SwiftKey Note now available on iOS

Few days ago we talked about the SwiftKey Note app for iOS, which was leaked on Twitter. Now the app has been officially unveiled and is available for download for free on the iPhone and iPad.

SwiftKey Note is a simple note-taking app for your iOS device. But where it differs from other note-taking app is that it has its own custom keyboard, that uses the same algorithm as the SwiftKey keyboard on Android. This means you will get the same telepathic level of prediction and almost always accurate auto-correct system at your fingertips.

The keyboard mimics the design of the iOS 7 keyboard so iOS users will feel right at home. But once you start typing you’ll see that it provides suggestions to what you’re typing above the keyboard. You can tap on them to complete the word or type something that doesn’t exist in the dictionary and then tap on the word above to save it. There doesn’t seem to be a way to sync your saved words, though, as there is on Android.

SwiftKey has also integrated basic editing features into the keyboard, that can be accessed by swiping sideways on the prediction row. You can make the text bold, italic or underlined, set alignment and also add bullet points.

One of the key features of SwiftKey Note app is that it integrates with Evernote, which means your notes are synced to the cloud and can be accessed again from another device running SwiftKey Note after logging in. SwiftKey could also add more services in the future.

Other than basic note taking abilities, SwiftKey Note is a very simple app, much like the default Notes app or Simplenote. You can’t, for example, add images or videos into your notes. If that’s your thing that you should consider using Evernote instead. The main catch of this app is the keyboard, which you won’t get elsewhere due to Apple not allowing universal third party keyboards in iOS.

As for the keyboard itself, I found the typing experience excellent. I was typing as fast and as carelessly as I can and the keyboard managed to get it right nearly 100 percent of the time unless I hit an odd key, such as the comma or the period. Compared to the stock iOS keyboard, I found the experience only slightly better, but that’s because the stock iOS 7 keyboard itself is fantastic. I did appreciate the presence of a suggestion row though, which is sorely missed on iOS.

SwiftKey eschews some of the Android keyboard’s habits, such as pressing the period key to insert a period and space and instead relies on double tap on Space key to stay consistent with the iOS experience. The keyboard can also be split in two the same way the stock iOS keyboard can. Oddly, though, there is no Flow mode on this keyboard for swiping text on the screen, which would have been a welcome addition.

The SwiftKey Note is an interesting idea albeit not a compelling one. The app itself is very basic to make you not want to consider using it over your current favorite note taking app. The keyboard is terrific but as I mentioned before it is only slightly better than the already excellent iOS 7 keyboard and the lack of Flow doesn’t do it any favors. In the end, I don’t see a lot of reasons why you should have this installed on your iPhone or iPad right now. Maybe with time when it gets more features it would be worthwhile.

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