Swype buggy -- are 3rd party keyboards all problematic?

[DaveF]

I was excited to try the new keyboard extensions in iOS 8, and initially found Swype seemingly perfect. (Because after four years with an iPhone, I still can't type with the iOS keyboard.)

However, a couple months on, Swype is riddled with severe bugs:

* Swype often reverts back to the standard iOS keyboard in iMessages
* Swype doesn't work correctly in Contacts. Tapping the backspace button in Swype causes unpredictable behaviors, like jumping to a different field and also switching the keyboard to the standard one
* Swype doesn't work in AppStore for reviews. The entry fields are hidden. I must switch to the standard keyboard to see the fields to enter text.

(I've reported these to Apple and Nuance, for what it's worth...which isn't much. Nuance told me to reinstall Swype from the Google Play Store.)

Are these problems common? Is it just Swype, or is iOS 8's keyboard support problematic for all third party keyboards?

 

[gordon1234]

These are all OS-wide issues that happen with all third-party keyboards, unfortunately…

 

[Abazigal]

It's an OS wide issue, but some keyboards do seem buggier than others. I have a lot of problems with Kaomoji, while Fleksy seemed more reliable. Just my experience though.

 

[Vetvito]

Ever since 8.1.1 all of my keyboard issues have stopped except the Spotlight shyness of the keyboard. Everything else is perfect.

 

[MassiveAttack]

Swype buggy -- are 3rd party keyboards all problematic?

I'm using Fleksy and its the least buggy out of SwiftKey and Swype.

 

[JackieInCo]

I have a problem in Tweetbot where using either Swype or Swiftkey, a blank tweet sometimes gets posted.

They are far from perfect.

 

[Armen]

I was excited to try the new keyboard extensions in iOS 8, and initially found Swype seemingly perfect. (Because after four years with an iPhone, I still can't type with the iOS keyboard.)

However, a couple months on, Swype is riddled with severe bugs:

* Swype often reverts back to the standard iOS keyboard in iMessages
* Swype doesn't work correctly in Contacts. Tapping the backspace button in Swype causes unpredictable behaviors, like jumping to a different field and also switching the keyboard to the standard one
* Swype doesn't work in AppStore for reviews. The entry fields are hidden. I must switch to the standard keyboard to see the fields to enter text.

(I've reported these to Apple and Nuance, for what it's worth...which isn't much. Nuance told me to reinstall Swype from the Google Play Store.)

Are these problems common? Is it just Swype, or is iOS 8's keyboard support problematic for all third party keyboards?

It's not just Swype. I experience the same issues with Fleksy as well. I'm so fed up I turned off both keyboards until Apple fixes the 3rd party keyboard API's once and for all.

 

[highlightshadow]

I've given up with 3rd party keyboards.... so sick of having to force-quit and restart messages almost every time i go in there cos the keyboards either not present, gone back to stock or just totally hung.

 

[pacorob]

However, a couple months on, Swype is riddled with severe bugs:

* Swype doesn't work in AppStore for reviews. The entry fields are hidden. I must switch to the standard keyboard to see the fields to enter text.

Are these problems common? Is it just Swype, or is iOS 8's keyboard support problematic for all third party keyboards?

I also have this problem with both Swype and Path Input (iPad version) keyboards on my iPad mini retina with iOS 8.1.1. I don't use iMessage or Contacts on my iPad mini retina much.

I really hope that these 3rd party keyboard API will be 100% fixed with 8.2.

 

[Max(IT)]

As I said on another thread, my Swype keyboard sometime is erratic, and it appears slightly misaligned.
Frustrating

 

[iolinux333]

The Swype situation on iOS is certainly getting better with each update of Swype and iOS. When both were first released it was unusable. While nowhere near the polish off the Android version, it's good enough for me to use all the time now. So I'm satisfied. I've been using Swype since 2007 or so and I have always been impressed with how the software team diligently squashes bugs and improves recognition over time.

 

[Antgb84]

It's rather annoying 3rd party keyboards not showing up at all in iMessage, Spotlight etc on 8.1

 

[Makale.Helvetia]

Fleksy is crashing one a day..when i'm typing a message or switching to emoji screen..suddenly Apple keyboard popping up.. both Fleksy and iOS issues i think..

 

[iososx]

I've used SWYPE heavily everyday for years on Android. In fact since the day it was released. It's one of the greatest improvements to smartphones ever created. My only complaint was Apple's stupid refusal to allow them to be used on the iPhones I used until now.

