Fleksy is a third-party, proprietary

virtual keyboard A virtual keyboard is a software component that allows the input of characters without the need for physical keys. The interaction with the virtual keyboard happens mostly via a touchscreen interface, but can also take place in a different form ...

app for Android and iOS devices. It attempts to improve traditional

typing Typing is the process of writing or inputting text by pressing keys on a typewriter, computer keyboard, mobile phone or calculator. It can be distinguished from other means of text input, such as handwriting and speech recognition. Text can b ...

speed and accuracy through enhanced auto-correction and

gesture A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or ...

controls. Fleksy uses error-correcting algorithms that analyze the region where the user touches the keyboard and feeds this through a

language model A language model is a probability distribution over sequences of words. Given any sequence of words of length , a language model assigns a probability P(w_1,\ldots,w_m) to the whole sequence. Language models generate probabilities by training on ...

, which calculates and identifies the intended word. Swiping gestures are used to control common functions, such as space, delete, and word correction. Fleksy has introduced Fleksyapps, which are mini-programs and Fleksynext, its Smart Assistant that utilizes

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...

capable of understanding intent, sentiment and context while typing.

History

Fleksy was developed by Fleksy Inc., a company founded in 2011. It was originally developed for the blind and visually impaired to enable typing through

muscle memory Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition, which has been used synonymously with motor learning. When a movement is repeated over time, the brain creates a long-t ...

."2012: A Technology Year in Review"
AFB AccessWorld, Retrieved 7 February 2013. In July 2012, Fleksy became commercially available on the iPhone as a download from

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

iOS App Store The App Store is an app store platform, developed and maintained by Apple Inc., for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS Software Dev ...

. On June 15, 2016, the company moved on to

Pinterest Pinterest is an American image sharing and social media service designed to enable saving and discovery of information (specifically "ideas") on the internet using images, and on a smaller scale, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pinboard ...

. In July 2017, Thingthing Ltd., a competing keyboard company, acquired Fleksy and resumed its development. In 2018, the Fleksy keyboard was acquired by Thingthing Ltd., and given an upgrade. In summer of 2018, Fleksy opened a seed crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube. In October 2018, Fleksy partnered with Palm and was preinstalled as the default keyboard on all Palm devices. In 2019, Fleksy introduced Fleksyapps "mini app programs." Afterwards, Fleksy releases its smart assistant, Fleksynext. In October, Fleksy was forced to raise the rating of its keyboard app to PEGI 12 rating on

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...

compared to PEGI 3 carried by

Gboard Gboard is a virtual keyboard app developed by Google for Android and iOS devices. It was first released on iOS in May 2016, followed by a release on Android in December 2016, debuting as a major update to the already-established Google Keyboa ...

, Google's own app. This rating was restored after the company contacted the

International Age Rating Coalition The International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) is an initiative aimed at streamlining acquisition of content ratings for video games, from authorities of different countries. Introduced in 2013, the IARC system simplifies the process of obtaining ...

. In 2019, Fleksy became the first keyboard used for Active Digital Phenotyping in the Healthcare space. In May 2020, Fleksy pivots towards became a B2B technology provider, launching its Software Development Kit (SDK) called
Fleksy for Business
and taking on clients in Healthcare, CyberSafety, Advertising, and Banking Payments. In February 2021, Fleksy expanded it's SDK clientele to the Gaming industry. In October 2021, Fleksy announced it has raised a

Series A A series A round (also known as series A financing or series A investment) is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exc ...

fro
Inveready
to support the growth of the Fleksy keyboard SDK, helping clients in various industries leverage its

input method An input method (or input method editor, commonly abbreviated IME) is an operating system component or program that enables users to generate characters not natively available on their input devices by using sequences of characters (or mouse o ...

technologies.

Software

Fleksy’s auto-correct

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

functions by combining analysis of user typing patterns and linguistic context. Analysis of tap locations (rather than letters selected) affords it the ability to remain tolerant of drifting errors and allows the user to type on an invisible keyboard or even off the keyboard in some instances. As a result, Fleksy has been embraced by the visually-impaired community. The

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...

has been considered for the "Story of the Year" of the Technology Year in Review for 2012 by the

American Foundation for the Blind The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is an American non-profit organization for people with vision loss. AFB's objectives include conducting research to advance change, promoting knowledge and understanding, and shaping policies and practice ...

. Fleksy allows sighted people to blind-type on a touchscreen. Quentin Stafford-Fraser said on his

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and W ...

: "I found I could type whole

sentences ''The Four Books of Sentences'' (''Libri Quattuor Sententiarum'') is a book of theology written by Peter Lombard in the 12th century. It is a systematic compilation of theology, written around 1150; it derives its name from the '' sententiae'' ...

immediately, without looking at the keyboard".

Availability

Fleksy is available in 65

languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

and

QWERTY QWERTY () is a keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets. The name comes from the order of the first six keys on the top left letter row of the keyboard ( ). The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden ty ...

AZERTY AZERTY () is a specific layout for the characters of the Latin alphabet on typewriter keys and computer keyboards. The layout takes its name from the first six letters to appear on the first row of alphabetical keys; that is, ( ). Similar t ...

QWERTZ The QWERTZ or QWERTZU keyboard is a typewriter and keyboard layout widely used in Central Europe. The name comes from the first six letters at the top left of the keyboard: ( ). Overview The main difference between QWERTZ and QWERTY is ...

, Dvorak, and Colemak layouts on Android and iOS.

Awards

Fleksy has received a number of awards since its release in July 2012: *Officially broke

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for fastest touch-screen text message in May 2014 *

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

Interactive Accelerator 2013 Winner *Apple's Best of App Store 2012 * CES 2013 Innovation honoree *

Qualcomm Qualcomm () is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, ...

QPrize finalist *

Royal National Institute of Blind People The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is a UK charity offering information, support and advice to almost two million people in the UK with sight loss. History The RNIB was founded by Thomas Rhodes Armitage, a doctor who had eye ...

, app of the month for August 2012 *Golden Apple Award"Announcing the AppleVis Golden Apples of 2012"
AppleVis, Retrieved 7 February 2013.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Fleksy home page
IOS software Android virtual keyboards Input methods for handheld devices Pointing-device text input User interface techniques