard
NextApp Technical Keyboard is a keyboard app that is based on AOSP keyboard but comes with additional arrow keys and special keys. It also has multiple themes to choose from. The app features a “precision feedback” which increases feedback vibration when the user presses keys that are not near the center. Double-pulse feedback is rendered when autocorrection is applied.
This is a beta release of the app and users are encouraged to report any issues to android@nextapp.com. The app comes with English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, and Spanish dictionaries. The developers also welcome feedback on the keyboard layouts, including the arrangement of special keys on the alphabet keyboard, symbols keyboard, and function keyboards.
The Function Keyboard is a unique feature of the app. It includes a function key (“Fn”) that can be used to access additional keys typically found on a PC or Mac keyboard. These keys include Cursor Arrow Keys, Page Up / Page Down, Insert, Delete, Home, and End, Function F1-F12, Ctrl and Alt, Tab, and Escape. The fundamental QWERTY keyboard layout has been slightly tweaked to more closely replicate that of a PC keyboard. The left shift key has been reduced in size, resulting in the third row (ZXCVBNM) being less shifted to the right. This modification only applies to phones.
The app uses identical permissions to that of AOSP keyboard and does not send any data to anyone. The “read contacts” permission is used to autocomplete names from the user’s contacts. Thank you for beta testing the keyboard.
4. Hacker’s Keyboard
The Hacker’s Keyboard is a third-party keyboard for Android devices that provides a layout similar to a desktop computer keyboard. It features separate number keys, punctuation in the usual places, and arrow keys. The keyboard is based on the AOSP Gingerbread soft keyboard and supports multitouch for the modifier keys. The keyboard is especially useful for SSH access with ConnectBot, providing working Tab/Ctrl/Esc keys, and arrow keys for devices without a trackball or D-Pad.
The keyboard provides completion dictionaries through plug-in packages, which can be found in the “other applications by this developer” section. The keyboard also supports the use of dictionaries provided by AnySoftKeyboard language packs but not keyboard layouts. For more information on the keyboard, users can see the documentation, which includes the User’s Guide, Frequently Asked Questions, Release Notes, and the project page.
In case the updated version of the keyboard does not work, users can download older releases from the project page. Known issues with the keyboard include incomplete localization for certain languages and layouts, some languages and layouts may not be usable on phones without necessary fonts, right-to-left languages may not be fully supported on pre-Honeycomb devices, and many applications may not react to additional keys since they aren’t programmed to handle them.
The Hacker’s Keyboard supports a variety of keyboard layouts, including Armenian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, English Dvorak, English QWERTY, English/British, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Lao, Norwegian, Persian, Portugese, Romanian, Russian, Russian phonetic, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Bosnian, Croatian, Latin Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
5. Fleksy Keyboard
The Fleksy keyboard boasts being the fastest keyboard with a variety of features. It includes an all-in-one emoji keyboard, millions of free themes, stickers, and GIFs. Additionally, it has an award-winning auto-correction, emoji suggestions, different keyboard sizes, key-boxes, and Fleksywave swipe-to-type glide typing. Compared to other keyboards such as Touch-pal, Facemoji, and Kika keyboard, Fleksy is known to be widely superior.
The keyboard is used by millions of users worldwide to type on various messaging platforms such as SMS, Text Now, Email, and Note. Fleksy allows for easy swipe-to-type with the Fleksywave swipe input feature, with support for over 80 languages.
Fleksy also includes a new Emoji Keyboard with access to millions of emojis, and recommendations for the best emojis as you type. The keyboard also has a 100+ million GIFs and Sticker Keyboard, with access to millions of the best GIFs and animated stickers from GIPHY.
Customization options include access to over 100 beautiful themes hand-crafted by popular artists, exclusive to Fleksy. Users can also create their own theme using their gallery photos, camera, or choose from Unsplash’s 1+ million images. Additionally, users can edit and personalize the keyboard color, font, key press sound, and customize their spell-check.
