I have just discovered the swipe keyboard option on my Galaxy Note 2. This is so much better than pecking at the keyboard with my thumbs, especially when typing with one hand. On my iPhone, I could never do any meaningful typing with one hand because it was so slow and cumbersome to keep lifting my thumb. Yet another thing that Apple does that makes no sense and is cumbersome. Android just does it better than Apple for usability and common sense.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhones are horrible to type on compared to Android
- Thread starter SomeDudeAsking
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I started using Swype after getting my Note and I love it as well. Sometimes I get lazy and swipe close to the spelling of the word and its still pretty accurate.
I don't know what's going on with the iPhone 5 but I couldn't type at all on that phone, it was horrible. I tried typing on my iPhone 3G again and it was far more accurate than the 5.
I don't know what's going on with the iPhone 5 but I couldn't type at all on that phone, it was horrible. I tried typing on my iPhone 3G again and it was far more accurate than the 5.
So slow and cumbersome to lift your thumb? Dramatic much??
Android does have a better keyboard, but not because of swiping, which feels totally unnatural to me. Never could get on with it.
Android does have a better keyboard, but not because of swiping, which feels totally unnatural to me. Never could get on with it.
It is dramatically slower and more cumbersome to lift your thumb for each character when typing with one hand. Swype is much faster and more elegant.
No it isn't. Typing in the usual manner is not complicated nor does it make you tired. Cumbersome is therefore the wrong word. It may be slower, I don't know. Typing using the swiping method is dramatically slower for me because I'm not used to it and don't see why I should learn a new typing method, when all of the other devices (keyboards, laptops etc. ) will stick to the old one!
I've never had a good experience using the iPhone keyboard. It's been a while since I used an Android one, but the Windows Phone keyboard is kick-butt too.
It is cumbersome to type with one hand on a standard touchscreen keyboard without Swype support. Lifting your thumb for each character on a touchscreen keyboard when typing one handed is much more cumbersome because it causes much more unnecessary vertical movement. Swype is also much faster because you do not have to slow down to type the next character of the word. And there is nothing natural about touch typing on any keyboard. You took years to learn how to type on a qwerty keyboard. It took me all of two minutes to learn to Swype type.
This is the main reason why I haven't switched to iPhone (the other being screen size). I generally love Apple products and it would be great to have everything integrated into the same eco system (I haven an Air and an iPad), but I send a lot of emails and messages on the go, and with SwiftKey on android there is just no comparison in terms of the typing speed I can get with that compared to the iPhone. I really wish Apple would allow some third party keyboard apps, or improve predictive text on their own.
My only issue with the iOS keyboard is the over excited auto correct.
I do use the swipe keyboard on my Nexus 4 but have no issues with tapping on a soft keyboard on my iPhone.
The biggest things I like about the stock android keyboard is the suggestions displayed above the keyboard and the way the keyboard dynamically capitalises each letter when the shift button is used. Sometimes I do confuse myself on iOS if I have hit the shift key or not as I'm used to the visual feedback on android.
I do use the swipe keyboard on my Nexus 4 but have no issues with tapping on a soft keyboard on my iPhone.
The biggest things I like about the stock android keyboard is the suggestions displayed above the keyboard and the way the keyboard dynamically capitalises each letter when the shift button is used. Sometimes I do confuse myself on iOS if I have hit the shift key or not as I'm used to the visual feedback on android.
I've been using an iPhone since 2007 and I have to agree with the argument that typing on iOS is more cumbersome than it is on Android, and I've had a mere week of testing android on the nexus 4. Now I'm going back I my old iPhone, but really, Androi clearly wins when it comes to writing. First, there's the swipe feature which isn't faster than typing two handed on an iPhone, but is much more convenient to use one handed. Second, the android keyboard's suggestions are far more accurate in my native tongue, German. When typing in English, however, the iPhone's auto-correction works as good as Android's. (At least in my experience). Also, the Android feature that let's you add unknown words to your dictionary is more convenient than on the iPhone. I know, it's supposed to learn and adapt to the user but that doesn't always seem to work (at least not for me and particularly not in German).
Still, typing is not everything you do on a smartphone and for me, the iphone's simplicity is still superior to Android.
Still, typing is not everything you do on a smartphone and for me, the iphone's simplicity is still superior to Android.
This has always puzzled me about iOS.
In a UI that otherwise emphasizes the ability to change onscreen buttons to suit the situation, the fact that the iOS keyboard characters don't change case with the shift key, is jarring and slows me down at times.
Wonder if there's some patent involved.
I always type with two hands. My preference has always been for physical, landscape slider keyboards. Now that I have an SGS3, I have to use the on-screen keyboard. I always use landscape mode when possible so the keys are bigger for me. I never liked any type of text prediction. I stopped using it about a year ago as it was annoying when it changes things that I don't want changed. With no text prediction, Swype won't work.
This thread makes me lose faith in the human race.
The fact that people think that having to lift your finger off the screen to type is "cumbersome" is soul destroying. I'm imagining a world where lots of lazy people walk around dragging their feet because having to lift your legs off the ground is also considered cumbersome, or where people just slam their heads into plates of food and eat using their mouths directly because using a knife/fork/spoon is too cumbersome.
Why
The fact that people think that having to lift your finger off the screen to type is "cumbersome" is soul destroying. I'm imagining a world where lots of lazy people walk around dragging their feet because having to lift your legs off the ground is also considered cumbersome, or where people just slam their heads into plates of food and eat using their mouths directly because using a knife/fork/spoon is too cumbersome.
Why
I wouldn't say horrible when compared. Makes it sound as if you are losing years off your life when typing in iOS. Android is better but I personally cannot get used to Swype. I will say I believe Windows 8 on screen typing trumps both iOS and Android. Numpad style number input it just so good.
Swiftkey, my friends. Swiftkey.
The auto correction is... unbelievably good. Literally... I can't believe it knows what I meant to type.
Then in the few occasions it predicts the rest of my sentences for me... now that's truly magic, Mr. Jobs.
The auto correction is... unbelievably good. Literally... I can't believe it knows what I meant to type.
Then in the few occasions it predicts the rest of my sentences for me... now that's truly magic, Mr. Jobs.
On the GS3 stock keyboard, Swype works very well but doing regular typing is too inaccurate for me. Swift keyboard is so accurate when typing and has the best next word predictions without even typing the first letter. I really wish it had swype to go along with it.
Agreed. SwiftKey is amazing - best keyboard I've ever used by far.
Yeah, iPhone definitely has the worst of the keyboards. Just using my moms 4 to set things up on her phone I felt so cramped trying to type. Definitely a close race between WP and Android, they both are extremely good, especially with next word predictions.
Droid Incredible came out over two years ago. Time to update.
But yes, if you take old hardware, and try to pair it with the latest software, it tends to not go hand in hand.
Droid Incredible came out over two years ago. Time to update.
But yes, if you take old hardware, and try to pair it with the latest software, it tends to not go hand in hand.
They came out with one this year, type on it and get back to me and tell me how awesome it is with no spacing between the keys and a 4 inch screen, this swiftkey love is mostly due to bigger screens swiftkey lacks proper spacing I know I hatred my droid phones with swiftkey installed and I type better on this small ass iphone 5.
Swiftkey does have 3 options of keyboard size. Small sized is too small for me but it might work well on a smaller screen.
