# Frankie by Creativecrap — The Input Method Keyboard Kit

> System-wide keyboard extension with plain text editor and multiple input methods. (iPhone/iPad app by Ethan Liu.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frankie-by-creativecrap/id945116579 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ethan Liu](https://appshunter.io/developer/348867158)
- Category: Utilities, Productivity
- Price: $399.99
- Rating: 3.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 36 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 32 MB
- Languages: American English, Chinese (Simplified, China), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
- Released: 2015-05-17
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frankie-by-creativecrap/id945116579/reviews.md

## What is Frankie by Creativecrap?

Frankie is about to retire, so please use OkidoKey instead.
Frankie is about to retire, so please use OkidoKey instead.
Frankie is about to retire, so please use OkidoKey instead.

Frankie (formerly OkidoKey) offers an in-app keyboard that includes a plain text editor and a keyboard extension for system-wide usage. Additionally, the Clip Pad editor mode automatically copies text, enabling typing without the need to create or open a document.

A single keyboard extension offers multiple input methods, enabling seamless English typing without the need to switch to another keyboard. It incorporates features such as emoji support, a lexicon, spellcheck, predictive text, and intelligent punctuation, collectively enhancing the efficiency of typing.

- Includes most common and ready-to-use Chinese input methods and keyboards, i.e. Array, Cangjie, Dayi, Pinyin, etc.
- Capable of using custom input methods.
- Capable of using multiple input methods and keyboards.
- Sibling Keyboard and Key Flicks for Half/Full-Width symbols (iPad).
- Composition prompt option.
- Navigation Keyboard.
- Bluetooth keyboard supports (in-app text editor only).
- Auto-copy content feature in Clip Pad editor mode.
- Chinese and English mix-typing (triggered by return key).
- Chinese lexicon and Emoji.
- Smart punctuation.
- Homophones and Phonetics Lookup.
- Traditional and Simplified Chinese output.

Input Methods

- Optimized for Array input method and fully supports special and shortcode mode.
- Zhuyin input method supports the standard, Et26, Et41, Hsu, and IBM keyboard layouts.
- To install custom input methods like Boshiamy, select the CIN table file from the file browser and choose install.

External Keyboard

External keyboards are not supported by keyboard extensions; however, you can use Clip Pad in split-view as a bridge for inputs, with auto-copy content feature in Clip Pad editor mode. All you need is switching to the next app, then tapping the paste icon or cmd-v to paste the content.

## Key features

- System-wide keyboard extension
- Plain text editor
- Multiple input methods
- Emoji support
- Spellcheck and predictive text
- Chinese input methods (Array, Cangjie, Pinyin)
- Custom input method support

## Recent user reviews (10 of 36)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frankie-by-creativecrap/id945116579/reviews.md

### 1/5 — 經常閃退、Emoji 只有黃膚色

*2025-10-07, version 3.5.0*

客服經常處於非回應時段，問他甚麼時候是回應時段又不回答； 閃退問題嚴重； 更新後，打字時 Emoji 只有黃膚色，極度不便！能按客戶要求作出改善才能給予正評（2025-09）；停的不是免費版的 Okidokey，而是付費版的 Frankie，變相將來 Frankie 下架後，要再付費訂閱 Okidokey，這操作讓人廢解！（2025-10）

