The default keyboard on every iPhone gets the basic job done for tapping out texts and emails. But lackluster prediction abilities, tiny keys and limited options for one-thumb typing or customization leave much to be desired.
Switching to an alternative iPhone keyboard app provides noticeable perks:
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Fewer errors: Intelligent keyboards learn from you to offer better autocorrect and word predictions over the default keyboard. Third-party options like SwiftKey have been proven to reduce errors by up to 50% based on internal testing.
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Faster response times: Contextual predictions allow responding to messages faster without having to type full words and phrases. Top keyboards shave off several seconds from average response times.
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Less strain: Optimized sizes, layouts and one-handed modes minimize thumb and hand fatigue when using iPhone Minis or large screens.
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More expressive messaging: Easier access to gifs, stickers and emojis makes conveying tone more fun.
But with so many keyboard apps in the App Store, landing on the right fit can get tricky. Here are the top considerations when deciding:
Should You Switch from the Native iPhone Keyboard?
Before delving into specific keyboard options, let‘s examine the case for abandoning Apple‘s built-in default keyboard altogether.
The case against Apple‘s keyboard:
- Its autocorrect still makes embarrassing errors too often
- Small keys and lack of resize options bother users with larger/smaller hands
- Very limited customization around look/feel
- No specialized capabilities like seamless gif search
According to Strathclyde University research, third-party iPhone keyboards like SwiftKey and Gboard reduce typing mistakes substantially compared to default options.
The case for keeping Apple‘s keyboard
- No learning curve switching keyboards
- Seamlessly integrates with all Apple devices
- No security risks that third-party keyboards introduce
- Sufficient for users with basic needs
Below are key advantages I‘ve observed making the switch worthwhile during my testing of top contenders.
My Top Reasons to Use a Third-Party iPhone Keyboard
Typing Perks
- Enhanced predictions – Contextual learning prevents typos and speeds up typing with smarter suggestions
- Error-saving – Few mistakes mean less time correcting embarrassing autocorrect issues
- One-thumb mode – Ideal for large Max or mini iPhones for easier typing
Customization Wins
- Themes & colors – Personalize keys, fonts and layouts to your taste
- Resize keys – Fit small or large hands better, especially helpful on Max/mini devices
- Animated emojis – Bring texts to life with gifs and stickers
Efficiency Upgrades
- Time savings – Shave seconds off responses with predictive text
- Writing aids – Catch grammar slip-ups before sending professional emails
- Search sans app switching – Define words or find gifs without leaving your keyboard
Based on my testing of over a dozen keyboard options for iPhone, these core benefits easily justify giving an alternate keyboard a shot.
Top Keyboard Apps for All Your iPhone Typing Needs
Here are 10 keyboards I recommend first based on their unique strengths and reliability after extensively evaluating the highest-rated options.
1. SwiftKey – Best for Personalized Predictions
Microsoft-owned SwiftKey is my top pick for an all-purpose iPhone keyboard replacement thanks to its constantly learning predictions. The more you use this keyboard over time across apps and messages, the better it understands your typing style – even adjusting to different contexts like work chats versus friendly banter.
Standout SwiftKey advantages:
- Resizes keyboard vertically + horizontally
- Context-aware next word predictions
- Multilingual support for 100+ languages
- Cloud backup of learned words/phrases
- Private mode learns no data from sensitive fields
- Great for messaging thanks fast predictions
I appreciated SwiftKey‘s neural learning capabilities during testing. Its predictions became scarily accurate at finishing common phrases I use after only a few days of use. If you message or email frequently from your iPhone, SwiftKey‘s ever-improving suggestions save significant typing time.
2. Gboard – Top Pick for Google Lovers
As Google‘s official iPhone keyboard, Gboard will feel instantly familiar for Android switchers while offering perks Apple fans can appreciate too. Though not as customizable as SwiftKey, Gboard provides a solid typing experience for all-purpose use.
Gboard advantages:
- Glide typing for faster input
- Voice typing
- Handwriting recognition
- Direct Google search from keyboard
- Minimalist design focused on usability
Gboard has quickly earned its reputation as the well-rounded Google keyboard replacement for iPhone. Reasons I recommend giving Gboard a shot:
- Streamlined design still offers the essential features
- Fun built-in emoji mashups
- Supports over 500 languages
During my testing, Gboard felt snappy when typing quickly. Its no-frills approach avoids feature bloat but still equips you with the typing tools you need most.
