Smartphones have literally changed the way we connect and communicate. Over the years mobile phones turned from a huge brick-like devices to slick compact gadgets, that we all carry around. The advancement in technology made a great step forward in their functionality as well.
A simple cellphone with very limited functionality turned into a smartphone with an advanced touchscreen technology, that’s capable to perform almost any task: from sending/receiving emails to taking pictures, tracking activity, etc.
Smartphones brought another really great experience with keyboards. Previous keypads have been replaced with touchscreen keyboards with some awesome features, like auto correction, word prediction, voice dictation, themes, and more. However, default keyboards of some smartphones lack the advanced functionality that users are looking for, and this is where third party keyboards come to change the game.
In this post I’ve put together 10 great alternative keyboard options that will bring a lot of functionality to your keyboard and take your typing experience to a whole new level.
Gboard
Equipped with Google search functionality, Gboard lets you search and share literally everything from your keyboard. You can search for articles, weather forecast, stores, and even GIFs and emojis.
No app or keyboard switching. It enables you to type faster by sliding your finger from letter to letter, and comes with an advanced voice typing feature, to let you dictate texts on the go.
The app supports over 120 languages and provides auto correction and word suggestion from the languages enabled on your keyboard. Gboard is available for both IOS and Android users.
Swiftkey
Swiftkey is an advanced keyboard which aims to provide faster and easier mobile typing. Available for IOS and Android devices, Swiftkey uses artificial intelligence and adapts to your writing style.
It comes with super cool autocorrect and word prediction, that work based on your writings and the words and emojis you use the most. You can change the keyboard theme, coloring and design, and have it match your phone and personal style. The app supports over 150 languages.
Sticker Market
Sticker Market is an all-in-one keyboard for emojis, templates and GIFs that perfectly works on almost all top messaging apps and platforms. It comes with a huge sticker market, where you can download various sticker sets and trending GIFs and use them in your conversations without switching apps or keyboards.
Another great feature of the app is that you can create your own face emojis and use them across various communication platforms. Also, there is an option to add your own sticker sets to the app, and have them used by thousands of users around the world.
The keyboard supports a number of languages and comes with light and dark keyboard themes. Check it out on Apple Store and Google Play store.
Fleksy
Fleksy is an incredibly customizable and super-fast keyboard available for smartphones using both IOS and Android systems.
It comes with powerful extensions to enable you send emojis and GIFS, fast type with one hand, easily copy/paste and edit your texts, access the number row, and more.
It uses next-generation autocorrect to provide a fast and accurate typing experience. The app also uses powerful gestures to make typing as simple as it is on laptop. You can fully customize your keyboard by changing themes, keyboard styles and layout options. The keyboard supports over 40 languages.
Swype
Swype is another great keyboard option, that lets you type with one continuous motion. It is super advanced and gets smarter the more you use it. The app learns from your writing style and creates a personal writing model for each user.
The app lets you create your personal dictionary of custom words and adjust its behavior to your needs. Swype provides immediate access to the latest words and phrases and supports many dialects. Also, it offers intelligent word prediction and auto correction based on the word choices you make the most.
The keyboard comes with a number of theme options that you can use to customize the keyboard look and feel. Swype is available for iOS and Android.
Themeboard
Themeboard is a keyboard app with hundreds of thousands themes and wallpapers available, which allows you to personalize the look and feel of the keyboard you’re using. It is an IOS app, that supports all the features of the default IOS keyboard and some more awesome features included.
Also, it’s a great platforms for designers and illustrators who can create beautiful themes and wallpapers and add them to the app, so that other users can download and use them.
Clips
Clips is an IOS clipboard manager that lets you clip content from anywhere. You can clip literally everything, from links to animated GIFs, and easily access them from your keyboard. You can later use the saved clips in any app that supports their keyboard and widget.
It actually helps you avoid switching apps for copy pasting content from a webpage or app. The keyboard is a good choice for people who like to save all sort of things in their phones. The app is available for IOS users only.
Smart Keyboard
If you’re looking for a powerful international keyboard option, Smart Keyboard can be a good pick for you. It features a T9 prediction and lets you easily switch between languages as you type.
Also, there is a built-in self-learning dictionary and a voice dictation functionality to help you input text faster. The app comes with a myriad of skin, layout, themes, prediction customization options and lets you personalized everything to fit your needs. It’s available for download in Google Play Store.
Hackers Keyboard
This app comes with an advanced keyboard most resembling the one you have on your computer. It’s an Android app that features a separate number row above the letter keyboard, punctuation marks on their usual places, as well as Tab/Ctrl/Esc keys.
The keyboard also supports multitouch for the modifier keys and uses audio recording for the voice input.
Typany keyboard
Typany is a simple, fast and customizable keyboard app for Android devices that delivers fast and personalized typing experience. It features smart auto complete, text prediction, emoji prediction and auto correction functionalities, and comes with extensive theme options that are updated on a regular basis.
Plus, the app learns from your personal writing style and automatically adds words you use the most to your personal dictionary. The app allows you to create your own emojis, and share them with friends.
Here they are. 10 alternative keyboard options for a more advanced, fast and functional keyboard. The list includes apps for both IOS and Android users, so that everyone can take the right pick from the list.
Author Bio
Gayane Mar is the founder of WPCapitan.com, a WordPress enthusiast and blogger. She is a contributing author to a plenty of well-known websites and blogs and enjoys sharing her experience and expertise to help people around on web.
