When Apple took to the stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference last month, we knew that there would be some big iOS-related announcements as part of the keynote. But whilst we’d already gathered quite an insight into HealthKit and such, we didn’t foresee the opening up of several key areas of the platform to third parties. As well as bringing widgets and offering developers the chance to do more with Siri, the Cupertino company finally came through and brought third-party keyboard support, and given how the AutoCorrect had become a bit of a running joke, the announcement did not arrive too soon.
Naturally, all of the major Android keyboard devs jumped straight on the task of porting their powerful services over to iOS, and along with Swype, SwiftKey and an abundance of others, Fleksy also announced that it would offer an alternative for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.
In an attempt to beat rivals to the draw, some developers have already put these apps out in beta, but while Fleksy has yet to follow suit, its makers have today confirmed that the app will indeed be releasing in the fall. Moreover, it will bring support for over 40 languages right off the bat, and although we ordinarily expect brand-new apps to have some teething issues, those who’ve used the likes of Fleksy on Android will be expecting a near seamless performance from the get-go.
Those keen to try the keyboard out can do so via the third-party Fleksy app for iOS, although like SwiftKey Note, it’s not much use given that you can’t currently use it with your favorite app as you will be when it goes system-wide with iOS 8.
Apple also took the opportunity to announce its own revamped keyboard at WWDC, with Swype-like flow features that should hopefully make the native experience a little more tolerable, but if you’re an iOS user that has had a more than a little first-hand experience with any of those named keyboard mentioned above, you’ll surely already have picked your poison ahead of iOS 8’s launch later in the year.
With TouchPal, Fleksy, Swype and SwiftKey having all thrown their hats into the proverbial ring, which will you choose when iOS 8 does finally appear? Be sure to share your thoughts on the matter via the comment section below this article.
You may also like to check out:
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.