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Microsoft

You should totally download Microsoft's Word Flow keyboard

By Cherlynn Low Tom's Guide
Published | Updated
MicrosoftWordFlow

(Tom's Guide)

Folks with small hands, rejoice! Microsoft has finally dropped its Word Flow keyboard for iOS, bringing with it a cool fan-shaped keyboard that makes one-handed typing much easier. After some time with the new app, I found it so useful I added it to my roster so I can whip it out when I need to type with one hand.

The curved layout is easily the biggest selling point of Word Flow, which is otherwise just like the dozens of keyboard apps for iOS. You can launch it on either side of your screen (depending on whether you're left- or right-handed) by tapping the arc icon at the top of the deck. Emoji fans will appreciate being able to access their smileys from Word Flow simply by tapping the emoji icon--instead of having to switch to another keyboard.

I don't normally have much trouble reaching across the screen of my iPhone 6s, but I realized how much of a stretch it was to reach the "Q," "A" and "Z" keys on my normal layout after playing around on Word Flow for a bit. The arc layout, combined with the intuitive swipe typing system, made hitting those keys much easier than before.

MORE: The Best iOS Apps You're Not Using 

The one thing I don't like about the arc layout is where the backspace button sits. Instead of being placed at the the bottom right, like on the regular iOS keyboard, tit's in the top right on Word Flow. Because of this placement, I sometimes hit the punctuation button instead of backspace as I intended.

More from Tom's Guide:

25 iOS Tips, Tricks and Secrets You Need to Know

How to Boost Your iPhone's Battery Life

The Best (and Worst) Keyboard Apps for iOS

Like other keyboard apps, Word Flow is pretty customizable. You can theme it however you like, using your own photos for the background and customizing the colors of the letters, background and highlights.

Word Flow is expected to come to Android later this year so non-iPhone owners can make use of this nifty arc layout as well. Those using phones with screens that are 5 inches or larger should seriously consider downloading Word Flow for improved one-handed typing. If you have a smaller phone though, you won't miss much by not installing it.