Long ago, Android could thumb its nose at the iPhone for a very basic reason: the default, on-screen keyboard for iOS sucked and could not be changed while Android users were replete with customizable keys that could do much more than get tapped—users could swipe from letter to letter!
That all changed in 2014 with iOS 8, which finally introduced third-party keyboards. And this fall, iOS 13 will add swipe typing.
Until then, getting new keyboards on your iPhone (or iPod touch or iPad) is as simple as downloading an app—sort of. First, go to the Apple App Store and download the app for the keyboard you want.
Then, visit Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards. It shows you all the keyboard apps you have installed, plus an "Add New Keyboard" option at the bottom. Click that to look at available keyboards. In the "third-party keyboards" list at the center, click one to add its full functionality.
You're not done yet: on the previous screen, click the name of your new keyboard to "Allow full access." Why require that extra step? Because, in theory, you may not get full keyboard functionality without it. Consider a keyboard that pulls in animated GIF files; it needs internet access, which requires "full access." Full access also lets a keyboard tap into things like the speaker, so you can hear keys click as you type. Some keyboards don't work at all without full access. Some barely need it.
Keep in mind, if you allow full access, the developer of the third-party keyboard could, in theory, capture your keystrokes and send out what you type, maybe to a web server, or another app. Apple throws up a warning to that effect whenever full access is granted. If security is your bugaboo, you probably don't want a third-party keyboard. Thankfully, when you enter passwords or credit card info, the iPhone knows to switch back to the standard and secure iOS keyboard—even if you delete it from the rotation of keyboards available.
While in Settings, click the Edit button on the keyboards page, then swipe left to delete any of the keyboards in rotation—including Apple's.
Using Your New Keyboard
So, imagine you've got one or more new third-party keyboards installed on an iPhone: how do you access them? When typing with the standard keyboard, click the globe icon (the inverse image of this: ) in the lower left. Hold a finger on it; a menu pops up showing all installed third-party keyboards, so jump to the one you want. You'll also see icons at the bottom to switch the standard iOS keyboard to easy one-thumb typing for either left or right hands.
Keep clicking globes to cycle through keyboards in order. Some keyboards won't bring up the menu; others will only switch when held down for the menu. It's an annoying lack of uniformity.
If you were keeping the standard iOS keyboard around only so you could use the diction option, good news—you can delete that keyboard and still get the dictation mic icon () at the bottom of the screen no matter which keyboard you use. So "delete" Apple's keyboard if you don't like it. (You can't really delete it entirely.)
So now you know how to get install and access keyboards, as well as their limitations. But which keyboards are worth getting? Here are our favorites.
Gboard
Google Gboard (for iPhone)
Never one to let someone play in a sandbox alone, Google entered the virtual keyboard space via Gboard (naturally, it's also on Android) and earned our Editors' Choice award. Really, this is probably the only extra keyboard you actually need, assuming you trust Google. That said: Unheard of in the world of Google-dom, the company claims it's only collecting info you use for searching via the keyboard, nothing else.
Gboard provides glide/swipe typing, quick access to Google search (including images and even animated GIFs) and Google Translate, and offers special camera functions like creating a quick boomerang loop image. It has an option for a permanent row of numbers and a one-handed (thumb) typing mode. It's one of the few keyboards outside of the Apple default virtual keyboard to provide voice dictation (hold down the space bar)—albeit using Google's own services to do so, not Apple/Siri services.
You get almost identical functionality by using the keyboard that's part of the Google app for iOS, so there's no need to install both keyboards. For more, check out How to Use Google's Gboard Keyboard on iOS and Android.
Swiftkey
SwiftKey Keyboard (for iPhone)
A staple of the swipe-to-type with predictive text options, SwiftKey—now owned by Microsoft—was there with the iOS launch of third-party keyboards. It offers a slew of options along with its predictive typing, multiple languages, and one-handed swipe-typing. It's got a toolbar like many others, for searching on GIFs and emoji, accessing the clipboard, or switching themes. The app is free, but new theme options are an in-app purchase, usually $0.99 to $1.99.
The app makes it easy to remove your collected data, though SwiftKey says the more it sees you type, the better it gets at text prediction. It shows you stats to prove it; I was 12 percent more productive using SwiftKey, supposedly. For that to happen, SwiftKey requires full access for almost everything except basic typing and anonymizes any captured keystroke data it would share.
