Typist XK is a touch-typing practice software that assumes you are using an external keyboard.
The software keyboard of iOS does not involve the tactile sensation of typing physical keys, so you must always look at your fingertips as you type. In order to input a large amount of characters at high speed, it is necessary to learn touch typing using an external keyboard. If you take it seriously for about two weeks, you will be able to input at surprisingly high speed not only on iOS devices but also on PCs.
Typist XK is the iOS version of the typing practice software on Mac that has been widely used and trusted around the world for many years.
Typist also provides practice courses for the Dvorak keyboard and the numeric keypad.
Both iOS version and Mac version of Typist have the same lesson contents. Typists can share information about your progress in selected courses via iCloud. So, for example, you can practice on your Mac and then continue on your iPad.
Typist XK requires iOS 13.4 or later. In addition to the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch can be used as iOS devices, but it will be difficult to practice if the screen is so small.
You can use most keyboards that can be connected via Bluetooth. Apple products, such as the Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard or Bluetooth keyboards for Mac, work fine.
Overall, this is a good app for brushing up your typing skills. Works well on an iPad with Magic Keyboard.
But, there are no options to set the “strictness” of the app. For example, somewhere around module T15, if you type a ~200 character drill and get a SINGLE error, you have no choice but to repeat the entire drill. This leads to a loss of interest for the student.
Other programs I’ve used (think Beacon) sense when you miss the same key several times and lead you to another lesson or drill that focuses on the problem keys (which IMO, is the correct way to instruct).
Forcing me to repeat identical drills two or three times due to a “horrible” accuracy rate of 99.5% is lazy programming. You would think that the goal of teaching is to engage the student without creating frustration and boredom.
It’s a free app though. Hard to beat that.