### 3/5 — 行

*2025-09-29, version 3.4.0*

行

### 2/5 — 升級到 ios26 之後打幾個字母就會卡住

*2025-09-23, version 3.4.0*

用嘸蝦米，才打幾個字根就開始吃字，整個輸入法卡死，要不斷切換手機才能動。

### 5/5 — 目前在iOS上使用外接鍵盤使用嘸蝦米輸入法最好的解決方案

*2025-09-17, version 3.4.0*

因為iOS不支援第三方輸入法使用外接鍵盤，試過好幾款APP後，這是流程設計最好的方案了。現在iPhone和iPad上用外接鍵盤打字都是用這個app。

### 5/5 — 更新後 九宮格 鍵盤無法使用

*2025-08-24, version 3.3.1*

更新後 九宮格 鍵盤無法使用，設定好行列10，但輸入法都無法切換出來。
行列30，若設定有九宮格鍵盤，九宮格鍵盤無法切換出來。

### 5/5 — 請問可以自訂 iPad 地球鍵的位置嗎？

*2025-08-06, version 3.2.4*

希望可以自訂 iPad 上地球鍵的位置到左下角，與系統內鍵的輸入法位置一致

### 2/5 — 我在虛擬鍵盤不會打字

*2025-07-04, version 3.2.3*

實體鍵盤不支援第三方鍵盤。所以無法在 note、page 等軟體中使 用

### 2/5 — 許氏鍵盤搭配實體鍵盤

*2025-04-04, version 3.2.3*

原廠聰穎雙面夾鍵盤搭配許氏鍵盤無法正常運作。
恢復初始設定重新安裝許氏鍵盤後，第一次可以用實體鍵盤搭配許氏鍵盤打字。但之後用實體鍵盤打出來的是標準注音配置而不是許氏鍵盤配置，需要恢復初始設置重新安裝才能用許氏鍵盤按鍵。
許氏鍵盤就是要搭配實體聰穎雙面夾鍵盤打字才能高效率，用觸控鍵盤速度太慢。
請改善這項問題。

### 5/5 — 嘸蝦米使用者的好朋友！

*2024-12-11, version 3.2.2*

開發者對嘸蝦米支援非常完整，查同音字或是拆碼都有支援。打體驗也很好，中英混合輸入也很直覺。

最後是技術支援的部份，可以有效解決使用者的問題。是市面上 iOS 跟 iPadOS上嘸米輸入法的首選！

### 2/5 — ipados18下鍵盤不斷抖動

*2024-10-07, version 3.2.1*

iPados18下鍵盤不斷抖動

## Frequently asked questions about Frankie by Creativecrap

### What is Frankie's current status?

Frankie is about to retire and users are advised to use OkidoKey instead. The app was formerly known as OkidoKey.

### What are the main features of Frankie?

Frankie provides a system-wide keyboard extension with features like emoji support, spellcheck, predictive text, and intelligent punctuation. It also includes a plain text editor with an auto-copy function.

### Does Frankie support custom input methods?

Yes, Frankie is capable of using custom input methods. Users can install custom input methods by selecting the CIN table file from the file browser.

### How does Frankie handle external keyboard support?

External keyboards are not directly supported by the keyboard extensions. However, you can use the Clip Pad in split-view as a bridge for inputs, utilizing its auto-copy feature.

### What Chinese input methods are included in Frankie?

Frankie includes common Chinese input methods such as Array, Cangjie, Dayi, and Pinyin. It is optimized for the Array input method and supports various Zhuyin layouts.

### What is the price of Frankie?

Frankie is priced at $399.99. This is a one-time purchase cost for the application.

### How often is Frankie updated?

The latest version of Frankie is 3.5.1, and it was last updated on October 15, 2025. This indicates a relatively recent update.

### Is Frankie suitable for younger users?

Frankie has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for younger users. It is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.5.1 — 2025-10-15

This release contains bug fixes and documentation updates.

#### FIXED

- [ime/candidate] Resolved an issue where turning off all candidate features could cause problems in the IME.
- [setting] Updated settings for compatibility with iOS 26.

### 3.5.0 — 2025-10-01

This release includes fixes for multitasking issues that were present in previous versions on more powerful devices.

#### FIXED

- [keyboard/ime] Resolves the issue of the keyboard not responding and various other problems on iPhone 16 and possibly newer devices.
- [editor]] Corrects the incorrect font.
- [candidate] Fixes the incorrect output when selecting a candidate using the space bar.
- [candidate] Resolves the issue of candidate redrawing and font problems.
- [candidate] Fixes the issue of replacing the English type of candidate.

#### CHANGED

- [ime] Adjust the latency.
- [keyboard] For a full-size keyboard, adjust the key flicks.

### 3.4.0 — 2025-09-16

This update includes bug fixes and improvements, particularly in the multi-thread handling, which aims to optimize the use of hardware resources.

#### NEW

- [misc] Added a new resource location: GitLab.
- [misc] Added a one-click backup feature for all personalized data.

#### IMPROVEMENTS

- [candidate] We've reduced unnecessary data reading and UI updates to enhance efficiency.
- [editor] We've addressed the lagging and dropping experiences that users have encountered while using hardware keyboards.

