Install And Use Custom Keyboards Like TouchPal In iOS 8

iOS 8 will support custom , third-party keyboards -its quite surprising. Many popular keyboard makers like SwiftKey, Swype, Fleksy already announced their plans for launching  their keyboards in the App store.

Another third-party keyboard- TouchPal has an alpha release ready for iOS 8.Given that custom apps doesn't need a separate home screen icon, it is quite interesting to know how Apple implemented the installation procedure.

The installation process is simple and straightforward. Add TouchPal as an option when adding new keyboards in the Settings app.After adding TouchPal, you can also rearrange the installed keyboards in any order according to your preference. While in use, you can  rotate through each one by tapping the globe key.

The gesture-based input method of TouchPal works very similar to Swype. You can swipe to the letters which you want to add without lifting your finger. Based on your input, the keyboard automatically figures out the word.

Even when custom keyboards will be available on all iOS apps, inorder to protect the users privacy, it will run in the most restricted sandbox with no network access. But you will receive an option for granting network access. When you install the third-party keyboard app, you may receive a prompt to give network. You should be able to change it through the Settings.