Fleksy- GIF, Web & Yelp Search

Despite my previous comment, and despite that I do not at this time recommend Fleksy as a fulltime keyboard, the thing I do like best about it is that when I don't have two hands to type with, it is a great app. Despite the fact that it has more bells and whistles than I might like, I will use it when I don't have two hands to type with for MBraille. I do think eventually that the developers will work out all of the issues, and like I previously have stated, I look forward to the time when Fleksy can be considered a very reliable option for the VI community because the concept is awesome.

My issue with fleksy as it currently stands is that the typing area is two small, and there is no way for it to flip the screen automatically into landscape mode, I don't find it very easy typing with just one hand, I liked the old days where fleksy took over the hole screen like braille screen input and Mbraille now do.
I am sure these could be added as features for VoiceOver users. I know I don't have to use the main fleksy app much but it is a mess. When actually trying to type say in messages with fleksy I find often I get rubbish out and this never used to happen. I personally don't think fleksy is any more efficient than the stock ios keyboard as it stands now if your totally blind. I am still very happy to work with the developers, but I think they out grew us a long time ago as it certainly could improve in a lot of areas. I mean the feedback sounds they ust don't inspire confidence when typing, and the fact they don't really respond to messages with personalized and detailed comments. As to the last time I tried it, I actually try each version when it comes out, and then usually delete it a few minutes after trying it out, its just not very efficient when using it in ios. The developers haven't shown any interest in changing the layout of the main fleksy app to be more VoiceOver friendly, there are large bits of the screen that don't speak at all in between that huge mess of themes, which really they should make hidable with a button or something, and the menu button isn't very easy to find. These have been long standing issues I mentioned on several occasions to the developers and they haven't done anything about them. Now what does it say if they won't even consider making changes to the layout of the actual fleksy app or even fix the bits of the screen in there that don't say anything and just clik. For me the true power of fleksy was that it took over the hole screen which made it much faster for me to use in the old days and it could switch to landscape mode automatically, Now if they had some sort of classic fleksy option where it would behave like it did pre ios8 and where it could take over the hole screen I might very well use it again as my primary keyboard, for now though I use a combination of Bluetooth keyboard, mBraille and apples own Braille screen input.

I agree with Alex. I found the old, VO-specific Fleksy a joy to use -- and I use one hand. But Fleksy as it now stands is a bust for me.
In addition to Alex's wish-list, I wish a stand-alone Fleksy (a la Fleksy VO), optimized for VO, would again be issued. I mean, I want *no* interaction with Apple's third-party keyboard option -- just an app which does its thing when run. That way, at least theoretically, I don't have to diddle with a plethora of settings.
Oh well.

In response to mike, I don't agree with you on the wish for a Vo specific fleksy app, the developers tried that and the community reaction was less than enthusiastic to put it mildly. Plus the developers would then have to maintain two separate apps which wouldn't be a good use of resources. also it would make developers see us as different that we had to have a special app issued for us, which was peoples issue with fleksy vo to begin with.
Instead I would like to see everyone using the same app, but with a mode built into it that could be activated to disable many features VoiceOver users won't use, and that would just make it more comfortable for us. Still, we don't have to rely just on fleksy now we have other options though none quite as good as fleksy was in the old days.

What's New in Version 5.7

*Note: Please update to the latest version of iOS 8 to fix key known issues with custom keyboards and improve your Fleksy experience.

FEATURED

Integrated Imoji Sticker Keyboard! We have partnered with Imoji to bring a visual communication to Fleksy Keyboard.
- Millions of stickers, thousands created daily
- Smart suggestions, stickers that work like magic
- Keyword sticker search
- Curated Trending Stickers
- Personalized sticker collections
- Create your own stickers with the imoji app
- All the best reaction stickers
- Double tap stickers to add them to favorites
- Access recently used stickers

Smart Suggestions for GIFs and Imoji Stickers!
- Popular searches and trending words will be highlighted on the extension as you type with Fleksy--tap on the smart suggestions for relevant content

FIXED

- Searching/sending GIFs is much faster now
- Korean language fix for shift button
- Other various fixes and stability improvements
my own personal comments below this
doesn't look at all interesting from an accessibility point of view, still will install it just to see then probably delete after a few minutes. Oh and we have another name change, these guys really don't seem able to fix on a name, still I guess they have to highlight there latest and most useless bells and whistles I guess.

