AI assistants have become increasingly useful on smartphones, but using them often means leaving the app you’re in, opening a chatbot, and copying the results back into your conversation. Acti, a new startup based in Singapore, wants to eliminate that extra step with a new AI keyboard for iPhone that brings AI-powered search, actions, and custom workflows directly into the apps you already use.
Instead of focusing only on grammar corrections or AI-generated writing, Acti turns the keyboard into an AI assistant that works inside any text field. Whether you’re chatting in Messages, replying to an email, posting on social media, or taking notes, you can access AI without switching apps, making everyday tasks faster and more seamless.
The keyboard revolves around the Acti Bar, which replaces the standard space bar. Users can tap it to type normally or press and hold it to activate AI. From there, Acti can search for nearby restaurants, look up live sports schedules, check stock prices, retrieve documents, insert LinkedIn profiles, create Google Meet links, access calendar actions, and perform other tasks without interrupting the conversation.
For example, if someone asks for restaurant recommendations in a chat, Acti can find nearby options and insert them directly into the conversation. If a friend mentions a company or stock, the keyboard can retrieve live information without requiring you to open Safari or another AI app first.
Another key feature is Skills, which are customizable AI shortcuts that can be assigned to individual keys on the keyboard. The app includes built-in Skills such as holding the T key to translate text or the C key to instantly generate and share a meeting link. Users can also create their own Skills by describing the workflow they want in plain English, without writing any code.
According to Acti, early access users created more than 1,000 custom Skills in less than two weeks before launch. Skills can remain private or be shared through the company’s Skill Hub, where users can discover community-created shortcuts for everything from retrieving live sports data to quickly sharing useful links.
Acti is powered by Google’s Gemini models, which the company says were chosen for their balance of speed, intelligence, multilingual capabilities, reliability, and cost efficiency. These models power both the keyboard’s built-in AI features and user-created Skills.
Privacy is also a major part of the platform. Acti follows a local-first approach, meaning users’ personal context remains on their device by default. The company says it does not access or store private messages, conversations, or personal context unless a user explicitly invokes a feature that requires cloud-based AI processing.
Acti’s approach reflects a growing shift in how AI is being integrated into smartphones. Instead of expecting users to constantly switch between apps whenever they need AI assistance, the company is betting that the keyboard is the most practical place for AI since it is one of the most frequently used interfaces on a phone.
Acti is available now as a free download for iPhone. The startup plans to introduce subscription plans that offer access to more advanced AI models, higher daily usage limits, and additional premium features.
