Keyboard

Update: with the release of iOS 8, Apple now allows third-party keyboards in the App Store. If you're looking for a different keyboard for your iPhone or iPad, make sure to check out our list of iOS 8 keyboards.

I generally hate jailbreak releases that feature goofy names like ColorY0urBoard, but I decided to give the new jailbreak app a try despite my inclinations. To my surprise, ColorY0urBoard is actually not that bad of an app.

If you're searching for a way to easily customize the color of the stock keyboard within iOS, then ColorY0urBoard is a viable option. It's a standalone app release with an interface dedicated solely to changing the keyboard color. The app includes a color wheel, much like you'd find in image-editing applications, and it also features brightness and alpha sliders to perfect your customized look.

ColorY0urBoard isn't perfect, but it does a pretty good job of customizing the look of your keyboard. Have a glance at our video walkthrough inside for more details.

BlueBoard is a recently released tweak that does just as its name implies—it allows you to add a blue tinted keyboard to iOS. As with most tweaks of this sort, BlueBoard doesn't rely on WinterBoard or any other outside theming systems to work. Once you install it, you can enable the tweak via its own dedicated preference panel.

Look past the break for a video walkthrough of BlueBoard in action...

AnyBoard is a brand new tweak available free of charge on Cydia's BigBoss repo. It allows you to quickly switch between any of the installed keyboards on iOS using a tap and hold gesture on the globe icon to the right of the '123' key.

Unlike the stock keyboard options, AnyBoard doesn't just allow you to switch to the keyboards you have enabled in your device's keyboard settings, but you can switch between any available keyboard in an instant. Watch our full video walkthrough after the break to see how it works in action.

exKey is a jailbreak tweak that adds an additional fifth row of keys to the stock keyboard in iOS. The tweak, which works on iOS 5 through iOS 7, allows users to type more efficiently, because they should spend less time switching between the numeric and alpha keys.

When installed and in normal alpha mode, you'll see a set of numeric keys, digits 0-9, grace the top of the keyboard as the new fifth row. When you switch to the numeric keypad, the numbers are replaced with special character symbols.

We've taken exKey for spin in our video walkthrough. Take a look inside for more details on how this productivity jailbreak tweak works.