#### FIXED

- [keyboard] We've resolved an issue that could lead to crashes or an empty keyboard if the last row of the keyboard doesn't contain a spacebar, such as keypad1 keyboards.
- [editor] We've fixed the cloud document permission issue by eliminating excessive auto-saving.
- [candidate] We've corrected the incorrect results for candidate items in spellcheck and prediction.
- [candidate] We've resolved the inconsistency in the results of candidates displayed in the editor and keyboard extension.

#### CHANGED

- [editor] The Auto-copy feature for Clip Pad has been enabled by default.
- [candidate] We've modified the Traditional and Simplified Chinese character conversion flow.
- [panel] We've adjusted the display items for each row and the display style.
- [panel] We've reduced the number of items per row to make it more comfortable for longer English words.
- [panel] For Snippets, we've changed the display format to show 1 item in portrait mode and 2 items in landscape mode.

#### REMOVED

- [array10] We've removed the symbol preview for composition 23 and 255.

### 3.3.1 — 2025-08-22

This release contains fixes for the missing keyboard toggle key for iPad.

#### NEW

- New keyboard toggle shortcut option to prevent conflict with system shortcut.

#### FIXED

- Fixed the issue that caused some keys missing from the keyboard.

- Fixed errors on create new document.

#### CHANGED

- Personalized Phrase document update.

### 3.3.0 — 2025-08-20

# Lexicon

Improve the Chinese tokenization benefit for lexicon and emoji results.

The input code for Personalized Phrase will now function as a radical, enabling it to be used as an extended phrase in the input method.

Similarly, Array Phrase has been removed from the lexicon collection and replaced with the Array30(phrase) input method.

# Keyboard

You can now rearrange the Next, Global, and Shift keys on the left side of the spacebar to align with the desktop keyboard style.

Keyboard themes also undergo minor color adjustments and are compatible with the iOS 26 liquid glass style.

For candidates, a reasonable margin has been restored to each item, enhancing the comfort of tapping, even on smaller items.

# Misc

Lexicon and personalization settings have transitioned to a data browser-first approach, while the remaining features are now accessible through the top right corner button menu.

Additionally, some other settings have been modified.

#### NEW

- Next lexicon: 教育部《臺灣台語常用詞辭典》.
- New lexicon: 教育部《臺灣客語辭典》.
- New input method: 行列 30 詞庫版.
- Next, Global, and Shift key arrangement feature.
- New User Lexicon by Code(快) candidate category.

#### IMPROVEMENTS

- Improve the Chinese tokenization for better lexicon and emoji results.
- Add a new done button while editing the font preview content for ease of dismissing the keyboard.
- Keyboard color tweaks for each appearance, and they are compatible with iOS 26.

#### FIXED

- Fix the incorrect result while the lexicon locale is not the same as the input method output locale.
- Fix the incorrect result of syllable searching.
- Remove keyboard type detection for email and tel columns to prevent contact feature conflicts.
- Fix the One Hand Mode state not being restored after the keyboard appears.
- Fix the incorrect amount of total pages for the page indicator under the candidate bar.
- Fix the issue that causes a crash while selecting an item by shortcut in the Candidate Panel.

#### CHANGED

- Remove emojis with skin tone to reduce the number of the same emoji.
- The candidate position select key feature now works with an amount below 10.
- Added a reasonable margin to each item of the candidate bar.
- Lexicon setting changed.
- Personalization settings changed.
- Reset setting changed.

## Apps similar to Frankie by Creativecrap

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [BoviLive Patrol](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bovilive-patrol/id1621262494) | — | Free | Utilities |
| [MediaSilenceCutter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mediasilencecutter/id6744551528) | — | Free | Utilities |
| [Seek & Find](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seek-and-find/id6444094497) | — | Free | Utilities |
| [iQun](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iqun/id6479200164) | — | Free | Utilities |
| [科技防災](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1599850539) | — | Free | Utilities |
| [Know My IP](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/know-my-ip/id6645736200) | — | $1.99 | Utilities |

## More apps by Ethan Liu

- [OkidoKey](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/okidokey/id990935790)
- [FontBooth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fontbooth/id6472429261)

All apps by Ethan Liu: https://appshunter.io/developer/348867158

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*