Join the discussion: Swiftkey or iOS keyboard?

By Cella Lao Rousseau
last updated

You probably already know that there are a ton of different keyboards you can use on your iPhone and iPad! Whether you're a big fan of downloading different alternatives to the standard like Swiftkey, or you prefer to stick to the iOS keyboard, there are plenty of options for typing your texts and emails in style.

But if you had to pick, would you go for the iOS keyboard or Swiftkey? (Or another option altogether?)

Which one is better in your opinion and why? I like the iOS one but it annoys me that I can't customize it.

Miss Daredevil

Some people say because they used Swiftkey on Android, they were more than happy to install and use it on iOS ...

I was using SwiftKey on Android and decided to keep using it on IOS.

Lee_Bo

… While others say it totally depends on the user, their writing habits, etc.

Which is better depends on a user's preference. I simply use the stock keyboard because it's sufficient for my usage. I've tried Swiftkey, Swype, Word Flow and others, but I always end up returning to the stock keyboard.

Just_Me_D

But if you had to pick, what would be your choice?

Hop on into the iMore forums and have your voice heard with some of our awesome daily discussions, rumors, all-things-Apple small talk, and so, so much more!

Join the discussion on the iMore forum!

Cella Lao Rousseau
Cella Lao Rousseau

Cella writes for iMore on social and photography. She's a true crime enthusiast, bestselling horror author, lipstick collector, buzzkill, and Sicilian. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @hellorousseau

18 Comments
  • Gboard is awesome. I prefer swiping over typing and Gboard is the best. Google has all of my information anyway so from a security standpoint, I'm comfortable.
  • gboard all the way.
  • I prefer SwiftKey. It's only when iOS forces me to use the stock keyboard that I realise how basic and unproductive it is to use.
  • It's basic but not necessarily unproductive, it's a keyboard and it does that task perfectly fine.
  • I should have clarified my statement by saying that it's basic and unproductive in comparison to SwiftKey and G board.
  • I prefer SwiftKey over Apple's keyboard on both my iPhone 7 Plus and my Galaxy S8+.
  • Is there a keyboard for iPhone that has the numbers and letters on the keyboard like on Android phones where you do not have to press the "123" button?
  • Good question. I've long wondered why the iOS versions of SwiftKey and G board don't have this feature (both as a long press on the top row and being able to have them always there) when the Android ones do. Not being able to have the numbers arranged as on a numerical keyboard is annoying also).
  • I prefer the standard ios keyboard, but bothers me that it doesn't have swipe, I think Apple should urgently make an update introducing swipe to the standard keyboard.... Until there, adapting to the Swiftkey :(
  • Dictation.
  • I use SwiftKey, but I miss dictation.
  • Yeah, that's the only thing I miss.
  • I use SwiftKey as my default keyboard. It's the smartest with the best memory for predictive use. I keep the stock keyboard deleted. I don't use dictation anyway. And SwiftKey recently added 3D Touch to control the cursor.
  • After reading this, I re-installed Swiftkey, hoping it won't be the crashy mess it was before...being keyboard less until you run the settings app again is a PITA and the reason I stopped using it. Hopefully it'll now be more stable.
  • Gboard on all phones & tablet.
  • I use SwiftKey as my default keyboard for a few reasons: + SWIPE
    + seemless shifting between German and English
    + It might be strongly subjective but I have the feeling that predictions are easier readable and I've found myself using them much more often than on the Apple keyboard
    + A dedicated key for typing a full stop (at least holding it down, I can also type a comma, WordFlow on Windows even has a dedicated comma key or used to have, I haven't used it recently) However, there are some cons as well... - No contextual design adaption
    - using 3D touch to move the cursor is WAY too clunky to use and you can't even jump between the lines
    - it sometimes takes forever to load or crashes
    - some apps won't let me use SwiftKey (I see that that's not the keyboard's problem but it's REALLY annoying to have to type the word instead of swiping at LEO [translation app]) I find myself using the Apple keyboard every now and then, e. g. when I want to be able to jump to correct mistakes in my text quickly by using 3D touch or want to find a specific emoji, I find they're much simpler to find with the Apple keyboard whereas I like the recently used bar in SwiftKey (even though I'd prefer to be able to set my own favourites on that bar). I guess that's the same with the WhatsApp widget, I'd like it not to show my recent chats but my favourites (or both of it? ;-)
  • I use swiftkey to get prediction in danish and because I knew it from android
  • Gboard FTW! Personally, love that I can search for gifs right in the keyboard.