One of the favorite features added in iOS 8 is the ability to add custom keyboards, which brings a lot of value to the end user. Beyond keyboards that make typing easier, there is Pop Key keyboard that offers the possibility to combine the newfound customization option with the internet’s beloved gifts. GIFs are small, low-res animated images that repeat and loop over and over. They are a great way to communicate with someone without having to say anything at all. If you’re an iPhone user and ever wanted to show people how you’re feeling today with a GIF, let us show you how to use this keyboard to easily do just that.
First, you’ll need to download the Pop Key keyboard from the App Store. Once installed, head to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Pop Key. Turn on full access and open your messaging app. Tap the globe at the bottom of the keyboard to switch to your next keyboard. Swipe down to type words to find a GIF by entering keywords that describe what you’re trying to say. You’ll be presented with GIFs that match it, tap on the GIF that best describes how you’re feeling, tap, and hold inside the text field, tap paste, and then send.
You can search through the categories or the featured sections if you want, but the fastest way to find what you need to send off is to use the search function. You can even add your own GIFs to the keyboard. To do so, head to a site for searching for GIFs on your phone, save the image, open Pop Key, and upload the saved GIF. You can add tags so that other people can find it or keep it private for your use only. Once uploaded, head to the keyboard again, tap on the Foursquare icon at the bottom to be shown all of your uploaded GIFs. You can tap them to copy them and tap and hold in the messaging to paste them just like before.
You can also double-tap any of the GIFs, whether they’re yours or the ones from Pop Key, to save them as favorites. Tap the little heart icon at the bottom to get to all of those if you use specific ones more often than not. That’s pretty much it. Now go forth and confuse the crap out of people with all the GIFs you send them. Hope this helps some people and have fun!