Now that MBraille is a third-party keyboard, I have stopped using Fleksy. I believe Fleksy has its uses, but I do not have time to try and keep learning all of its little bells and whistles when all I want from a keyboard is just a fast, simple keyboard to type on. I am not calling it a bad program, but it is not for me.

I too have stopped using it, due to it being overcomplicated in my opinion.

Does anyone know how to change the color of the keyboard and or make it invisible on the latest update? Just like you were able to do that before when it was simpler?

I guess i'm the only blind person who is crazy enough to use and still believe in Fleksy and i will probably get flamed for it too. I must confess i looked into using MBraille but quickly stopped doing that. It's not that it's hard to use, no the guys at mBraille have clearly thought but to pay over 330 swedish crowns and get bells and whistles i won't use anyway just to get a braille keyboard in any app, no not for me on this tight budget of mine. I'll stick to fleksy and the iOs stock virtual keyboard.

Hi, I've been reading through these comments and thought I'll give my opinion on using Fleksy, considering I've only recently started to use it again. I tried using it before, but never really got on with it. But recently when I downloaded it again and actually gave it more of a chance, I found myself really liking it, and it really did speed up my typing.
As for the over complicated aspect I saw someone mention, yes, it can be complicated at the start, I certainly found it difficult at first, but it's just the case of using it and letting it get used to you.
As for VoiceOver specific version, I personally don't think there's a need for it considering the standard version is very much usable.
I don't work for the Fleksy marketing team, I just thought I put forward an opinion from a user that never really used this app but actually when I did, I found it to be quite useful.
Cheers and sorry for the long comment.

Hi all, I am writing in just to say this app has now gone free forever, however there will be paid content available still in the app.
so this apps entry must now be updated.
The second reason I am writing is because I don't know about anyone else but the following makes me very very angry.
this is from the modmyi.com article explaining about the app going free.
quote, Those who have previously bought the app will be treated to new themes and extension slots worth $8 as a gift.
now lets take a second to remember when we as blind users were used as piggy banks to get this app off the ground, when it cost £10 not sure what that is in dollars. When it eventually dropped in price were we offered any such compensation? no we were not, and now this is being offered to users who bought this app just in its current incarnation.
I think fleksy well and truly screwed us over, I don't know about anyone else. the modmyi article doesn't make any mention of fleksy's origins, it implies this app is only a year old on the store.

Hi All. In the two most recent updates, the Fleksy team have included voiceover fixes. Both were mentioned in the update notes, the most notable of which is the two finger flick down gesture to get rid of the on screen space bar, making it more like the original. Now, I was in the sceptical bordering on annoyed camp when the focus changed and fleksy v o appeared etc, but credit where it is due as the fleksy team did promise to make the original fleksy accessible again. Yes it's taken longer than we hoped as their focus shifted but the bottom line is it's useable again and although not quite as smooth as it was the fact is they are making efforts to get it back to that status. So in short, I am putting the v o and how much it cost at the start arguments in the past and concentrating on the fact it's working again and regular fixes will continue to come. And I don't think there were many who didn't agree it was superb at the start. Certainly worth another look anyway.

Patience is a virtue!

Fleksy version 6.0 is now available:

What's New in Version 6.0

*Note: Please update to the latest version of iOS 8 to fix key known issues with custom keyboards and improve your Fleksy experience.

