Is Apple Screwing Up The Third Party Keyboards in iOS?

[C DM]

Not sure what that other poster is on about, however something I've noticed is that opening the Messages app (maybe after some idle period) always defaults to the stock keyboard. Is that just me?

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What I find slightly annoying, and I'm not sure there's a good solution, is how certain apps and environments will bring up a slightly different themed stock keyboard, but don't for the 3rd party ones.

Three examples:
- Spotlight
- Messages app
- Skype app

These three keyboards have three different looks when you have the stock keyboard selected.

However, when you have a 3rd party keyboard selected, you get the theme you picked and there's no variation on that.

I don't know if this is because keyboard developers have not made use of all the available APIs or if this is not an API. Neither am I sure how it could work given that some users may want to override these contextual variations anyway.

I think the defaulting to the stock keyboard or another keyboard in various places/times is an iOS bug and possibly one that was being (at least partially) addressed in iOS 8.0.1.

 

[GreyOS]

I think the defaulting to the stock keyboard or another keyboard in various places/times is an iOS bug and possibly one that was being (at least partially) addressed in iOS 8.0.1.

Yeah, I'm on 8.0.1 and still see it occasionally but it's harder than I thought to define the precise reproduction steps (which implies some improvement, which is good). Messages does seem to be one I notice it in most though, but it could just be the one I've used the most in the past couple of days.

 

[macUser2007]

Yeah, I'm on 8.0.1 and still see it occasionally but it's harder than I thought to define the precise reproduction steps (which implies some improvement, which is good). Messages does seem to be one I notice it in most though, but it could just be the one I've used the most in the past couple of days.

Hah!

I thought Messages was locked to use only the stock iOS keyboard, but after probably 20-30 times opening the app, now it suddenly showed Swype!

This is random. Hope 8.02 fixes it.

But Apple really must allow 3rd party keyboard to use voice dictation, as many of us use voice input often.

 

[Altimax98]

Ah, the sandbox....

I can understand the reasoning for not allowing other keyboards for password entry.

But the lack of voice input is crazy.

And the fact that I cannot use other keyboards for message entries is just ridiculous. 😱

Plus, since I deleted the stock iOS keyboard, so it doesn't keep coming back when I don't want it, now I cannot use the Message app, because it blocks the 3-rd party keyboards, but I don't have the stock iOS keyboard any longer 🙁

Seriously, the iOS implementation is terrible!

The stock iOS keyboard sucks for many of us who have seen what's available elsewhere. Yet Apple has made it so user-unfriendly to use 3-rd party keyboards in iOS, that most will revert back to the stock keyboard.

If it wasn't for the camera, I would just return the 6+....

Why cant you use the keyboard for message entries?

If you are speaking about the quick reply on the lockscreen it makes perfect sense. You are allowing an application in a secure zone to communicate with an insecure zone.

As for the voice, I agree I wish it was there, but there must be some sort of reasoning behind it. Most likely it will come in due time.

 

[tengorazon]

Hah!

I thought Messages was locked to use only the stock iOS keyboard, but after probably 20-30 times opening the app, now it suddenly showed Swype!

This is random. Hope 8.02 fixes it.

I'm now running into this issue. Until this afternoon, I could use Swiftkey with Messages, but now I can't. I haven't downloaded 8.0.2 yet, but I hope it fixes it...

 

[macUser2007]

I'm now running into this issue. Until this afternoon, I could use Swiftkey with Messages, but now I can't. I haven't downloaded 8.0.2 yet, but I hope it fixes it...

Yeah, between the lack of voice and the little glitches, I am back to the stock keyboard. Now that I am using it, it seems to be pretty good at predicting and to me, much better than the iOS keyboard.

But when the 3rd party keyboards improve (and Apple really must allow voice dictation for those) then I'd love to go back and have long-press punctuation and top row number keys.

 

[jjd]

Enterprise activation kills Swiftkey

I had Swiftkey up and running on my iPhone 6 straight out of the box. Worked perfectly. When set up my work email (through MobileIron and OTA download of company profiles) I lost most of the functionality. Can not select any 3rd party keyboard on Mail, Messages, Cal, Notes... but weirdly I can in Spotlight. And in Evernote etc.

I called my IT admin He swears it is not our policy but rather it is Apple. With enterprise activation the OS is crippling 3rd party KB functionality...

 

[The Doctor11]

No there screwing up widgets

 

[C DM]

No there screwing up widgets

How so?

 

[The Doctor11]

How so?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1791705/

You can't make widgets that open other apps 🙁

 

[C DM]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1791705/

You can't make widgets that open other apps 🙁

That one I know of. But that's not ruining it, or even close to it, that's just Apple not suddenly allowing anything and everything as a widget. Pretty much par for the course as far as how Apple goes. The widgets are still there for all kinds of apps and are quite useful.

 

[The Doctor11]

That one I know of. But that's not ruining it, or even close to it, that's just Apple not suddenly allowing anything and everything as a widget. Pretty much par for the course as far as how Apple goes. The widgets are still there for all kinds of apps and are quite useful.

I didn't say they were ruining it just screwing it up 😉

 

[EJ8]

I had Swiftkey up and running on my iPhone 6 straight out of the box. Worked perfectly. When set up my work email (through MobileIron and OTA download of company profiles) I lost most of the functionality. Can not select any 3rd party keyboard on Mail, Messages, Cal, Notes... but weirdly I can in Spotlight. And in Evernote etc.



I called my IT admin He swears it is not our policy but rather it is Apple. With enterprise activation the OS is crippling 3rd party KB functionality...

I can confirm. I am also on corporate MobileIron and getting 3rd party keyboards to work is very hit and miss. Most of the time the globe is not even present to tap and select a keyboard. But while typing this very message in Tapatalk the keyboard has gone from iOS stock keyboard to Swiftkey to Swype. All without me requesting it to do so. Fun times.

 

[jjd]

I can confirm. I am also on corporate MobileIron and getting 3rd party keyboards to work is very hit and miss. Most of the time the globe is not even present to tap and select a keyboard. But while typing this very message in Tapatalk the keyboard has gone from iOS stock keyboard to Swiftkey to Swype. All without me requesting it to do so. Fun times.

Yep, exactly. Seemingly random and when the keyboard is not available the globe icon is missing so not possible to select a new KB.

 

[C DM]

I didn't say they were ruining it just screwing it up 😉

Read the thread title into it. Well, not even screwing it up really. Perhaps not opening things up as widely as some people would want, but at least opening them up quite a bit more than ever before.