Finally Apple wakes up and caves in to what must have been a huge amount of Customer Requests like mine, through formal channels to get Apple's attention.

Anyone who seriously Uses a Smartphone for work and personal will benefit immensely from SWYPE the _original_ inventor of super fast swiping style text input. It's so good that now we have others that copied them.

SWYPE on my iPhone 6+ is extremely good. I enjoy input speeds a full 50% faster than hammering away on solid glass, a very crude input method.

 

[maflynn]

* Swype often reverts back to the standard iOS keyboard in iMessages
* Swype doesn't work correctly in Contacts. Tapping the backspace button in Swype causes unpredictable behaviors, like jumping to a different field and also switching the keyboard to the standard one
* Swype doesn't work in AppStore for reviews. The entry fields are hidden. I must switch to the standard keyboard to see the fields to enter text.

These are all OS-wide issues that happen with all third-party keyboards, unfortunately…

I've been dealing with much of the same issues, and I agree with gordon1234, I believe the issues are at the iOS level and not the app level. Since iOS was never designed to have replaceable keyboards, I think the developers have had some issues retro fitting the code to get it to work as seamless as other operating systems that had more time to integrate the technology.

 

[Max(IT)]

The Swype situation on iOS is certainly getting better with each update of Swype and iOS. When both were first released it was unusable. While nowhere near the polish off the Android version, it's good enough for me to use all the time now. So I'm satisfied. I've been using Swype since 2007 or so and I have always been impressed with how the software team diligently squashes bugs and improves recognition over time.

Except for a single update, mostly related to some added languages, I didn't see any significant update on Swype so far.
I was expecting more from such a largely spreaded software.

 

[DaveF]

Misery loves company, so I'm glad to hear I'm not alone with these annoyances. I use Swype daily, because it works about three quarters of the time, and my life is better. But that other 25% is such a mess I'm about ready to turn it off and struggle with the stock iOS keyboard.

I replied to the Nuance tech support that reinstalling fixes nothing and there are bugs to be fixed. They said they'd pass it along to engineering.

I suspect that, behind the scenes, Nuance and the other keyboard makers are grinding their teeth in frustration with Apple's poor support. And I'm surprised that Apple released such a half-baked system.

Fingers crossed that we'll get some sort of bug fix from Apple and the vendors before iOS 9.

 

[iolinux333]

Misery loves company, so I'm glad to hear I'm not alone with these annoyances. I use Swype daily, because it works about three quarters of the time, and my life is better. But that other 25% is such a mess I'm about ready to turn it off and struggle with the stock iOS keyboard.

I replied to the Nuance tech support that reinstalling fixes nothing and there are bugs to be fixed. They said they'd pass it along to engineering.

I suspect that, behind the scenes, Nuance and the other keyboard makers are grinding their teeth in frustration with Apple's poor support. And I'm surprised that Apple released such a half-baked system.

Fingers crossed that we'll get some sort of bug fix from Apple and the vendors before iOS 9.

Thanks for working with Nuance! I notice most of the improvements have come from the iOS updates, rather than the Swype updates (i think there have been two?) and that many of the bugs seem to plague all of the third party keyboards equally, so I guess it's true that most of the mess is on Apple's end.

 

[imemine]

Try the Ginger keyboard app, I am growing to like this one.

 

[fongyuen]

Ever since 8.1.1 all of my keyboard issues have stopped except the Spotlight shyness of the keyboard. Everything else is perfect.

Can anyone else verify that 8.1.1 fixes (some) of the 3rd party keyboard issues?

 

[gordon1234]

Can anyone else verify that 8.1.1 fixes (some) of the 3rd party keyboard issues?

It certainly doesn't fix any of the issues in this list. Can't say I've noticed any difference.

 

[fongyuen]

It certainly doesn't fix any of the issues in this list. Can't say I've noticed any difference.

Ok thanks.

 

[Vetvito]

Still not a single problem on 8.1.1 iPhone 6 for me.

Only problem is spotlight. This happened twice. Other than spotlight, everything is perfect.

 

[Agent-P]

Add me to the list of people waiting for Apple to fix the third party keyboard integration. I've been rotating between Swype, SwiftKey, and TouchPal for a while now. All three have gotten much better since release, but still nowhere near their performance on Android. Though the iOS updates seemed to have helped all of them more than their individual updates.

 

[bcharleson]

Right there with you on the bugs. Otherwise love it. Sure wish they would also work on the lock screen.