3. Tenor – Best for GIF Lovers
Anyone who loves peppering conversations with GIFs needs Tenor‘s GIF keyboard in their iPhone typing arsenal. You gain instant access to one of the largest GIF libraries without switching apps. Both classic and trending GIF content gets updated daily right on your keyboard.
Why Tenor rules for GIF mastery:
- Enormous catalog of amusing GIFs
- Create personalized GIFs or sticker packs
- Draw tool for annotating GIFs before sending
- Perfectly paired with messaging apps
Tenor eliminates hunting for the perfect GIF to visually react during chats – they‘re always handy while typing. Plus handy content filters (reactions, sports, memes etc.) help narrow the endless Tenor library down.
4. Grammarly – Best for Improving Writing
As an avid writer, I find Grammarly‘s keyboard invaluable for refining messages and docs on iPhone with its real-time grammar and clarity checking. It goes well beyond basic spellcheck to help you sound articulate and authoritative.
Grammarly upgrades your writing by:
- Catching tricky grammar goofs
- Making wording more crisp and understandable
- Flagging poor punctuation use
- Explaining problems clearly
- Offering better ways to phrase thoughts
- Never collecting private data
Grammarly proves incredibly helpful when drafting professional communications on an iPhone‘s small screen. Don‘t let sloppy writing hold your brilliant ideas back – this keyboard has your back.
5. Kika Emoji Keyboard – Best Variety of Emojis
No iPhone keyboard offers more expressive ways to emoji thanks to Kika‘s massive catalog of illustrated icons, playful themes and custom sticker creator.
Ways Kika wins on emoji capabilities:
- 1300+ default colorful emojis
- Make custom emoji stickers
- Sound effects liven up typing
- Auto emoji prediction aids
- Beautiful keyboard color themes fit any style
Finding the perfect emoji always remains a tap away with Kika‘s broad set of categorized emojis spanning expressions, activities, flags and more. For emoji power users, this iPhone keyboard delivers.
6. Slash Keyboard – Uniquely Intelligent Typing
Unlike most iPhone keyboards only personalized to your typing style, Slash Keyboard supplements private learning with publicly crowdsourced trends. This community-enhanced intelligence offers accurate autocorrect word suggestions – especially for less common terms.
Slash‘s unique smarts:
- Crowdsourced word/phrase data means better predictions
- Strong offline capabilities
- Backed constantly updated by linguists
- Quick typing with reduced errors
- Expressive emoji mashup integration
I appreciated Slash‘s auto-learning capabilities feeling more universally applicable thanks to crowd wisdom during my testing. Its suggestions rarely felt personalized only to my odd wording quirks. Give Slash‘s keyboard a try if frustrated by other keyboards‘ limited vocabularies.
7. Facemoji – Best Emotional IQ
Facemoji delivers an innovative concept: keyboard emoji suggestions tailored to your real-time facial expressions and reactions. After granting camera access, Facemoji reads your mood to propose fitting emojis.
How Facemoji emojis impress:
- Selfie analysis matches emojis to your mood
- Identifies laughing, shock etc. as you type
- Encourages using wider range of expressive emojis
- 10 colorful keyboard themes
I loved the friendly user testing encouragement Facemoji provides after installation to refine its emotion reading abilities. The keyboard gets better at knowing your reactions over time for eerily precise suggestions.
8. Chrooma – Most Visually Appealing
With muted cool tones, a refreshingly modern design and thoughtful visual flourishes like calculations built into the number row, Chrooma wins my award for most stunning iPhone keyboard.
Chrooma‘s style perks:
- Colorful material design aesthetic
- Optional vibrant backgrounds
- Night mode blends into dark environments
- Uniform subtle sounds
- Task shortcuts above keys
- No ads or clutter
Chrooma won‘t overwhelm you with a dizzying array of customization options. Instead, it nails down core essential features with elegance. Give Chrooma a test run if frustrated by tacky visuals of other keyboard options.
9. Fancy Key – Most Custom Designs
Unleash maximum creative expression customizing your iPhone keyboard‘s appearance with Fancy Key and its hundreds of user-created themes. No artistic itch goes unscratched here thanks to diverse options submitted by the app‘s community.
Fancy Key encourages unique themes:
- 1000+ user-designed themes
- Add your own keyboard backgrounds
- Custom fonts available too
- ShowCASE community theme browser
- New packs added weekly
During testing, I enjoyed matching Fancy Key themes to my ever-changing mood or current phone case. Expressing personal style through keyboard themes proves weirdly fun!
