IPA Phonetic Keyboard vs Lock Shield
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
This free keyboard provides easy access to all IPA and extended IPA symbols. Its intuitive layout mirrors the IPA chart, making symbol input fluid and efficient for linguists, language learners, and enthusiasts.
- Full IPA chart (2020) symbols
- ExtIPA chart (2016) symbols
- Organized symbol sections
- Intuitive symbol layout
- Convenient input for common characters
- Completely free, no ads
Read full descriptionHide full description
Behold the first completely FREE IPA keyboard on the App Store designed for linguists, language learners, and hobbyists. It is designed to be lightweight and fluid, matching up to the user experience of the system emoji keyboard. =FEATURES= - Includes ALL symbols on the newest standard IPA chart (2020 ver.) - Includes most symbols (the ones available in Unicode) on the newest standard extIPA chart (2016 ver.) - Symbols are divided into sections just like the IPA chart(-duh!): consonants, non-pulmonic, other symbols, vowels, suprasegmentals, tones and word accents, and diacritics - Symbols are arranged naturally, with a layout designed for you to find the symbols you want more quickly (especially the vowels, it's cleverly designed to match the layout on the IPA chart) - Convenient input for "[]", "//", "~", "◌", space, and return on the top of the keyboard - Completely free, NO ADS =EXTERNAL LINKS= For more information on IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet The developer, Vince14Genius's GitHub: https://www.github.com/Vince14Genius/
Lock Shield
Read full descriptionHide full description
LockShield is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) utility application designed to communicate with compatible LockShield smart locking devices. Features: • Secure Bluetooth Low Energy communication • Lock and unlock compatible devices • Battery level monitoring • Password-protected application access • Configurable lock settings • Optional automatic close settings • Demo Mode for interface evaluation without hardware LockShield is intended for use with compatible LockShield hardware devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lock Shield at none against IPA Phonetic Keyboard's 3. IPA Phonetic Keyboard's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. IPA Phonetic Keyboard sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Lock Shield asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | IPA Phonetic Keyboard | Lock Shield |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (172 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 172 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vincent Cai | FRANCISO SANCHEZ |
Bugs and requests
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
Reported bugs
2 issues- Vowel [ʁ] displays incorrectly
- Keyboard disappears after switching, requiring settings access to re-enable
Requested features
4 requests- Add angle brackets and parentheses for orthographic notation
- Implement a 'frequently used' section for common symbols
- Allow users to rearrange the keyboard layout
- Add support for laryngeal notation in Proto-Indo-European
Lock Shield
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
- Donation: Buy me a drink$2.99
- Obsolete/Non-Standard Symbols$5.99
- Donation: Buy me a meal$9.99
Lock Shield
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is IPA Phonetic Keyboard free?
Is Lock Shield free?
Do IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Lock Shield have ads?
Other comparisons















