iPhone Keyboard Flaws Exist, But You Don't Have to Use It

After a decade of using Android phones, I made the switch to an iPhone in 2024. What immediately caught my attention was the impressive camera performance and the smooth animations that Apple has perfected for iOS. However, one aspect of the iPhone experience surprised me — the keyboard.

The keyboard felt sluggish, had poor autocorrect functionality, and struggled to register keystrokes accurately. At first, I thought it might be an issue with my specific device. I even performed a factory reset on my brand-new iPhone 15 Pro Max, but that didn't make any difference. I then contacted Apple Support and scheduled a device inspection. After testing the keyboard, the representative asked me what the problem was. That's when I realized — my iPhone’s keyboard wasn’t broken; it just was designed this way.

I’ve read through numerous Reddit threads and still find it amusing that Apple hasn’t addressed the frustrating typing experience on the iPhone. Beyond the reported iOS 26 keyboard bugs, users have repeatedly requested features like a dedicated number row. The current keyboard lacks basic functionalities such as a clipboard, GIF search, or even a bit of customizability. You can't resize the keyboard or adjust the haptic feedback intensity, let alone theme it to your preference.

The good news is that you don't have to use the default iOS keyboard.

SwiftKey offers a much better typing experience on iOS

Third-party keyboard support arrived on iPhones with iOS 8 in 2014. Yet, a decade later, only two names stand out on the App Store — Gboard and SwiftKey. Gboard hasn't been updated in over three years, so Microsoft's SwiftKey is the obvious choice. Setting up SwiftKey as your default keyboard on iOS is simple, and the onboarding process guides you through the steps. You may need to tap the tiny globe icon to switch to SwiftKey in certain apps.

From the start, the typing experience is noticeably better. SwiftKey's autocorrect works effectively, and there are fewer accidental keystrokes. It also displays a "Tap Map," which shows how it adjusts your keys for improved accuracy over time. You can enable a persistent number row that sits above all your keys — a feature Apple users have long desired.

Other features include a built-in clipboard manager, GIF search, and some Copilot AI features. You also get a decent amount of customization, with predefined themes or the option to create your own using a custom image. According to the app's statistics, SwiftKey has corrected over 170,000 typos and predicted over 20,000 words for me.

Dear Apple, a functional keyboard is long overdue

While the App Store has several other keyboard apps, their iOS versions aren't as advanced as their Android counterparts. Take Gboard, for example — the iOS version hasn't been updated in over three years and doesn't match the modern Gboard experience on Android devices.

SwiftKey has become my go-to keyboard for the iPhone, but its iOS version still has room for improvement. I use it not because it's perfect, but because it's better than the keyboard Apple provides. There are speculations about why third-party keyboards on iOS are lacking — one reason being limited memory usage. Apple also restricts third-party keyboards from being used in sensitive fields, such as password entry. This forces iOS to switch back and forth between keyboards, disrupting muscle memory.

These anti-competitive practices aren't new for Apple, as the company encourages users to stick with its first-party offerings. Unlike services like AirDrop, Handoff, and Continuity, which work well across iPhone and Mac, the bundled keyboard Apple forces users to use is problematic. Rumors suggest that iOS 27 will focus on stability — here's hoping for a functional keyboard on the iPhone.