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There are a slew of keyboard and input apps available on both Android and iOS. However, how many of them can boast of being the fastest keyboard in the world? Only one, actually. Fleksy is an alternative keyboard for smartphones and tablets that has won a Guinness world record for being the fastest keyboard. While that is impressive, the app’s developers are going one step further by adding an app store for the AI-keyboard on Android. Called Fleksyapps, these new apps are directly integrated within the keyboard and enable a range of new functionalities from within the keyboard app.
What’s the buzz about?
Fleksyapps are a new type of apps that enable users to access some of the widely used apps directly from the keyboard, without needing to switch between apps. These apps are said to make typing faster and easier for users and add convenience to the typing experience. Additionally, the app now has the Fleksynext AI assistant that, depending on the context of your chat, suggests a service that you might need.
Currently, Yelp, Skyscanner, Giphy, GifNote, Vlipsy and Emogi apps are available from within the keyboard and more apps are slated to be soon made available for the app. As of now, apps from genres such as ride-hailing, translation, weather, navigation, localization, are said to be in the pipeline for being added to Fleksy.
Olivier Plante, CEO of Fleksy says, “For the first time, Android users have the freedom to use any apps they wish in their keyboard in comparison to having restrictions to use the proprietary services from other tech giants like Google (Gboard) and Microsoft (Swiftkey).”
Fleksy’s history
Founded in 2011, Fleksy was originally intended to be a keyboard for the visually impaired. Back in 2014, it was available only on Android and the app grew when it was made available on iOS. It later added features like stickers and deep-linking that helped it rise above the rest in the third-party keyboard input space. In 2016, Fleksy’s team was acquired by Pinterest and a year later, the Barcelona-based keyboard startup ThingThing announced that it will take over the app’s development.
The new team working on the keyboard aims to make it more intuitive and convenient with the addition of new apps and extensions. The app’s strong suite is implementation of powerful autocorrect and offering content suggestions based on a user’s conversations. Fleksy has over 13 million downloads on Google Play and App Store combined.
Funding raised till now
As per Crunchbase, the Fleksy’s development team has raised a total funding amount of €1.07 million till now in a total of four funding rounds. Five months ago, it raised more than €800K via an equity crowdfunding route, which was described as a pre-Series A round. “Our goal is to have 550 million devices using Fleksy by 2020,” said Olivier Plante, CEO of Thingthing.
The company announced that it will utilise the fresh funds to grow its product, and increase revenue, by partnering with phone brands to integrate Fleksy in their handsets. Thingthing also partnered with Palm, makers of a secondary connected device for smartphones, to natively integrate Fleksy on their devices.
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.
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