I’ve tried a number of telephone keyboards, ...

It is easy to take the vast majority of what our smartphones do with no consideration. A lot of what was once novel a couple of system with a display — that every one the bodily performance of older cellphones needed to be represented digitally, primarily — is now commonplace. You do not take into consideration your

smartphone keyboard
as a result of you do not have to, but it surely’s truly one of many extra customizable options of recent Android and iOS units.

Each Android and iOS will let you replace the keyboard that comes preinstalled as a part of your system’s working system with a wide range of completely different keyboards you may obtain out of your app retailer. These can change the look of your keyboard at their most simple, and essentially change the way you sort and what your keyboard can truly do at their most complicated. I just like the default keyboard on my

iPhone 16
and

Pixel 9
nice, however I’ve grow to be satisfied there could possibly be a greater possibility on the market, and I’ve determined to have a look at the most well-liked keyboard choices out there within the Google Play Retailer and Apple App Retailer to attempt to determine what standards to make use of to select an excellent smartphone keyboard, and discover one of the best one for me.

A smartphone keyboard ought to really feel snug to sort on

Not too cramped, simple to make use of, and correct

A keyboard ought to be snug to sort on first and straightforward to make use of shortly, as an in depth second. Meaning keys which might be simple to learn and never too crowded, but additionally not so large that you just lose out on beneficial display area with the ability to see no matter you are truly typing out. Each Gboard, Android’s default keyboard, and the iOS keyboard, mimic the half-screen keyboard you may discover on a Blackberry or an adjunct just like the Clicks Keyboard, and if something, what Google and Apple supply is much more spacious than these {hardware} choices. That, mixed with software program that is in a position to predict what keys you meant to press once you mistype, makes for keyboards that really feel snug and correct to make use of.

Gboard

Gboard is Google’s default Android keyboard, with built-in Google Translate, swiping to sort, GIFs, and customized emoji.

The overwhelming majority of third-party keyboards work in the identical method. SwiftKey, which Microsoft acquired in 2016, makes use of the identical structure because the iOS and Android default keyboards, with some further options layered on prime. Typewise takes a dramatically completely different strategy, utilizing hexagonal keys and abandoning the standard QWERTY structure for one which’s alleged to be extra correct for typing with two thumbs.

It takes some time to get used to, and Typewise clearly is aware of not everybody will be capable to adapt as a result of it consists of the choice for a standard structure, however the concept has legs. Options to a standard keyboard have existed for years, even within the bodily keyboard area — the Dvorak layout being probably the most distinguished different — so Typewise is in good firm.

Typewise Customized Keyboard

Typewise is a third-party keyboard for Android and iOS that incorporates a distinctive hexagonal structure and keyboard interactions designed to make it simpler to sort shortly with two thumbs.

Hexagonal keys take up more room than regular keys, which leaves much less room for issues like delete and backspace. Typewise will get round that by making swiping on keys take the place of these lacking buttons. You swipe left to delete and swipe proper to undo, and swipe up and down on particular person keys to make them lowercase and uppercase. The entire course of is not essentially extra snug to sort on at first, however I can positively see the way it might get there when you’re prepared to take care of the educational curve.

A smartphone keyboard ought to do greater than a bodily one

GIFs, emoji, translation, and different options

Whereas it is attainable to purchase hardware keyboards with issues like built-in timers, phrase counters, or media playback controls, digital keyboards can theoretically do something in order for you them to. On Gboard, that features looking for and inserting GIFs into messages, recording audio messages, typing out emoji, including photographs and recordsdata, and translating textual content earlier than you ship it. The iOS keyboard affords the same set of options. You’ll be able to add issues like Genmoji, Apple’s AI-generated emoji, stickers, photographs, audio messages, and use all kinds of iMessage apps so as to add further performance to your chats.

Microsoft SwiftKey AI Keyboard

Microsoft’s SwiftKey AI Keyboard helps you to sort and swipe to enter textual content, and consists of integration with Microsoft Copilot for producing and rewriting textual content.

Microsoft SwiftKey is a little more restrained, but it surely helped popularize one keyboard characteristic that is now almost anticipated on all smartphone keyboards: swipe typing. SwiftKey, Gboard, and the iOS keyboard all allow you to swipe throughout keys as a substitute of urgent them to enter textual content, leveraging machine studying to guess what you propose to sort. It has much less of a studying curve than Typewise’s structure modifications and may dramatically enhance the velocity at which you enter textual content with one hand. SwiftKey has different integrations with Microsoft merchandise like Copilot, if you wish to use AI to generate textual content or rewrite your messages, voice typing, and translation instruments.

A smartphone keyboard ought to be customizable

Change the look to suit your temper and elegance

Mechanical keyboards have grow to be a significant method folks categorical their character and sense of favor. It helps that they are endlessly customizable: you will get keys in a wide range of completely different colours and supplies, switches that thunk or click on, and boards with built-in lights and different aesthetic prospers. The identical ought to be true for digital smartphone keyboards. Gboard and the iOS keyboard are pretty restricted on this regard. They will alter when your smartphone is in gentle or darkish mode, and in Gboard’s case, change colour to match the Materials You colour palette matched to your wallpaper, however that is about it.

SwiftKey has a gallery of various themes that add backgrounds to your keyboard, and Typewise, in the meantime, locks its personalization strategies behind a “Professional” subscription that both prices $1.99 per 30 days, $9.99 per 12 months, or $24.99 for a one-time, lifetime buy. For probably the most excessive, in-depth customization choices, you will need to flip to Facemoji. The app consists of an AI assistant when you assume you want one, however the actual draw is all of the methods you should use Facemoji to create a customized keyboard.

Facemoji AI Emoji Keyboard

Facemoji is a third-party keyboard that may be totally personalized with completely different fonts, visible results, and backgrounds.

Should you do not need to take the time to create your individual keyboard, you may choose certainly one of dozens of customized keyboard themes created by the Facemoji “group.” Once you do work up the braveness to make your individual, the app helps you to decide the background of your keyboard, the form and colour of your keys, any visible results (sparkles, clouds, and so forth.) that hover over your keys, the font of the textual content in your keyboard, the colour and form of the swipe line once you use swipe typing, and extra. I used to be in a position to swap to an over-the-top Studio Ghibli-themed keyboard with a cute cat background and digital beads that bounced round anytime I moved my telephone however wasn’t typing. It is an excessive amount of for my style, however the truth that it is attainable is actually cool.

One of the best smartphone keyboard can do quite a bit, however solely once you want it

Default keyboards are adequate, however there may be one different price recommending

Years of iteration have made the default keyboards on each Android and iOS simple to advocate. There’s much less of a motive to think about options when each Gboard and the iOS keyboard include a bunch of helpful options built-in and are already very snug to sort on. If you’re contemplating an alternate, the keyboard that balances simple typing, useful options, and customization choices one of the best is Microsoft SwiftKey. It is superb at correcting typing errors when you mistype, and on the whole, it feels premium in a method that different choices do not.

Microsoft SwiftKey AI Keyboard

Microsoft’s SwiftKey AI Keyboard helps you to sort and swipe to enter textual content, and consists of integration with Microsoft Copilot for producing and rewriting textual content.

For extra smartphone keyboard comparisons, Pocket-lint has additionally taken an in-depth take a look at the professionals and cons of the Samsung Keyboard versus Gboard, together with a guide on how to get the most out of Gboard when you do determine to apply it to your telephone.