# Wurstfinger — The Keyboard for Fat Fingers

> Privacy-focused keyboard with large keys and swipe gestures for easier typing. (iPhone/iPad app by Akator GmbH.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wurstfinger/id6754844184 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Akator GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1850457772)
- Category: Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 7 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, Croatian, Filipino, Finnish, French (France), German (Germany), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi and 13 more
- Released: 2025-12-09
- Data updated: 2026-08-22
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wurstfinger/id6754844184/reviews.md

## What is Wurstfinger?

Wurstfinger - The Keyboard for Fat Fingers

Tired of typos? Wurstfinger is a privacy-conscious keyboard with large keys and swipe gestures. Based on the proven MessagEase layout, it replaces the cramped QWERTY grid with a 3x3 layout optimized for thumb typing.

Unlike mainstream keyboards, Wurstfinger doesn't rely on invasive word prediction - instead, it achieves accuracy through ergonomic design. Large, well-spaced keys mean fewer missed taps, and the gesture system lets you access all characters without hunting for tiny buttons.

FEATURES:

• Large 3x3 Key Grid - Optimized for thumbs, not precision pointers
• Swipe Gestures - Access 8 additional characters per key by swiping
• 26 Keyboard Layouts - Arabic, Croatian, English, Estonian-Finnish, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese (Hiragana), Japanese (Katakana), Korean, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Spanish-Catalan, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese (with Telex input)
• Compose Rules - Create accents through combinations (e.g. ' + a = á)
• Circular Gestures - Draw a circle for uppercase letters
• Cursor Control - Drag on the space bar to move the cursor, drag on the delete key to erase continuously
• Haptic Feedback - Customizable vibration intensity
• Fully Adjustable - Scale keyboard size to your preference

PRIVACY FIRST:

• No data collection
• No network access
• No word prediction tracking
• All processing happens locally on your device

Wurstfinger requires training - expect a few days to build muscle memory. But once you've crossed that threshold, you'll never want to go back to a standard keyboard. The gestures become second nature, and you'll type faster and with fewer errors than ever before.

Your fingers will thank you!

## Key features

- Large 3x3 key grid
- Swipe gestures for additional characters
- Supports 14 languages
- Compose accents through combinations
- Circular gestures for uppercase
- Cursor control via space bar
- Adjustable keyboard size

## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wurstfinger/id6754844184/reviews.md

### 4/5 — It's become a really handy keyboard!

*2026-08-10*

This has become my main keyboard now for English and French, alternating with the original MessagEase. Because the square layout truly is best for typing on a phone.
I appreciate that the developer is serious about making this keyboard ever better. Many early issues are now fixed. Being able to move the cursor in 2 dimensions is very much appreciated.
One issue: the Korean setting needs a Shift key, to type letters like ㅉ and ㄲ .

**Developer response:** Thanks for the write-up.

Long-press for numbers is already in, it's just off by default: Settings > General > Type Numbers by Holding. 

Drag to resize I left out on purpose. Everyone I asked, myself included, had only ever used it to fix MessagEase's size settings, never to resize while typing. Size and position sit in Settings instead, under Size & Position. If those don't cover what you need it for, please open an issue at github.com/cl445/wurstfinger/issues and say what for. That's the quickest way to change my mind.

### 5/5 — Solid, keep going please!

*2026-06-14*

Just migrated from Android and was used to FlickBoard. Generally, I’d support taking a page out of their book! The particular things I miss are an emoji shortcut, an ability to toggle select mode and select text by dragging on the spacebar, an option to allow long pressing a key to type uppercase letters, and the mini single column numpad always on on the lefthand side of the keyboard.
Solid keyboard overall. Would love some more features. Thank you!

**Developer response:** Thanks, that's a useful list.

Dragging the space bar to move the cursor is already in, either continuously or one character per swipe (Settings > General). Selecting text that way I can't build. iOS only lets a keyboard move the cursor and read a selection the user made, never set one. Android's input API does allow it, which is why FlickBoard can.

The emoji shortcut is in progress. Uppercase on long press is a reasonable option, though long press already types each key's digit. The always-on numpad column is doable as well, it just doesn't exist yet.

For those last two, please open an issue at github.com/cl445/wurstfinger/issues so they don't get lost.

### 5/5 — thank you

*2026-05-24*

thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

**Developer response:** You're welcome, six times over.
It's a one-person project, so a message like this lands harder than you'd think.

### 4/5 — A good start

*2026-05-22*

A nice early version of a copy of the Messagease keyboard app. Even though Messagease hasn't had an update in 7 years, this one still has some catching up to do. The main missing feature is drag to resize. Long press on letter to type number is also handy. Finally, more color themes. But I appreciate your work on this so please keep it up!

### 5/5 — Works really well

*2026-05-08*

I saw this version of a keyboard a long time ago and really wanted it for iOS. I’m glad to see that someone made this possible. Im not very good at it yet, but its fun to learn.

## Frequently asked questions about Wurstfinger

### What is Wurstfinger?

Wurstfinger is a privacy-conscious keyboard app designed with large keys and swipe gestures to reduce typos. It utilizes the MessagEase layout, optimizing for thumb typing with a 3x3 grid instead of traditional QWERTY.

