5 benefits of alternative keyboards for smartphones

On Android, you can activate the new keyboard after installation in the system settings in the "Language and input" section. On iOS, this is the "Keyboard" item in the main device settings section. By switching to the new input method, depending on the keyboard you choose, you will be able to appreciate five different improvements.

1. Exact auto-substitution

Correct substitution of words when typing a message or search query can save you a lot of time. In some keyboards, this helper function uses neural networks to guess the full text of an entered phrase or phrase.

One of the best keyboards in this regard is SwiftKey, available for both Android and iOS. Among the lesser-known analogs capable of learning using artificial intelligence, Chrooma is worth highlighting.

2. Input methods to choose from

Typing on touch screens can be done not only by clicking on the desired characters, but also by so-called swipes. This method looks like a quick connection of the desired characters without lifting your finger from the screen. At first, this method seems much more complicated, however, when you gain experience, the typing speed can increase many times.

The most convenient keyboards for swipe input are Google's Gboard and the already mentioned SwiftKey.

3. GIFs and emojis

When emotions can no longer be expressed in simple words, emoji come into play. Many keyboards automatically suggest replacing certain words in the text with the corresponding emoticons, and SwiftKey and Minuum even try to predict them.

Only much more eloquent animated GIFs can replace the emoji themselves. Search for matching GIFs is integrated into Gboard, Chrooma and Fleksy. In the case of iMessage on iOS, you can also download the Giphy extension.

4. Built-in web search

The built-in web search in the keyboard allows you not to switch to the browser when you need to quickly find the answer to a simple question and embed it in a message. In this way, it is easy to share not only links, but also online videos and even coordinates. All this can be done with the Gboard keyboard from Google.

Fleksy can be an alternative for a quick search. With its help, you can quickly share not only images and links from the web, but also content from YouTube, Spotify and Foursquare.

5. Advanced customization

Not all keyboards offer ample opportunities for external customization, and in fact it is the design that is pleasing to the eye for many is the most important criterion. Fleksy and Minuum will be able to please fans of detailed interface customization. The former offers a variety of color settings and themes, while the latter, among other things, allows you to adjust the size of the keys.