After a successful integration with Twitter, Giphy has introduced a new app for iOS that will enable iPhone users to access GIFs seamlessly.
On May 3, Giphy launched "Giphy Keys," which is essentially a smartphone keyboard for iOS that will allow users to send GIFs via any app they choose.
"We put GIFs in Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Outlook, Tinder, Slack and that's just naming a few of our partners. Today, we're putting them under your thumbs, so you can add any GIF to any app on your iPhone," notes the company in a blog post.
For the unfamiliar, GIFs or Graphics Interchange Formats are basically short animations or video clips that can also include text and are deployed by web users to express an emotion in an animated manner. Thanks to Giphy Keys, iPhone users will be able to send GIFs through text messages or any other messaging app they like, so long as it supports the Giphy feature.
Now when users download the Giphy Keys app and give it the necessary permissions for keyboard settings, they will be able to use the third-party keyboard for iOS in any app they choose. Users will simply need to swipe and select the GIF they like and they're good to go.
How To Use Giphy Keys
Step 1: Download the Giphy Keys app for iOS and install it on your iPhone as a keyboard. You will espy a globe icon on the keyboard's bottom left in any app. This brings up the interface for Giphy Keys.
Step 2: To zone in on a GIF of your choice, you can either select from the Giphy Trending section or type in the search option to get the GIF you want.
Step 3: Scroll through the GIFs and tap on the GIF thumbnail you wish to send (doing so makes it get copied automatically).
Step 4: Tap Paste on the chat window, then press Send to share the GIF!
Remember that the Giphy Keys resembles a traditional keyboard barring the row of icons at the top. The search button is on the far left, followed by the icons that organize the GIFs on the basis of emotions or categories. One can also select favorites or search for a GIF used recently.
A downer for Giphy Keys users is that it currently does not support autocorrect. It's also not known when the new app will launch on Android smartphones, even as Giphy updates for the OS were rolled out late last month. Nonetheless, Giphy Keys is now available for download for iOS.