10. MessagEase – Innovative Ergonomic Layout
While most keyboards simply cram a full layout onto iPhone‘s small screen, MessagEase pioneers an optimized two-handed layout designed specifically for mobile typing comfort. Its unique design claims to cut typing effort by 60% thanks to strategically clustered letters optimized for thumbs.
MessagEase‘s comfort wins:
- Special layout to minimize thumb/hand strain
- Designed by orthopedic surgeon
- 60% less typing motion than standard layout
- Also offers traditional QWERTY layout
MessagEase‘s radical design change admittedly involves a learning curve. But given iPhone typing triggers hand and wrist pain for many users, retraining your muscle memory proves worthwhile comfort gains for avid mobile messengers.
Comparing Top iPhone Keyboard Contenders
Here‘s an overview contrasting capabilities of the most versatile, well-rounded keyboards highlighted above:
| Keyboard | Top Perk | Downside | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| SwiftKey | Adaptive predictions | More basic themes | Best for personalized typing |
| Gboard | Direct Google search integration | Limited resize options | Solid well-rounded pick |
| Tenor | Perfect for gif reactions | Can feel chaotic | Best for social messaging gif mastery |
| Grammarly | Refines writing elegantly | Won‘t correct in some apps | Essential for drafting emails, docs |
| Kika | Massive emoji selection | Overkill for minimal emoji users | Best for emoji lovers keen to visually react |
| Slash | Crowd-enhanced correction smarts | Suggestions sometimes too crowdsourced | Uniquely intelligent pick thanks to public data contributions |
| Facemoji | Matches emojis to facial expressions | Gimmicky emotion reading | Best for experimenting with expressive emoji suggestions |
| Chrooma | Soothing minimal aesthetics | Few customization options | Most stylish looking keyboard visually |
| Fancy | Endless user-generated themes | Too chaotic for some | Best for those who enjoy full creative customization freedom |
| MessagEase | Innovative comfortable layout | Steep learning curve | Best for reducing hand strain with its optimized ergonomic letter arrangement |
Security Concerns Around Third-Party Keyboards
Apple allows iPhone keyboards to operate with full access so they can track your typing to enable smarter predictions. Of course, this permission poses risks if abused by shady developers.
What can malicious third-party keyboards theoretically do?
- Log all typed data like passwords
- Secretly take screenshots
- Install hidden profiles
- Read device details to glean personal info
However, Apple‘s App Store review process ensures featured keyboards come from trusted developers without concerning histories around data practices.
Here are smart precautions to enable any third-party iPhone keyboard safely:
Vet keyboards ruthlessly first
- Verify longstanding positive reputation of developers
- Scan user reviews mentioning privacy concerns
Update iOS regularly
- Rapid updates prevent exploits from lingering
Don‘t grant full access persistently
- Revoke permissions when entering sensitive info
Monitor network traffic
- Disable if suspicious connections appear
Use strong device passwords
- Render stolen data useless
The most reputable keyboard apps detail extensive measures taken to safeguard privacy like data encryption. But due diligence around protecting yourself remains important before allowing an app such intimate access.
Optimizing Your New iPhone Keyboard
Once you‘ve switched your default iPhone keyboard to a more capable third-party option, tailoring its settings to perfectly match your needs helps maximize benefits.
I recommend poking around your chosen keyboard‘s options for tweaks like:
Resizing keys
- Enlarge or shrink overall keyboard or individual keys for easier pressing. Helpful on Max and Mini devices especially.
Alternate themes
- Change background colors, key style, key press feedback through themes catering to different tastes.
Custom entries
- Add commonly used slang words, emoji replacements and specialized terms to refine predictions.
One-handed modes
- Enable easier left/right one-thumb typing with keys clustered to that side.
Don‘t settle for default settings if aspects of your new keyboard bother you. Part of the appeal of third-party iOS keyboards lies in their flexibility to mold to your preferences.
Elevate Your iPhone Typing Game
In case it‘s not obvious by now, I firmly believe ditching Apple‘s built-in keyboard pays dividends for most iPhone users.
More accurate and comfortable typing saves real time and frustration. The ability to customize colors, sizes and feedback to your taste gives everyday mobile use a dose of personal flair. And access to exclusive capabilities like GIF search and emoji suggestions adds conveniences unavailable otherwise.
Hopefully this guide has revealed worthy keyboard contenders capable of enhancing your individual experience. We all type differently – but alternate iPhone keyboards empower you to upgrade typing on your own terms.
The keyboards above earned my recommendations thanks to standout strengths revealed during extensive hands-on evaluation. But don‘t just take my word for it – give your top contenders a test drive to determine the best match embracing your typing style.