Thumbly Keyboard
Thumbly Keyboard
Do you like to type with just one thumb? Thumbly is designed for you. Type one-fingered on this $1.99 fan-shaped keyboard, easily switch hands, disable autocorrect as needed, and even swipe between letters. This design features special swipe gestures for deleting things, hitting return, even activating shift and caps lock. It might take some practice, but could be worth it if you repudiate two-handed typing (or, seriously, have one hand).
Fleksy
Fleksy Keyboard (for iPhone)
Billing itself as "officially the fastest keyboard in the world," the massively multi-lingual (available in 28 languages) Fleksy gets high marks for its looks, natural gesture typing, GIF search, and high customization—most of the in-app theme "purchases" are also free. It supports what it calls "Fleksyapps" so you can access other apps from the keyboard and just keep typing. It's also available for Android.
PadKeys
PadKeys
This $4.99 multi-lingual keyboard was once specific to iPad users but now supports iPhone users with big screens. PadKeys places a row of numbers and cursor keys on the screen, making it much more like a standard keyboard than the on-screen version from Apple. It even has dedicated keys for accented characters in your language of choice. It's got swipe-typing functions, and doesn't even need the "full access" of most keyboards to work—not even for autocorrect.
Bitmoji
Bitmoji
Bitmoji provides personalized emoji with your cartoon-y rendered face, all for free. Create your avatar in the app, then install the keyboard to get quick access to pre-made emoji galore, sometimes from Theme Packs with name brands like Star Wars and Game of Thrones. Themes and new bitmoji designs rotate in constantly so the keyboard always feels new. Tap the one you like and it's automatically copied to the clipboard to paste into a message. Go into the Bitmoji app to change settings, adjust your likeness, or buy more theme packs. Bitmoji is also available for Android and even on the Chrome browser. It's owned by Snap, Inc., so Bitmoji are already fully integrated into Snapchat—so much so that you can feature Bitmoji images depicting you and a friend inside the app.
Kwilt
Kwilt is a service that allows you to access your photos online at every possible service you'd store them on—Instagram, Google Photos, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook, etc. All of them. It built a free mobile app with a "photo keyboard" to put that access at your thumb-tips for sharing in tons of iOS messaging and note-taking apps. Kwilt won't mind if you also use the keyboard/app to order some physical prints, mugs, photobooks, and more through them.
Phraseboard
Phraseboard
Stop typing the same things over and over when messaging. Phraseboard let you create a board of frequently used phrases (hence the name). You need to grant the keyboard full access for it to be able to save the phrases, naturally, because it syncs them with iCloud for storage.
Grammarly
Grammarly (for iOS)
Giphy
FancyKey
FancyKey
Minuum
Minuum
Typeeto
Typeeto
This $19.99 app lets you turn your existing Mac keyboard into a Bluetooth keyboard for an iOS device. It will even work on Apple TV, so you can control any of them from your MacBook, or even the desktop. Hell, it even works with Android phones and tablets, and even for Windows—any OS that supports Bluetooth keyboards. You can try it free for 7 days.
Hanx Writer
Hanx Writer
American treasure and Oscar-winner Tom Hanks likes typewriters. That is as close to automatically making typewriters cool as we can get today. He teamed up with marketers/game publishers Hitcents.com to create an app that mimic typing as much as possible, right down to the sounds and hitting the return lever—but all on iOS devices. (It's especially fun on an iPad). When you run the free app, you get all the bells and clacks you seen in this video.
What you also get is an keyboard for iOS you use with any app. Here's the thing: it's just like typing. You can't hold down the backspace to get rid of a bunch of stuff, you have to hit it repeatedly. It's little things like that which may have you enjoying a modern keyboard. Plus, Hanx Writer doesn't make the cool typing noises when used in other apps. Hanx Writer has several in-app purchases available to change up the look a little, if you want a keyboard that resembles an old IBM Selectric rather than an Underwood.
Qwerkywriter
Qwerkywriter
If you love typewriters of old, but don't think the Hanx Writer goes far enough, you should invest the big bucks into the $269 Qwerkywriter. A full Bluetooth keyboard with big mechanical keys on a sturdy aluminum body, it's got the charm your writing nook needs even if you prefer to write on a modern device like an iPhone or iPad. You can even program macros into the return bar.
