If you’ve been keeping an eye on this blog, then you already know that iOS 8 for the first time will come with support for third-party keyboards. This was bound to happen, as Android users have been enjoying third-party keyboards for a long time, and this was not possible for iOS users, until now.
Using third-party keyboards on iOS 8
If you have a developer account, then you can already try out the beta of iOS 8, but unfortunately at this time, there are no third-party keyboards available to test out how it works. The writers at AppleInsider, however, got their hands on an alpha version of one new keyboard called the TouchPal, and they explained how you can install and use these third-party keyboards on iOS 8.
If you’re on iOS 8, then install the app, in this case, TouchPal, and then go to Settings > Keyboard > Add New Keyboard and then select the keyboard you wish to use. The process is very simple and somewhat similar to how you choose a third-party keyboard on Android. From now on, each time an app requires a keyboard, the third-party keyboard you’ve chosen will open. Some other popular third-party keyboard apps that are coming to iOS 8 are Swype, SwiftKey and Fleksy, but you can expect many more such apps to arrive on the App Store soon.
iOS 8 will be arriving this fall, and that’s the time you can expect the release of these apps. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) certainly has taken a good step by allowing third-party keyboards. More choice is ultimately good for users like you and me.
