An Android feature many iOS users have long lusted after may finally be available at their fingertips, as developer Flesky has capitalized on the simplification of iOS 7 code and has come up with a way to add alternative keyboards to iOS apps.
Things will kick off with four apps: Wordbox, GV Connect, Launch Center Pro and Blindsquare but where the company goes from here is still up for some debate. As an option inside each app, Fleksy still won’t work like an alternative Android keyboard which works across the board no matter which app is being run.
Flesky first started off over a year ago as an alternative keyboard for users with visual impairments. Flesky can now be included in any app via the new iOS SDK, but only on an app-by-app basis. Developers will decide if Flesky will be included as a default part of their app, or to be enabled via in-app purchase, which could cause a push back from users. Fleksy founder Ioannis Verdelis says he recognizes this as an issue but he’s leaving it up to developers to figure out.
“With every new version of iOS the work required on our part to build a keyboard SDK has reduced significantly,” Verdelis said. “We’re doing stuff on iOS that integrates the keyboard deeper than it’s ever been integrated.”
As mentioned above, the Flesky keyboard is currently available to try in four apps: unofficial Google voice tool GV Connect, aid for the visually impaired Blindsquare, text editor Wordbox, and productivity tool Launch Center Pro. Give them a try, and let us know your opinion of the alternative keyboard. Is this something you’d like to see in more apps? Would you be willing to pay extra via in-app purchase for the alternative keyboard? Let us know in the comments section below.
