Customize Your iPhone Keyboard With These Great Apps for iOS 8

With the release of iOS 8, the iPhone keyboard has received some major upgrades. Not only is there a new layout and predictive typing, you now have the ability to swap out the default keyboard.
In the past, you would only be able to use alternative keyboards within dedicated apps. iOS users can now install third-party keyboards to use throughout the entire operating system. Though this is a feature that Android users have had for years (yes, yes, we know!), iPhone users can finally take advantage of the plethora of keyboard apps available that provide appealing features and designs that you can personalize.
Here is a breakdown of what we think are the top three keyboard apps available for iOS 8.

Swype- 99 cents

Swype, which is owned by voice dictation company Nuance Communications, dates back to the early years of Android. Users can type using the traditional method (tapping the screen), or can swipe or drag their fingers around to touch each letter. Symbols and punctuation can be added by using gestures, and you can tell it to add or remove words from your personal dictionary. If swiping is too much, you can also dictate your emails and messages.
Swype comes with five built-in themes and can be used in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German.

SwiftKey – FREE

SwiftKey, though originally famous through their work with the Android platform, is no stranger to iOS. They launched a note-taking app in early 2014 that included their predictive-typing feature that adapted to your writing style. These features are now available system-wide.
Similar to Swype, SwiftKey works by having users drag their finger around the screen instead of having to hunt and peck for letters. As you type or swipe, SwiftKey will offer suggestions for the next word it thinks you want to type, very similar to the feature built in to the OS.
SwiftKey also allows support for up to two languages at a time, minimizing the need to switch back and forth between keyboards. The app currently supports English, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
SwiftKey comes with two free themes to start, which offer colorful skins and keyboard layouts. Additional skins can be purchased within the app.

Fleksy- 99 cents

Featured by Apple as “ Best New App” for the launch of iOS 8, Fleksy includes predictive-typing features similar to SwiftKey. The app also uses gestures to help quickly move from one word to the next. The emphasis on speed has even earned Fleksy the title of “world’s fastest keyboard” from Guinness World Records!
Fleksy includes free and paid colorful themes, emoji, and several keyboard layouts. You can also seamlessly switch between the 40 supported languages while typing.
The app also includes accessibility features for visually impaired users, and the keyboard can even be resized to comfortably fit your fingers.

Regardless of which third-party keyboard you decide to try, the setup is fairly easy. After downloading the app to your device, simply head over to Settings > General > Keyboard to add the keyboard to the system. From here, you can also specify the preference order of each keyboard in your device. Happy swiping!
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