Half Keyboard vs One Big Keyboard

The standard iOS keyboard takes up almost half your iPad HalfKeyboard takes about two thirds of that, so you keep seeing what you're typing into — your chat, your form, your note. But it's not a stripped-down version. Everything you expect from a keyboard is there, right where your thumb already rests. SWIPE DOWN FOR THE SECOND CHARACTER Swipe down on a letter key to get the character above it: q becomes 1, a becomes @, z becomes %. On the period key, a swipe down gives a comma. You'll rarely need the number layer. SET IT UP YOUR WAY Height, font size, key spacing, bottom row thickness, typeface — all with a slider. Both in the app and in the keyboard itself, so you see the effect right away. Settings made in the app go to the keyboard; not the other way round, because a keyboard without full access isn't allowed to write back. SPACE BAR AS A TRACKPAD Hold the space bar and drag to move the cursor through your text. No more aiming for a single letter. WORD SUGGESTIONS THAT SEND NOTHING A suggestion bar in Dutch, English or German, or automatic. The word list lives inside the app; nothing is looked up and nothing is remembered. EMOJI Its own emoji board with categories and a clock tab that fills with what you used last. ROOMIER ON IPAD On iPad you get two extra layouts: a numeric pad on the right, and a split layout with the pad in the middle and a space bar under each thumb. PRIVACY HERE IS NOT A PROMISE BUT A BOUNDARY HalfKeyboard does not ask for full access. Without that permission, a keyboard on iOS cannot connect to the internet — a technical limit, not a word of honour. No analytics, no ads, no account, no third-party SDKs. What you type stays on your device. Free, with no strings attached: no ads, no subscription, no in-app purchases.

One Big Keyboard is not a typical keyboard — it is a search tool that lives on your keyboard. It puts Google-style search operators one tap away, in any app, so you find exactly what you're looking for instead of scrolling past what you're not. THE PROBLEM Search engines are powerful, but only if you speak their language: site:, filetype:, intitle:, "exact match", -exclude. Almost nobody types these by hand — they're fiddly, easy to mistype, and hard to remember. THE FIX Tap a chip and the operator drops in, cursor already in place. No syntax to memorize, no colons to hunt for. Build a precise query in seconds, right where you're already typing. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT • An operator chip row over a full QWERTY — the operators you use most, always one tap away • Swipeable operator pages: site targeting, file types, exact match, exclusions, and the full power set • Templates — save a reusable pattern like "site: [pick] filetype: [pick] [keywords]" and fill the blanks with taps • "Describe a search" — type plain English, get the right operator string, built entirely on-device • Saved searches, custom operators, and custom pages — make it yours OPERATORS BUILT IN • site: — search inside one website • filetype: — find PDFs, slides, spreadsheets • "exact phrase" — match words exactly • -exclude — drop results you don't want • intitle:, inurl:, OR, before:/after:, related:, and the rest MADE YOURS • Color themes — recolor the whole keyboard, or mix your own • Seven key-click sounds, from a classic tock to a mechanical click • Sync your operators, templates, and theme across devices through your own private iCloud PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads. No tracking. Nothing you type ever leaves your device — the keyboard has no networking code at all. Full Access is used only to save your own setup to your device. FREE FOREVER The keyboard and its core operators are free, always. One-time Pro unlocks custom operators, templates, saved searches, color themes, extra sounds, and iCloud sync. Works with Google and any search engine that supports operators like site: and filetype:. Turn your keyboard into a search tool. Find what you're actually looking for.