Advertisement
Sections
Which is the fastest Android input available? Swipe, typing or voice? Let's find out
We checked out the different Android text inputs, keypad, swipe and voice, to see which was the fastest.
Android gives users a range of input options for text. A regular keyboard, a swipe keyboard and voice input are available by default. Users can choose to install even more keyboards from the store. The inputs are also in a state of flux, with constant updates. The voice input seems to have improved a lot, and is practical, convenient and accurate enough for regular use now. We checked out the different inputs to see which was the fastest. So we examined how long it would take to type out a sentence without errors.Keypad: The keypad is the traditional input, and we found it to be the fastest. The two finger use helps speed up the typing. Another big factor is the accuracy, it was more accurate than the others.Swipe: Swipe feels fast, is fun to use, one finger operation is actually convinient. We were surprised that it took so long. Accuracy slowed it down quite a bit, but apart from that, we noticed that it takes time for the fingers to travel across the screen, and it might just be faster to tap. Some words are hard to get for swipe, an example being qwerty. However, the sense of pace might just be an illusion for Swipe.Voice: Voice input seems the way to go to quickly type long paragraphs. It also is less stressful. This input is ideal for instant messaging conversations. However, the accuracy still has a lot to be desired. This is not that big of a problem though, because you get a list of ranked variations. These are other probable fits to what you have just said, and one of these invariably have the right word. The correction can be done on the fly, without stopping the voice input. While it was not as fast as a keypad, it was not as slow as swipe input.This is just to give an idea, your mileage may vary. Usually, the tradeoff is between speed and accuracy. While Voice and Swipe were certainly fast, it took longer to correct the errors. Sometimes, both inputs made the same errors multiple times. "Qwerty" was repeatedly picked up as "wet" while swiping, and as "koti" or "kurti" in voice. "Jam" was repeatedly confused for "Jan" by swipe, and for some strange reason, as "Jai Maa" by voice. We were wondering why both swipe and voice had problems with the same words. While we did manage to train ourselves for better accuracy, the input mechanisms themselves are bound to get better. Till that happens though, the fastest and most accurate way to type seems to be the traditional method.
First Published:May 28, 2016, 13:29:34 IST
Advertisement
Advertisement

Why AI notetakers are raising serious privacy and security concerns
AI notetakers promise effortless meeting summaries, but experts warn they could expose confidential conversations, corporate secrets and personal voiceprints. As businesses increasingly adopt AI-powered meeting assistants, questions over data storage, privacy, consent and legal risks are becoming impossible to ignore
5 min read
China's low-cost AI models are changing the global AI race. Here's why Silicon Valley is worried
As Chinese firms continue to improve performance while keeping prices low, the AI race is no longer just about building the smartest model—it is increasingly becoming a battle over who can deliver the best value
2 min read
China's Kimi K3 challenges US AI leaders with frontier-level performance at lower cost
Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI has unveiled its latest open-weight AI model, Kimi K3, with early results suggesting it could compete with some of the world's most advanced AI systems developed by leading US companies
2 min read
How did Instagram run ads promoting child abuse in India?
India has issued a notice to Meta after an investigation alleged that Instagram displayed paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material. MeitY ordered Meta to remove such Instagram ads and explain within seven days how they were approved
8 min read
Why has India halted WhatsApp’s username feature before launch?
India has halted WhatsApp’s planned username feature, citing concerns about cybercrime, impersonation, and law enforcement challenges. As Meta races to address security concerns, here’s why MeitY has paused the rollout, what the feature does, and how it could influence privacy and online safety in India
3 min read
Advertisement
Advertisement
