Startup Acti built AI agents into the smartphone keyboard for iOS and Android

Startup Acti has embedded a neural network for text directly into the keyboard of iPhone and Android. Now users receive AI agent assistance when writing messages and emails without switching between applications.

What can the Acti keyboard do?

Acti replaces the standard system keyboard with its own, which has AI agents built in. Instead of opening a separate AI chat, the user gets access to the assistant right in the input field — where they are already typing text. No copying, no switching between applications.

The key feature is custom AI shortcuts created in natural language. The principle is this: once you describe what the shortcut should do ("translate to English", "answer briefly and politely", "phrase as a business letter", "highlight three key points"), and in the future you launch it with one tap in any application — messenger, email, browser, Google Docs or notes. Shortcuts are saved and work on top of any text in the input field.

The keyboard is available on iOS and Android — the vast majority of smartphones on the market.

Why specifically a keyboard?

The keyboard is one of the few components of a smartphone that is active in all applications at once. This makes it an ideal point for embedding AI: the assistant appears exactly where the user is already working with text, rather than requiring a separate visit.

The typical scenario for an AI assistant on a smartphone looks like this: you're writing an email in Gmail, you want to rephrase a paragraph — you need to stop work, open ChatGPT or another AI app, paste the text, wait for a response, copy the result back and return to mail. On mobile, this is four to six switching steps for one simple action.

Acti removes all these steps. Pressed a shortcut right in the input field — got the result right there. On a smartphone, where each switch between applications takes several seconds, the savings are noticeable even with several operations a day.

Similar attempts have already been made by other keyboard makers: Microsoft's SwiftKey and Google's GBoard added separate AI buttons. Acti goes further: instead of a fixed set of commands — completely customizable shortcuts that the user defines themselves in plain language.

AI in smartphones: what are platforms building?

Apple and Google are developing AI at the operating system level — Apple Intelligence and Gemini Nano — with access to the context of the entire screen, application management and offline work on new devices. Both companies position built-in AI as a long-term competitive advantage of their ecosystems.

The weakness of the platform approach is slow update cycles and dependence on hardware generation. Many Apple Intelligence features are available only on iPhone 15 Pro and newer; Gemini Nano works only on new Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices. Hundreds of millions of users of devices from 2022-2023 will not receive these features in the foreseeable future.

A third-party keyboard works independently of the OS version and is available on a wide range of devices — both flagship and budget. For Acti, this is a direct path to an audience that will not see platform AI for a long time yet.

What does this mean

Acti bets on a simple idea: an AI assistant doesn't need its own application — it's enough to be where a person is already working with text. The approach eliminates real friction from mobile AI — constant switching of context between the working application and the AI chat. The keyboard covers devices that Apple and Google with platform AI will reach much later. If Acti gains users, it will show that you can compete with built-in AI layers not only from the position of a large corporation, but also from a niche tool that has occupied a strategically correct place.

How to use the Acti neural network in text input?

The user gets access to AI agents right in the text input field, without copying text and switching between applications. One of the key tools is custom AI shortcuts created in natural language.

In which applications does the Acti keyboard work?

It works in any application — the user gets access to AI assistance right in the text input field without switching between applications.