Which new third-party iPhone keyboard should I download?
Two of Apple’s biggest competitors, Google and Microsoft, are using fancy keyboards to get closer to iOS users. One is better for wordsmiths, while the other can help you find just the right GIF, and faster.
Google’s Gboard and Microsoft’s Word Flow replace the iPhone’s standard keyboard and offer new features. Since launching recently, the free apps have been among the most popular utilities for iOS.
“We’re definitely seeing more custom keyboards that are offering more than just look-and-feel customization, like colors and fonts,” said Mark Baldino, co-founder of Chicago user experience design firm Fuzzy Math. “What you see in the Word Flow tool and in Gboard are actual functional enhancements to the phone itself.”
He said the two keyboards likely appeal to different kinds of people. Word Flow, with its ability to swipe-type and a curved keyboard designed for one-handed typing, is best for those who prioritize ergonomics. It also lets users customize the look of the keyboard with color and pattern themes.
Gboard similarly offers swipe-typing, but its real value is in the embedded Web, image and GIF search functionality, Baldino said. It even includes an emoji search field.
“It’s important that (Microsoft is) offering an ergonomic enhancement to the keyboard, but I think the Gboard is more powerful in general, because you’re hooking into a really impressive search ecosystem,” he said.
The new keyboards are fun and mostly easy to use, but not without faults. Baldino noted that there’s a learning curve for people adjusting to swipe-typing and said he racked up many typos when first using Gboard.
Then there’s the question of privacy.
“Now my data’s going to Google. Everything I type in is going to Google,” Baldino said. “That’s scary for a lot of people who are worried about how much data big companies have.”
Google says it only collects search information and nothing else that users type with Gboard, even though it asks for full permission during installation to transmit any and all information. Microsoft also asks for that level of permission.
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