If you use your smartphone the way most people do, you're going to spend a lot of time banging on the virtual keyboard. Whether it's tapping out texts, spelling out searches or writing the next 50 Shades of Grey, it is important that you are using a keyboard style that suits you.
What's that, you ask? Keyboard style? Perhaps you thought you were stuck with whichever keyboard was pre-installed on your phone when you bought it, but this is simply not true. There are a dozen other keyboards you can install and try and dozen more keyboard skins to install to give these keyboards a fresh, new look.
One of the most popular keyboard replacements is Swiftkey, which is definitely worth a look.
Once you've downloaded the app, it is a breeze to switch between your new keyboard and your old ones.
1. If you are using an Android phone running version 4.0 or higher (a phone from the past 2 years) you will see this icon in the notification panel any time the keyboard is active.
2. Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal this message in your notifications.
3. Select it display this options box.
For more options and control, go into your phone's main settings and find the option [ Language and Input]. Inside you will find all of the keyboards you have installed and the various options you have in how you use them and what why look like.
Joseph Hanlon
Contributing Editor
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