While third-party options were required to bring swipe or glide typing to iPhone in the past, as of iOS 13, swipe typing is now a default feature with Apple’s iOS keyboard.

Update 9/19/19:

Now that iOS 13 has arrived, there’s no need for a third-party keyboard to bring swipe typing to your iPhone. After updating to iOS 13 the QuickPath is automatically ready to use.

Swipe texting has been around for quite a while, but Apple still doesn’t offer it with its default keyboard in iOS 12. Besides being able to type with increased speed, swipe typing is really useful for one-handed typing and texting.

While there are a variety of third-party options on the market, two of the most popular to offer swipe typing are Google’s Gboard and the Microsoft owned SwiftKey.

How to use swipe typing on iPhone

  • After updating to iOS 13 swipe on the keyboard in a fluid motion to type, you can also type normally at any time
  • If for some reason you want a themed keyboard or want to use a third-party option that supports swipe typing, download one from the App Store
  • Next open Settings, swipe down if needed and tap on Keyboard
  • Tap Keyboards at the top and then select Add New Keyboard…
  • Now tap the keyboard in the list below that you just downloaded

Now Gboard, or whichever third-party keyboard you’ve decided on will show up in the list of active keyboards and is ready to use.

Privacy

You can tap on Gboard and toggle on/off full access. As shown below in the image on the left, all third-party keyboard will have access to what you type, but turning the toggle off for Allow Full Access means that third-parties will be breaking Apple’s terms and conditions if they collect or transmit that data.

From a privacy and convenience perspective, using Apple’s QuickPath swipe keyboard in iOS 13 is great in that your data isn’t being shared with a third-party and you don’t lose the dictation button in the bottom right corner.

To use a third-party keyboard with swipe/glide functionality, tap the globe icon in the bottom left-hand corner until you see the third-party keyboard you installed.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

  • iPhone: How to recover recently deleted photos
  • iPhone: How to delete all photos
  • Apple Watch: How to enable Elevated Heart Rate notifications
  • Apple Watch: How to change bands
  • Apple Watch: How to pair with new iPhone
  • iPhone: How to block texts
  • How to customize iPhone camera settings for a smoother experience
  • How to manage Face ID access for specific apps
  • How to disable Suggested and Recent Apps on iPad in iOS 11
  • How to record iPhone calls