Featuring:

• 5 new themes for summertime!- Consolidated GIF and Imoji extensions to a single bar. Smarter search, more results, all in one view. And just pull down to bring back the keypad!
• Fleksy will now highlight 3 keywords at a time. Easier to get to that perfect GIF or sticker.
• Ever want more Hotkeys? You can now add multiple Hotkey extensions!
• Major language improvements
• Updated Extension tab UI in the container app for easier browsing
• Optimizations for GIF and Imoji Sticker quality

Fixed:

• Fixes for autocorrect capitalizing letters incorrectly for some languages
• Autocorrect on/off Button not showing on spacebar sometimes
• Various other bug fixes and performance improvements

VoiceOver Updates:

• Gesture: swipe down with two fingers to Return (while in Minimal mode)
• "New Line" announced on Return
• Feedback on Shift and Delete buttons
• "No more text to delete" announced when there's nothing left to delete
• Improved accuracy

If you've been enjoying Fleksy Keyboard, please take a minute to leave a nice review. It really goes a long way!

Hi there,

I must say I was quite surprised to see no comments here after the announcement of the release of version 6.0; I guess people have grown tired of repeating themselves.

For those who haven't tried Fleksy for some months now, you should know that using it as a third party keyboard is now totally possible, practically all keyboard components and functions (including things as language switching, entering upper case letters and new lines) are now VoiceOver labeled and properly announced. Typing accuracy has also improved significantly.

Things that sometimes work, sometimes don't:

- Announcement of typed words after swiping to the right (sometimes only the last typed letter or "space" is spoken).
- Announcement of alternative words or punctuation when swiping down (sometimes you just hear a VoiceOver error sound).

Things that still require fixing:

- When typing letter by letter, i.e., having VoiceOver read each character before releasing it to make sure you are entering the correct one, an interval of 3 or 4 seconds should be added before alternative characters are offered, like it occurs on the stock iOS keyboard. This applies to languages which use accented letters, such as Spanish or French. Right now, if you touch the letter "U", for example, you cannot move your finger to the "Y" or the "I" because accented variants of the "U" are displayed to its sides almost immediately. A sound effect when these alternative characters are displayed would also be very helpful.
- The Fleksy app itself, and very extensively! I believe that what is mostly keeping VoiceOver users away from Fleksy is that many aspects of the app are poorly VoiceOver labeled and difficult to navigate, not problems with the keyboard itself. I'm sorry but I completely disagree with those who say that the app is "overly complicated"; if you were unable to deal with a somewhat complex application you wouldn't be able to use an iPhone regularly either. The problem is not that the app is complicated, rather, that the release of most of it's new features has been rushed, without taking the time to ensure that these features can be properly navigated, activated and used with VoiceOver. I welcome themes and extensions, just please make it possible for me to access them as a VoiceOver user. Creating a separate Fleksy app for VoiceOver users is not the answer; there is no reason why I should be denied the option of adding a colorful theme to my keyboard if I use VoiceOver.

Finally, I also must say that I don't understand why people insist so much on being able to type on the entire screen. Moving your fingers all over the screen, particularly on devices as large as the 6 plus, is by far less efficient and slower than using a smaller area. It's a simple matter of minimizing the distance traveled; the less distance your fingers have to move, the faster you will type.

Cheers and regards!

I think the attraction with full screen typing is a a transference of muscle memory from typing on a regular keyboard. I'm about to download the latest version but did love Fleksy VO which just felt more intuitive... Let's face it, we don't really need the rest of the screen. If there is a way of killing the keyboard we can just get back to previous messages etc. I'm guessing the biggest use of Fleksy is for messages, right? I'd still not want to write a worst selling book on it.

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that you can now use Fleksy in safari and iOS 9

think fleksy is dead as an accessibility solution, it had its day then just went basically pointless to use with VoiceOver, the developers found a bigger target audience, luckily apple has come through for us and we have Braille screen input, m braille etc, those methods do things properly. fleksy is just more bother than its worth with two many bells and whistles, and I still encourage anyone to withdraw there app recommendations, this app doesn't deserve 33 of them as I doubt many of us use it these days, it vanished from my phone years ago.