# MessagEase Keyboard — user reviews

> 127 indexed App Store user reviews of MessagEase Keyboard by Exideas, rated 3.96/5 from 95 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messagease-keyboard/id990325092/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messagease-keyboard/id990325092.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 45 · 4★ 13 · 3★ 11 · 2★ 7 · 1★ 7

## What do users think of MessagEase Keyboard?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🚀 Significantly faster typing speed than QWERTY keyboards
- 💡 Innovative one-handed keyboard design optimized for touchscreens
- 👍 Large buttons reduce typing errors and improve accuracy
- 🎮 All characters (letters, numbers, symbols) accessible on single screen
- ⚙️ Highly customizable layout, colors, and keyboard size
- 🎯 Efficient for programmers and multilingual users
- 📚 Included games help users learn the keyboard quickly
- 🔒 No data collection or privacy concerns (free version)
- ♿ Excellent accessibility for one-handed typing

**Cons**

- 🐛 Keyboard randomly resizes to full screen without user control
- 🐛 Inconsistent swipe gesture recognition
- ⚠️ Steep learning curve requires significant practice
- ❌ Missing features compared to Android version
- 🔧 Lacks word prediction and autocorrect functionality
- 📱 Compatibility issues with certain iOS apps
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes on recent iOS versions
- 🚫 Keyboard fails to appear in some applications
- ⚠️ Settings don't persist between app switches
- 🐛 Keyboard display glitches (double instances, garbled text)

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Keyboard expands to full screen and cannot be resized
- Keyboard fails to appear in Apple apps (Notes, Safari, Skype)
- Swipe gestures registered as clicks
- Keyboard crashes on iOS 26.x and iOS 16.x versions
- Settings reset or don't persist between sessions
- Double keyboard instances displaying simultaneously
- Letters not visible after iOS updates
- Keyboard stuck in maximized state after reinstall
- Capitalization mode gets stuck (all caps)
- Keyboard display corrupted or garbled on iPad
- Unresponsive input after certain iOS updates
- Keyboard overlays text field, obstructing view

**Most requested features**

- Word prediction and autocorrect
- Resizable keyboard with size locking option
- Copy/paste/select-all gesture shortcuts (like Android version)
- Voice dictation support
- Better cursor navigation controls
- Customizable keyboard layout (JSON-based)
- Emoji integration into keyboard
- Text replacement library support
- Macro functionality
- Trackpad mode for cursor control
- Open-source the application for community maintenance

## Newest reviews (16 of 127)

### 2/5 — Recent "fix" broke it

*2026-06-27, version 4.3.5*

The recent fix changed the gesture to change the keyboard height from a "flick" do a "drag to resize". And the UX of that is terrible!
I've been using this keyboard for ~10 years and have put up with its jumping height for so long, but at least it usually was "two flicks and it's the right height again". This new and improved gesture though is so much less predictible and harder to use, that I'm considering giving up.
Please-please-please give us a setting for the keyboard height in the settings app and make it fixed size after that 🙏

### 2/5 — PLEASE FIX THE BUG

*2026-06-24, version 4.3.5*

Right now for me whenever I try to use it, it just takes up the whole screen so it’s basically unusable. 

I was loving it before this started happening, so I WILL change my review once this is fixed!

### 3/5 — Buggy but great

*2026-05-16, version 4.3.2*

I love this app, but I have to delete and reinstall every week because the keyboard gets too big and I can’t adjust it back to normal

### 4/5 — Beg for update

*2026-03-23, version 4.3.2*

Please update the keyboard for iOS, every now and then it gets huge and I have to reinstall it. I use this keyboard for at least ten years now. Please update and fix the buggies

### 4/5 — My main keyboard

*2026-03-21, version 4.3.2*

Since flicktype had to stop iphone keyboard support I've been searching for a good replacement. I finally found message ease and can type so quickly now. Unfortunately the keyboard doesn't work with voiceover and I suspect the interaction would make VO integration difficult. I do wish the language options were more refineable. I use the english keyboard which is enUS so whenever I need to access the dictionary I have to switch keyboards.

