I’ve tried a number of telephone keyboards, however this one is my favourite

It is simple to take the vast majority of what our smartphones do without any consideration. A lot of what was novel a few system with a display screen — 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 let you replace the keyboard that comes preinstalled as a part of your system’s working system with quite a lot of completely different keyboards you may obtain out of your app retailer. These can change the look of your keyboard at their most elementary, and basically change the way you kind and what your keyboard can truly do at their most complicated. I just like the default keyboard on my

iPhone 16
and

Pixel 9
advantageous, however I’ve turn out to be satisfied there might be a greater possibility on the market, and I’ve determined to have a look at the preferred keyboard choices out there within the Google Play Retailer and Apple App Retailer to attempt to work out what standards to make use of to select a very good smartphone keyboard, and discover the very best one for me.

A smartphone keyboard ought to really feel snug to kind on

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

A keyboard ought to be snug to kind on first and straightforward to make use of shortly, as a detailed second. Meaning keys which are simple to learn and never too crowded, but in addition not so massive that you just lose out on helpful display screen house 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 would possibly discover on a Blackberry or an adjunct just like the Clicks Keyboard, and if something, what Google and Apple provide is much more spacious than these {hardware} choices. That, mixed with software program that is capable of predict what keys you meant to press whenever 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 kind, GIFs, and customized emoji.

The overwhelming majority of third-party keyboards work in the identical means. SwiftKey, which Microsoft acquired in 2016, makes use of the identical structure because the iOS and Android default keyboards, with some additional options layered on prime. Typewise takes a dramatically completely different method, utilizing hexagonal keys and abandoning the normal QWERTY structure for one which’s speculated 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 of adapt as a result of it contains the choice for a traditional structure, however the concept has legs. Alternate options to a conventional keyboard have existed for years, even within the bodily keyboard house — the Dvorak layout being probably the most outstanding different — so Typewise is in good firm.

Typewise Customized Keyboard

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

Hexagonal keys take up extra space 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 kind on at first, however I can undoubtedly 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 potential to purchase hardware keyboards with issues like built-in timers, phrase counters, or media playback controls, digital keyboards can theoretically do something if you need 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 gives an analogous 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 extra performance to your chats.

Microsoft SwiftKey AI Keyboard

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

Microsoft SwiftKey is a little more restrained, but it surely helped popularize one keyboard function 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 an alternative of urgent them to enter textual content, leveraging machine studying to guess what you plan to kind. It has much less of a studying curve than Typewise’s structure adjustments and might dramatically enhance the pace 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 magnificence

Mechanical keyboards have turn out to be a significant means folks categorical their persona and sense of favor. It helps that they are endlessly customizable: you will get keys in quite a lot 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’re going to alter when your smartphone is in gentle or darkish mode, and in Gboard’s case, change coloration to match the Materials You coloration 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 yr, or $24.99 for a one-time, lifetime buy. For probably the most excessive, in-depth customization choices, you will wish to flip to Facemoji. The app contains an AI assistant when you suppose you want one, however the actual draw is all of the methods you need to 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.

In the event you do not wish to take the time to create your personal keyboard, you may choose certainly one of dozens of customized keyboard themes created by the Facemoji “group.” If you do work up the braveness to make your personal, the app helps you to decide the background of your keyboard, the form and coloration of your keys, any visible results (sparkles, clouds, and many others.) that hover over your keys, the font of the textual content in your keyboard, the colour and form of the swipe line whenever you use swipe typing, and extra. I used to be capable of 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 potential is de facto cool.

The most effective smartphone keyboard can do quite a bit, however solely whenever 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 cause to think about alternate options when each Gboard and the iOS keyboard include a bunch of helpful options built-in and are already very snug to kind on. In case you are contemplating another, the keyboard that balances simple typing, useful options, and customization choices the very best is Microsoft SwiftKey. It is excellent at correcting typing errors when you mistype, and basically, it feels premium in a means that different choices do not.

Microsoft SwiftKey AI Keyboard

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

For extra smartphone keyboard comparisons, Pocket-lint has additionally taken an in-depth have 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 resolve to apply it to your telephone.