Articles

Swype is dead! Here are the top 3 android keyboard alternatives

3 Mins read

Nuance Communications Inc. has ventured out from third-party keyboard app business. Technology website, The Verge published on 21st February 2018, that the tech giant has discontinued its Swype Keyboard app for Android and iOS.

This has been a hassle for loyal Swype users who lost all customizations on their Swype keyboard. If you are still looking for a keyboard app or a keypad app for your Android or iOS to replace Swype, we have reviewed different android and iOS keyboards, and have picked top 3 alternatives to Swype –

1. SwiftKey

SwiftKey is a well-equipped and cool keyboard app with SwiftKey Cloud, created by SwiftKey.

SwiftKey User Interface

Key Features of SwiftKey 

The SwiftKey keypad app stores learned a language that you can use across multiple devices. It can learn how you use language on various social platforms by linking it to your social media and email apps and build your language database.

All user data stored in the cloud is anonymous to ensure privacy.

If you’re still not convinced though, you don’t need to use Swift Cloud and the Android keypad app can still learn your language, and it will store that data on your phone only.

Subscribe to Wire19 Newsletter

Pros 

  • The keyboard app is the slickest among other third-party keyboards in Android with more than 2.5 million downloads.
  • The interface and flow works like no other Android keyboard app.
  • Though swipe keyboard app may take some time for your fingers to adjust, its precision helps when you are in a hurry or texting with just one hand.
  • SwiftKey for Android also has a feature of ‘keypress sounds’ which allows you to customize keypress sounds to different profiles. Mechanical keyboard lovers can use this feature to get the feel of traditional computer typing on their mobile device.
  • It is also easy to switch from uppercase to lowercase, which is quite troublesome in regular iOS keyboard app.

Cons

  • The keyboard app doesn’t automatically scroll to the latest message in the SMS section.
  • SwiftKey is not as good for iPad and iPhone 4s compared to other devices.

Its predictive feature makes SwiftKey Android keyboard one of the best alternatives to Swype Keyboard, and as Apple has allowed third-party keyboards in iOS, you can use it on your iPhone and iPad as well.

2. Gboard

Gboard is a virtual keyboard app created by Google Inc. It features Google search including web results and predictive answers. The keypad app enables easy searching and sharing of GIF and emoji.

Gboard User Interface

Key Features of Gboard

A ‘predictive type engine’ that is easy to use and support for a variety of themes makes this keypad app fun to use. Gboard learns your language and suggests words depending on the context.

Google has also recently updated support recognition for hand-drawn emoticons and ability to predict whole phrases instead of just words.

Pros 

  • Built-in Google Search makes searching a lot faster.
  • The space bar also works as a Trackpad.
  • The keyboard app can quickly delete multiple words.
  • Multilingual typing supports a huge range of languages.
  • You can add a permanent number row in the keypad app.
  • It has a separate one hand mode, which is rare in other android keyboards.

Cons 

  • Gboard lacks database functionality that is used in SwiftKey. For instance, if you’re chatting about MLB with someone it can’t predict the surname of the player like SwiftKey.
  • You need to add words manually to the dictionary as it cannot store the words itself.
  • The keyboard app crawls through a lot of personal data from your phone.

The smart user interphase and its smooth operation along with a cool emoji prediction features makes Gboard one of the best alternatives to Swype keyboard. Gboard is available for both Android and iOS.

3. GO Keyboard 

GO Keyboard is a third party android keyboard app created by Gomo Dev Team. It offers multiple languages and keyboard layouts and can crawl through all your contacts. It learns your language style and predicts words while you are typing.

GO board User Interface

Key Features of GO Keyboard

The keypad app also changes the layout based on your typing language which can be handy. A standard dictionary for multiple languages, an emoji keyboard, and additional plugins provide a decent user experience.

Pros 

This keypad app also supports fantasy text.

  • It has customizable skin and background.
  • It is comprised of a multi-point touch keyboard.
  • The Go keyboard has auto-memory which predictively corrects what you type.

Cons 

  • The biggest letdown about this keyboard is security and privacy as it is reported to be allegedly crawling through a lot of user data and sending it to remote servers.
  • Keys are spaced too closely, making it difficult to type in a hurry.

Barring its privacy issues and minor anomalies, the keyboard app provides good user experience.

A personalized keypad app saves a lot of time on the phone and improves productivity overall. While there are a lot of keypad apps on the market today, SwiftKey, Gboard and Go Keyboard are most widely used due to the comprehensive features they offer.

Google has been updating Gboard very regularly and after you have used it for a few weeks giving it time to learn your writing style, the predictive text works like a charm. Most times, you only need to type first few letters of the word you want to use and predictive text does the rest for you.

 

About Guest Author

Brendon Wong is a blogger who writes for tech, SEO, and internet marketing blogs.

18 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

+ 65 = 75