14 DAY TRIAL // Everyone can admit there are some things that Apple simply doesn’t get right. One of them is the iOS keyboard. It has never satisfied its users, and the restrictions surrounding its APIs have added insult to injury.
Starting with iOS 8, the keyboard in Apple’s mobile software is customizable and fully swappable for a third-party solution. A five-person studio called Tiny Hearts is now planning to deploy the Next Keyboard, which promises to solve most (if not all) problems associated with the virtual keyboard in iOS.
Starting with the Shift key
The team promoted the app on Kickstarter, where it amassed the needed funding money in record time, and it is now moving into the stretch-goal phase to make the app even better than originally envisioned.
According to one of the team’s members, “The iPhone is great, but this software will make it amazing.” And we should believe so, after seeing the promotional video accompanying the campaign.
The first thing this keyboard will solve (thank God almighty) is the wretched Shift key. Apple has been reluctant to address this issue, despite widespread reports from the customer base confirming it to be confusing and downright annoying.
Another aspect that Next plans to change is the coloring. This isn’t exactly a new affair, but most people still use Apple’s white-and-light-gray layout, which sometimes feels like it’s been intentionally designed to frustrate users. So Next plans to solve this with a bunch of built-in colorful themes. What else is in there, you ask? More. A lot more.
Swipe cursor and swipe texting
Another massively annoying thing in Apple’s keyboard is the magnifying-glass function designed to allow you to navigate your text back and forth to insert corrections. It was a welcome addition when iOS didn’t even have a solution for this problem, but the emergence of better alternatives has left it in a trail of dust.
Next will further suggest emojis and words based on the mood it picks up from your writing, but at the same time, it will not collect your typing habits to send them off to a server. Tiny Hearts promises convenience without any compromise in security.
The price has yet to be set for this app, but if you’re one of the backers, you can be sure you’ve already secured a free copy, along with any future updates that may arrive. According to the listing on Kickstarter, the project will be funded on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 5:43 AM EET.
