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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Back in December, Fleksy announced a toolkit to allow iOS developers to incorporate the company's popular predictive and gesture-based keyboard into their apps. The initial testing period involved a public launch in four third-party apps of varying types, with Fleksy noting that it would continue to expand the program and eventually open up its SDK to all interested developers.

Today, Fleksy is announcing that next step in its iOS development program, moving the SDK out of private beta and allowing all app developers to easily incorporate Fleksy as an alternative keyboard within their apps.
With its latest update, the Fleksy SDK is now completely free of charge, requires no sign up and allows any developer to implement it in minutes, with zero lines of code and without having to make any changes to their app at all. Switching between Fleksy and the iOS keyboard is also completely streamlined.
Fleksy is one of several alternative keyboard systems that have gained popularity on Android, but Apple's rules preventing systemwide replacement of the default keyboard have greatly slowed growth of such tools on iOS. As a workaround, Fleksy and other keyboard developers are turning to SDKs that will allow developers to add support for their keyboards on an app-by-app basis. SwiftKey is another such company that launched its own note-taking app several weeks ago and is looking to bring an SDK to select developers initially and all developers over time.

Fleksy offers automated word suggestions while the user types to help improve typing speed, while also incorporating a sophisticated autocorrect engine to help correct typing errors on the fly. Layered on top of those features is a gesture system that allows users to insert spaces and punctuation by swiping to the right and delete words by swiping to the left anywhere on the keyboard rather than having to use dedicated keys. Up and down swipes allow users to cycle through suggested words or undo automatic corrections.

While the Fleksy SDK is now open to all developers, the company has also been working with a number of developers beyond the initial group of four to integrate the Fleksy keyboard into their apps. Several of those are ready to go live today with Fleksy support, including You Doodle, Write for iPhone, Tap Forms Organizer and Secure Database, and Remoter VNC - Remote Desktop.

Fleksy is free for users and developers, and hundreds of developers have already inquired about bringing Fleksy to their apps. As a result, the Fleksy team is optimistic that adoption will grow rapidly given developer interest and the simple integration offered through the company's SDK.

Article Link: Fleksy's Predictive Touch Keyboard with Gestures Now Available to All iOS Developers
 

b0nd18t

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2012
307
814
Choice is always better. I'd prefer swipe texting so hopefully swiftkey kicks it into gear.
 

Sky Blue

Guest
Jan 8, 2005
6,856
11
I'm fine with one color and model of car I don't know what everyone's problem is with it or wanting to replace it
 

SR71

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2011
1,602
365
Boston, MA
I'm fine with the stock iOS keyboard I don't know what everyone's problem is with it or wanting to replace it

Probably because you haven't used any other keyboard before. SwiftKey and Fleksy are both much more advanced and have better prediction algorithms than the stock iOS keyboard.
 

Spanky Deluxe

macrumors demi-god
Mar 17, 2005
5,282
1,741
London, UK
Probably because you haven't used any other keyboard before. SwiftKey and Fleksy are both much more advanced and have better prediction algorithms than the stock iOS keyboard.

I've tried Fleksy but I found it very frustrating to use. Punctuation is a pain for one and when just typing words it doesn't seem any quicker than the normal keyboard. Just seems like hype to me.
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
Come on, Apple. Adopt swipe typing already, so I can go back to using iPhones again. :(
 

blucable

macrumors regular
Jul 16, 2012
121
29
Hail the new keyboard, I don't have a single issue with new things, it should be incorporated into iOS as the default keyboard in fact.
 

seecoolguy

macrumors 6502
Nov 28, 2007
256
34
iOS taking another step towards android. Up Next... Widgets!

It's not a replacement for the OS, just for developers to include a new keyboard into their app, which they've been able to do for some time, this sdk just helps create a standard across.

I can appreciate that there are users who want a customized keyboard experience. On Android I preferred the google "android" keyboard, tried but never became a fan of swype.
 

NachoGrande

macrumors 6502a
Mar 30, 2010
986
1,714
Awesome! A little fragmentation on the iPhone! Get used to one keyboard, only to have to switch to another! Just what I was waiting for.:rolleyes:
 

MattJessop

macrumors regular
Apr 24, 2007
215
43
Manchester, UK
So I tried to use this, and seems like a neat idea. But punctuation just seems awkward on this, and feels like it would slow it down. So a no from me for now.

But hey, I'm never one to argue with choice. And it beats some of these 'custom' keyboards that I've seen in some people's apps. (mostly games mind you..)
 

NMBob

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2007
1,893
2,398
New Mexico
Awesome! A little fragmentation on the iPhone! Get used to one keyboard, only to have to switch to another! Just what I was waiting for.:rolleyes:

Just what I was going to say. Apple just can't give up control of ANYTHING, so now we'll have a different keyboard for every app. Great. On the plus side, maybe they'll say the other keyboards look too much like theirs and ban them from the store like the are doing with flappy bird-like apps.
 

3282868

macrumors 603
Jan 8, 2009
5,281
0
Basically a combination of predictive "T-9 Text" from the "old" days with a virtual keyboard. Hmmm. Not a bad idea.
 

BJMRamage

macrumors 68030
Oct 2, 2007
2,710
1,233
I've used Swipe on Android for a month.
took a while to "get used to" and I still felt like I could type as fast on iOS and autocorrect.

that said a different keyboard isn't horrible but one that people will need to get used to 'again'

*though lately autocorrect has been going crazy: changing "minutes" to "jujube" I had to look that word uo
 

Jessica Lares

macrumors G3
Oct 31, 2009
9,612
1,055
Near Dallas, Texas, USA
I don't like when stuff like this is made available. It will be used by non-developers to make crappy paid and free apps like they do with the Aviary photo tools. The same app under different names, icons, and colors.

Even now two developers are using the same template $10 for a game called "Red Bouncing Ball Spikes", and both are in the top lists on the App Store. One is paid, one has ads.

Pretty sure the majority of the popular apps everyone uses won't take advantage of it.

I tried out Fleksy on my Android phone and didn't like it. SwiftKey is still the better one out of all of them.
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
I'm fine with the stock iOS keyboard I don't know what everyone's problem is with it or wanting to replace it

Then let me explain what I don't like about it;

  • Very difficult to manoeuvre around text
  • Predictive text not learning
  • No way to disable auto-correct (just stick a red line under it, I'll fix it if it's wrong)

I think that's it for me. It's the going backwards and forwards in a string that's so frustrating that I've given up browsing on my phone unless I have no other choice.
 

639051

Cancelled
Nov 8, 2011
967
1,267
I'm fine with the stock iOS keyboard I don't know what everyone's problem is with it or wanting to replace it

Because the stock keyboard is complete garbage if you want to type quickly without many errors? It's the same keyboard that has been around for who knows how long while things like Swype have made life so much easier when typing on a small device?

I can't standing using an iOS keyboard as error rates were sky high as well as time to complete my text.
 
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