If you've been hoping for an iOS keyboard alternative, your wait is finally over. At this year's WWDC, system-wide, third-party keyboard support was unveiled for iOS 8.
Third-party keyboard apps like SwiftKey, Fleksy, and Swype will be jumping into the iOS 8 arena immediately. They all expressed interest in the new opportunity and will presumably have their apps ready by fall.
Apple's own iOS keyboard, called QuickType, will also recieve smarter controls and predictive typing. But support for third-party keyboard apps will offer up new options that were previously reserved for Android users.
Shortly after the announcement was made, Fleksy promptly envisioned what the app will look like once it's released on the new OS. In a tweet, they gave a sneak peek of the layout on iOS 8, along with a link to sign up for beta testing. You can enter your email on the Fleksy beta page to recieve a notification when it's ready to launch. Of course, to test the app you will also need to have access to a pre-release of iOS 8.
Fleksy boasts eyes-free typing, making it popular with visually impaired users. Using "Geometric Intelligence," the app can recognize your typing patterns and autocomplete each word, even if you tap the wrong letters.
The technology supposedly provides a faster, more accurate typing experience. In fact, the teen who broke the Guinness World Record for fastest typing on a smartphone happened to be using Fleksy.
You can find Fleksy on iTunes already, but functionality is limited. Once system wide keyboard support is available, developers will have unrestricted access to Apple's mobile platforms.