### Does Wurstfinger have ads?

No, Wurstfinger does not contain advertisements. It is a completely free application with no ads or in-app purchases.

### What languages does Wurstfinger support?

Wurstfinger supports 14 languages, including German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, and Vietnamese.

### How does Wurstfinger handle privacy?

Wurstfinger is built with privacy as a core feature. It collects no data, requires no network access, and all processing is done locally on your device, ensuring your typing remains private.

### Is Wurstfinger difficult to learn?

Wurstfinger requires a short training period, typically a few days, to build muscle memory for its unique layout and gestures. Users report becoming faster and more accurate once accustomed to it.

### Can I customize the keyboard size in Wurstfinger?

Yes, Wurstfinger is fully adjustable. You can scale the keyboard size to your preference, ensuring a comfortable typing experience for your specific needs.

### What is the age rating for Wurstfinger?

Wurstfinger has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. It is available on iPhone devices.

### How often is Wurstfinger updated?

The latest version of Wurstfinger is 1.2.0, released on April 5, 2026. Updates aim to improve functionality and user experience.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.4.1 — 2026-08-11

Version 1.4.1

New:
• Optional gesture trail — a soft stroke follows your finger while you swipe and fades out when you lift it. Off by default, under Settings › Gestures
• New app icon: Liquid Glass on iOS 26, with depth on the Home Screen

Improved:
• Fast flicks are recognized as swipes again instead of typing the key's center letter
• Characters that could not be typed at all on the new layouts: Thai ฬ ฒ ฑ ฏ and ฿, the Japanese 、 and 。 with the small kana, the half-space in Persian and Urdu, Arabic-script punctuation, the Hindi ₹, the Hebrew ׳ and ״, and the voiced kana iteration marks ゞ and ヾ
• č ď ě ň ř š ť ž are directly reachable: the caron now sits on the return swipe of the ^ key, replacing the stand-alone circumflex accent that swipe used to type (the ^ itself is unchanged)
• Diagonal drags on the delete key delete instead of doing nothing
• A long press held across a mode or language switch no longer types the old key's digit
• Double-space types a period only on two consecutive spaces, and inserts the sentence mark of the script you are typing
• Forward-delete and capitalize-word respect an active selection
• Coming back from another app applies settings changed in the meantime before the first keystroke, and the app switcher no longer shows an empty gap where the keyboard was
• VoiceOver reaches the shift, punctuation and mode keys, and offers swipe-only actions such as copy, cut, paste and hide keyboard through the rotor
• Key labels stay inside their key at the smallest keyboard sizes
• Size & Position was shown in English whatever the app language, and is translated now, along with 70 corrected translations
• Leaner rendering leaves the keyboard more memory headroom

### 1.4.0 — 2026-07-30

Version 1.4.0

New:
• 10 new keyboard languages: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Thai, Hindi, Korean, Japanese (Hiragana & Katakana), Greek, Portuguese, and Ukrainian
• Korean syllables and Japanese kana combine as you type; Arabic, Persian, and Urdu come with right-to-left layouts
• Native digits for Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, and Thai
• The app itself is now available in 10 more languages
• Optional: hold a letter key to type its digit
• Optional: double-space types a period
• Optional: a circular gesture on the clipboard key cuts the whole text
• Reworked haptics — exactly one pulse per keystroke and a much wider intensity range
• Toggle label visibility directly with a gesture on the space bar
• Hebrew: final letters via return swipes

Reliability:
• The keyboard frees its memory when backgrounded, fixing cases where reopening it silently fell back to the system keyboard
• Keyboard size now stays consistent across devices
• Fixed cursor movement across emoji
• Fast swipe gestures are recognized more reliably
• Auto-capitalization now engages at the right moments
• Disabled languages stay disabled

### 1.3.1 — 2026-07-05

Version 1.3.1

New:
• Reworked haptics — exactly one pulse per keystroke and a much wider intensity range
• Toggle label visibility directly with a gesture on the space bar
• Compose hints (small accent labels) can now be hidden
• Hebrew: final letters via return swipes

Reliability:
• Fixed double vibration per key press
• Fixed cursor movement across emoji
• Fast swipe gestures are recognized more reliably
• Auto-capitalization now engages at the right moments
• Disabled languages stay disabled
• Vietnamese tone rules no longer leak into other languages

### 1.3.0 — 2026-07-01

Version 1.3.0

New:
• Switch languages right from the keyboard — cycle through your enabled languages with a swipe on the globe key
• Cursor control — choose how the space-bar cursor moves: continuous drag or step-by-step, including word-by-word
• Label visibility — hide letters, standard symbols, or extra symbols independently
• The app is now available in 12 languages
• New Vietnamese Telex input

Reliability:
• The keyboard now opens more reliably
• Fixed dead zones between keys in the Liquid Glass style

### 1.2.0 — 2026-04-05

Version 1.2.0

Highlights:
• No more dead zones — every pixel on the keyboard now responds to touch
• Snappier haptic feedback — vibration fires on touch-down instead of after the action
• Keyboard stays correctly aligned after rotating while backgrounded

Bug fixes:
• French layout: fixed return swipe on center key
• Auto-capitalization after delete works correctly again
• Apostrophe no longer triggers accent/compose mode
• iOS now reports the correct keyboard language
• Various other fixes for gestures and settings

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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.*