### 4/5 — Please fix the bugs!!

*2026-02-20, version 4.3.2*

This has been my preferred keyboard for many years but it desperately needs updating! Every so often, i open an app, go to type and the keyboard is humongous, taking up the whole screen and it can't be reduced when swiping down on the globe so i have to oelete the keyboard, re-download & reconfigure my settings. Where did you all go? Please update this app!!!!! I'm still going to use it as qwerty keyboards are awful

### 2/5 — great tool. totally abandoned.

*2026-01-01, version 4.3.2*

I'm currently on iOS 26.2 and, as of 26.0, this keyboard displays only in a slightly garbled full-screen mode. I want it back!!

someone else suggested open-sourcing it, which would be great. I would also pay for a maintained version...

is there a way to wrest this keyboard's design away and write our own version? I don't want to invite legal trouble but I'M NOT GOING BACK TO QWERTY!

### 4/5 — Баг

*2025-12-25, version 4.3.2*

Очень люблю вашу клавиатуру, пользуюсь много лет, но после смены 12го айфона на 17 клавиатура открывается на весь экран, ее невозможно уменьшить и пользоваться неудобно ( может вы сможете с этим что-то сделать?

### 4/5 — buggy on ios26

*2025-12-04, version 4.3.2*

for anyone here looking for solutions to the ios26 update bugs try removing the default ios keyboard that fixed it for me

### 3/5 — needs essential feature

*2025-11-20, version 4.3.2*

it needs to be resizable , and I need to be able to use my text replacement library .

### 2/5 — Needs update

*2025-10-27, version 4.3.2*

Please update to ios 26. The keyboard is massive on screen and can’t be resized.

### 4/5 — лучшая клавиатура для смартфонов

*2025-10-20, version 4.3.2*

Не покупал айфон только потому, что была плохая интеграция сторонних клавиатур в систему. Теперь с iOS8 начиная полностью можно пользоваться. 
Русский язык добавляется в настройках самой программы, а не в настройках системы как английский. Переключаться между раскладками можно двойным росчерком влево-вправо с кнопки 123. Вообще, жестами тут можно выделять, вырезать, удалять, копировать, вставлять. Всё есть в хэлпе. 
У программы есть косяки в интерфейсе. Например, при написании текста курсор может уйти за нижний край экрана, скрыться за клавиатурой. 

Рр

### 4/5 — buggy on ios26

*2025-09-24*

please update for ios26, it works for non-apple apps, but on anything apple made, it will grow to around 80% of the screen and can't be resized. I had it working for a little but now its back and I can't figure out what triggers the bug. I love this keyboard and it's become essential for me. If you aren't going to maintain it, please open source it, its valuable and y'all don't seem to have any interest in maintaining it.

### 4/5 — Make it open-source

*2025-09-11, version 4.3.2*

Since no one has been maintaining this app it would be fair to open-source it so we can patch the current issues and achieve the long term support and compatibility for next versions of iOS. Alternatively, put a price on it, fix the bugs and keep it updated. I have been using this app for 10+ years and find it irreplaceable.

### 4/5 — Layout is imperfect and not customizable

*2025-03-19, version 4.3.2*

I just switched over from android and was happy to find something similar to Unexpected Keyboard. I have some problems with the layout in MessageEase though. It has every ASCII character except for the backtick, which is used all the time in certain programming languages. Instead it has several non-ascii characters and “.com”, which are just a bit random and I’ll never use them. I’m not saying you should change the layout, because this layout is perfect for someone and my layout would be imperfect for someone else. Instead, I think that you should make the layout customizable.

You don’t need to create a UI for editing the layout. If you store the layouts in some text based format like JSON then you can just let users enter their JSON, since these will mostly be advanced users anyways. If you currently hardcode the layouts or use some binary format, then this might require some deeper code changes. But I’m guessing it would still be easier than building a whole UI.