Fleksy has a powerful Swipe Gestures System that allows users to swipe left to delete a word, swipe right to insert a space, or hold the spacebar to reveal intuitive Select All and Cursor Control. The keyboard also includes mini-apps created by brands, called Fleksyapps, which allow users to access Memes, GIFs, Stickers, and more within the Fleksy keypad wordboard keyboard.
Other features include support for over 80+ keyboard layouts and languages, from Afrikaans to Urdu.
6. Gboard – the Google Keyboard
Gboard is a keyboard application developed by Google which offers several features including Glide Typing, voice typing, handwriting, multilingual typing, and more. Glide Typing allows users to type faster by sliding their finger from letter to letter. Voice typing enables users to dictate text on the go. Handwriting feature allows users to write in cursive and printed letters.
Emoji search feature enables users to find emojis faster. The GIFs feature allows users to search and share GIFs for the perfect reaction. Gboard will autocorrect and suggest from any of the enabled languages, making multilingual typing easy. Google Translate feature enables users to translate as they type in the keyboard.
There are hundreds of language varieties available including Afrikaans, Amharic, Arabic, Assamese, Azerbaijani, Bavarian, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Burmese, Cebuano, Chhattisgarhi, Chinese, Czech, Deccan, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hausa, Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Khmer, Korean, Kurdish, Magahi, Maithili, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Northern Sotho, Odia, Pashto, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Saraiki, Sindhi, Sinhala, Somali, Southern Sotho, Spanish, Sundanese, Swahili, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tswana, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Yoruba, Zulu, and many more.
The keyboard application also provides some pro tips. Gesture cursor control allows users to slide their finger across the space bar to move the cursor. Gesture delete allows users to slide left from the delete key to quickly delete multiple words.
7. SwiftKey Keyboard
Microsoft SwiftKey is a keyboard application that utilizes an intelligent technology to personalize the typing experience of users. The app is designed to adapt and learn the user’s writing style, allowing for faster typing. The personalized keyboard allows for the seamless use of emojis, GIFs, and other features.
The Microsoft SwiftKey swipe keyboard is constantly learning and adapting to match the unique way of typing of every user, including their use of slang and emojis. The built-in emoji keyboard has an extensive collection of emojis, and the app learns the user’s favorite ones to enable quicker access. The app offers free designs and themes to cater to all typing preferences. The keyboard also provides autocorrect and helpful predictions to reduce errors.
Microsoft SwiftKey supports multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Turkish, French, Arabic, Russian, Italian, and Polish. This app is suitable for users who desire a personalized and efficient typing interface.
8. Thumb Keyboard
Thumb Keyboard for Android™ is a keyboard app that offers advanced customization options for users to adjust to their preferences. It features a standard layout, as well as a new “split” layout for tablets and phones, making thumb typing more natural and comfortable. The app also introduces various functions to improve productivity and make typing more enjoyable.
Thumb Keyboard has received positive reviews from tech publications and websites. It was ranked #2 in ZDNet’s TechRepublic top 10 “indispensable Android apps list” in 2012. Android Police praised it for making two-handed typing easy and called it an “epic win for tablet typing.” Meanwhile, Android Guys dubbed it “The First Universally Functional Keyboard.”
The app offers flexible keyboard layouts, including full-featured standard layouts and special tailored layouts for phones, phablets, and tablets of different sizes. It also has an option to select separate layouts for portrait and landscape, a one-handed operation mode for large-screen phones, and state-of-the-art keyboard technology, such as continuous voice recognition and multi-touch support.
Thumb Keyboard is fully customizable, allowing users to change the long press symbols on the letter keys, save frequently used phrases, and choose from 25+ themes. It also offers user-definable auto text substitutions, customizable key rows, and the option to change colors and size of keys, font, and background.
The app supports multiple languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, and Polish. Special keyboards are also available as split keyboards, and users can change the long press symbols by special international characters.
Thumb Keyboard requires permissions for voice input, internet access to download additional dictionaries, and reading the contact database to generate predictions based on names in the database. Documentation and Beansoft support are available on their website, and Play Store support is available for download, billing issues, and general market support.