SwiftKey uses AI advances to make typing on your Android phone “smart, fast, and easy.”
Price: £0.60 (~ $0.95)
SwiftKey could definitely challenge Swype as the most efficient keyboard for Android. A large difference between the two is that instead of making the act of typing each letter fast (like Swype), SwiftKey offers incredibly intelligent next-word prediction that saves you keystrokes.
Personally, there are times when I’d rather not Swype in order to enter text and consider using the stock Android keyboard (or something like it). However, I then remember how frustratingly slow the other keyboards are and I refuse to use them.This app closes the gap and provides a great middle road between the speed of Swype and the efficiency of typing letters one-by-one.
There are three main buttons located above the keyboard that each have a specific purpose. The central button shows the primary prediction (and the button to the right is the secondary prediction). To accept the primary word, either tap it directly or press the space bar (you’ll need to have “auto-complete” enabled in the settings). The button on the left displays the exact word you’ve entered. This is where you’ll want to select new words so that the app can “learn” them. These new words will then be part of later predictions, so you’ll be able to save time in the future. (To delete a word from the dictionary entirely, long-press it).
A feature that will be very valuable to many users is the compatibility with multiple languages and bilingual predictions. Currently supported languages include English (US, UK), French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, and Dutch.
There are a couple of gestures for common actions that make this keyboard even more efficient. To delete a word, swipe from right to left across the keyboard. To hide the keyboard, swipe from top to bottom.
Accurate, intelligent next-word prediction
Promising alternative to the Swype keyboard
Multiple language modules and bilingual predictions
Areas for improvement:
Some difficulty installing language modules
Support for additional languages
Conclusion: A thoroughly tested, intelligent Android keyboard that is leaps and bounds better than the stock keyboard. If you’re not a fan of Swype, this alternative keyboard is for you!