Something to consider. Thank you for creating something awesome!

Edit: I was wrong, it does have the backtick, and you can turn off auto accents in the settings. And I see that customization was planned for future development. So then all I’m trying to say is that if anyone ever works on this again, they should consider using text instead of UI for the customization.

Also, is anyone maintaining this? You guys should open source this, I would maintain it!

### 3/5 — Iphone 12 pro max size wrong

*2024-06-19*

The messagease keyboardis initially resizeable,however after a few weeks it increases size and take up half the screen and canno longer be resized. 

I'd like a patch so that I can permanently change the size andfor it to stay that way, I've had to reinstall twice now.

(when attempting to make it smaller by scrolling down on the globe, it doesn't get smaller).

Been using this keyboard since palmpilot, please fix this and thanks y'all.

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Unusable with iOS 26.2.1.

*2026-02-17, version 4.3.2*

I have been using MessagEase since the days of the Palm T|X.

After a few minutes, becomes as large as the entire screen, making it too big to type on. Delete and reinstall, and the same thing happens.

### 1/5 — Keeps filling the screen

*2026-01-16, version 4.3.2*

The keyboard takes up all the screen with no way of making it half the size. Starts of normal when downloaded then glitches and needs uninstalling and redownloading. Needs an update to fix this.

### 1/5 — No more letters

*2025-09-18, version 4.3.2*

Updated to ios26 and now there are no letters visible

### 1/5 — Doesn't work on almost any app

*2025-01-07, version 4.3.2*

I installed it on my iPhone 12 Pro Max, activated it in the keyboards section of the settings menu as instructed, and even gave it 'full access.' The only app I can get it to show up in is Discord. Notes, safari, Skype, and any others do not have it as an option. 

In MessagEase itself, the Settings option saysjIlmust grant it full access to open the menu. I have, and it still says that. 

So the app seems not to install properly.

### 1/5 — Abandoned?

*2023-12-31, version 4.3.2*

Looks like the project is no longer supported. The keyboard completely broke with a recent update.

### 1/5 — Probably abandoned

*2023-09-25, version 4.3.2*

I love this keyboard and it's the only one I use, however it hasn't been updated in four years and it's started to show. On my iphone 13 mini running iOS 16.6.1, the keyboard crashes and resizes at apparently random times and if I change the keyboard colors, it doesn't take effect until I've power cycled the phone. Uninstalling and reinstalling doesn't resolve anything.

On my work phone, an iPhone 11 running iOS 16.6.1, the keyboard is permanently stuck at max size, taking up about 90% of the screen, so it's actually unusable. Uninstalling and reinstalling doesn't resolve it.

Again, I love this keyboard, but the iPhone version looks to be abandoned. With no updated support in sight, it feels like it's only a matter of time until a new iOS update breaks it.

### 1/5 — Просто не запускается

*2022-08-28, version 4.3.2*

Нет в списке клавиатур, хотя добавил. Нет настроек, хотя разрешил полный доступ.

### 1/5 — Another Abandoned app.

*2022-06-15, version 4.3.2*

Another app bites the dust.

### 1/5 — Great....on android

*2022-04-29, version 4.3.2*

Less than half the features on android. I've been using this keyboard for almost 10 years and now want to use it on my iphone but the dev plays favorites. No select all/copy/paste shortcuts. My keyboard randomly shrinks to the smallest setting. The base keyboard randomly loads in even though messagease is set as default. And no way to close the keyboard, it just switches keyboards instead? Even though there's a button for that already?

### 1/5 — Glitch on day two

*2021-10-28, version 4.3.2*

While I do like the idea, on my second day of using this keyboard I encountered a glitch which made it unusable. Instead of only displaying one keyboard, it displays two instances of the same keyboard, so all the icons have a quarter of the area that they should, which is… inconvenient, to say the least. It’s really a shame because I think this is such a cool idea.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Worthwhile

*2026-06-27, version 4.3.5*

It is missing autocorrect and text prediction, and the color customization is a bit crude, but this is still a great way to type quickly on mobile. It takes a lot of practice, but it feels great when you start to master it. I keep a diary on my phone, and this makes it easier to use a broad vocabulary with a variety of particular formatting. 

The lack of some features, especially autocorrect, slows me down significantly. Still, the design is a great idea with good implementation, and I hope development continues.

### 5/5 — Can't live without it!

*2026-06-25, version 4.3.5*

I've used this every day for over a decade, and love it with all my heart. By far the best way to type on a phone.  Thank you so, so much for updating!!!

### 5/5 — Please fix sudden resizing bug

*2026-06-24, version 4.3.5*

I have used this keyboard for many years now and almost can't "type" on my phone any other way. 

It used to work perfectly until ios27, and now it occasionally bugs out and the keyboard appears huge with no way to resize it to normal other than uninstall and reinstall.  

Also, the punctuation characters used to show up on alphabet screen when swiping up from space bar, but now only a few do and the rest are on the number screen. Please fix that to the way it used to be!

### 5/5 — ♥️ THANK YOU ♥️

*2026-06-17, version 4.3.4*

Thank you so much for the update! I have missed messagease SO much since ios 26. It took 2 months to get used to the regular iphone keyboard again and I still lamented the loss of ME amost daily. 
I just freaked my kids out with my shouts of joy on seeing the update 😂

### 5/5 — This is the best mobile keyboard design, please keep it going!

*2026-06-16, version 4.3.4*

I have used this keyboard years now and it really is the best once you get used to it. 
- The design gives you a small keyboard with large buttons
- No need to switch between letter, symbol, and number keyboards. They are all available at the same time
- Simple to adjust the keyboard size

Please keep this app updated, even if no new features are added!

### 5/5 — Unusable with iOS 26.2.1.

*2026-03-27, version 4.3.2*

This issue seems to be fixed with iOS version 26.4

I have been using MessagEase since the days of the Palm Pilots.

After a few minutes, becomes as large as the entire screen, making it too big to type on. Delete and reinstall, and the same thing happens.

### 5/5 — Amazing!

*2026-01-21, version 4.3.2*

This makes using all parts of my phone easier! If no more updates will be released, please make the app open source!

### 5/5 — The ONLY usable keyboard!

*2026-01-19, version 4.3.2*

After learning where most of its keys are, this unique keyboard lets me type faster and FAR more accurately than traditional screen keyboards, with much less hastle. This keyboard isn't just a novelty item. Without this keyboard, I'd literally almost never use my iPhone (or any other phone). I'm willing to pay $$$ for this totally free app.

I BEG the programmer to continue maintaining this app or find a way to make it perpetually available. (Maybe sell the app's rights and code to Apple.) This keyboard is amazingly efficient. The only improvement I would make is on its cursor navigation, perhaps model it after the cursor navigation in iPhone's default keyboard.

For the last few weeks this app was somewhat broken on my phone, but tonight I uninstalled and reinstalled the app, and now it works perfectly. I think the issue was just a corrupted file on my phone, but it scared me because I'm so reliant on this app that I use almost all the time.

Note that this keyboard doesn't have voice typing or word prediction (which I don't care about), but these features are easily had by briefly jumping to a different keyboard.

I've tried Microsoft SwiftKey, KBD Maker, and the iPhone's default keyboard, and they are each basically useless and prone to similar typing quirks.

### 5/5 — Incredible Keyboard!

*2025-05-14, version 4.3.2*

It is amazing how superior this keyboard is to qwerty! Everything is right here on one keyboard! Letters, numbers, symbols, emojis. Keep up the great work!

### 5/5 — Fantastic!

*2024-10-26*

Messagease is fantastic!  All letters, punctuation, numbers and symbols on a single compact keyboard!!!! Amazing!  How creative!   I will never go back to having to switch to a different keyboard just to enter a period!!   Or even a δ or Δ!!

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*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 2026-08-22.*