PokéKeys is a relatively new App on the scene and has been gaining traction over the last few weeks as a serious alternative to other popular IV analysis Apps. While Android users have had access to IV checking Apps with overlay functionality for some time now, iOS users had never had this luxury; checking IVs would often involve switching back and forth between the game and an App which, while not a major inconvenience, was something that many wished could be improved upon.
Pokékeys was the first App to offer a solution to this, by incorporating a screenshot analysis interface within a third-party keyboard.
In addition to this, PokéKeys offers several other useful features, the most exciting of which is the Live IV Checker. Let’s take a more in-depth look at this, and everything else the App has to offer iOS Trainers, in our PokéKeys App Review.
The Live IV Checker
One of the best features of PokéKeys is the Live IV Checker. All you have to do is start a Broadcast from the iOS Screen Recorder, and as you swipe through your Pokémon, their possible IV ranges will be displayed in a banner notification.
Not only that but PvP Trainers can see the ranking of each Pokémon’s evolved form within the Great and Ultra Leagues (as a percentage of the best possible stat product for that species) along with how much Stardust it would cost to power it up to the CP cap of each League. This can be turned off in the App’s settings for anyone who isn’t currently interested in PvP.
If on the odd occasion an unevolved form is preferable to an evolved form in PvP, a more detailed analysis of all eventualities can be found in the keyboard interface.
The Keyboard Interface
Once you’ve found a Pokémon with an IV range that has caught your interest, you can tap its rename button to open the PokéKeys keyboard. The app will automatically analyze the scanned Pokémon and allow you to view the analysis screen. Here you can narrow the IV range down using the ‘CP after power up’ and the ‘Appraisal’ buttons. You also have many other options here, as shown below, which we’ll look further into in the next few sections:
The Renaming Function
As shown in the bottom right corner of the image above, the analysis screen offers a customizable renaming function which automatically generates the Pokémon’s attributes as a string of numbers and/or Unicode symbols that you can insert into its name with one tap. You can then always see, at a glance, exactly how good that Pokémon is compared to others of the same species.
Which attributes, and the order in which they’re displayed, are both customizable within the PokéKeys App.
You can also manually move the caret/cursor within the text field if you want to insert something without having to delete the characters that come after it. This is a welcome feature as the lack of a manual cursor has always been a minor but persistent frustration for stock iOS keyboard users.
PvP Analysis
For Trainers who enjoy optimizing their Trainer Battle teams, little is more time consuming than trying to evaluate which Pokémon to keep and which to transfer. Unlike in Raid and Gym battles where attackers with high IVs are always better, a high stat product is what you need to aim for if you want to have the edge over the competition in PvP. A high stat product is most often achieved with IVs of 0 Attack, 15 Defense, and 15 HP.
PokéKeys conveniently calculates each Pokémon’s stat product for you (in both the Live IV Checker and then in more detail if you decide to add its appraisal) and displays each Pokémon’s stat product as a percentage of the best stat product it could have.
For example, this Salamence has almost the best IV combination possible, with at stat product that is 99.6% as good as its best possible stat product (while still being eligible for the Ultra League):
While the differences between high and low stat products are minimal when it comes to performance, having more optimized stats than your opponent could one day be the difference between victory and defeat.
Search strings
Another fantastic feature of this app is its ability to enter search strings directly into the search field in your Pokémon storage. Start typing the name of a Pokémon, and more options to expand your search will be available immediately. Let’s look at how these search strings can be used:
100% IV Search
Yes, the good old 100% IV search string is, of course, present and ready to be used with just a few taps of the PokéKeys keyboard. This is possibly most useful on Community days where you’re catching lots of the same species. Please remember though, that these type of search strings tell you which ones could have 100% IVs. To be sure, you would have to scan and/or appraise the ones it suggests.
To use the 100% IV Search function, start typing the name of the Pokémon you want to check, tap the 💯 just above the keyboard, and if you have any which could potentially have 100% IVs, they will be displayed for you to check, as shown in these images:
Raid Boss Counters
One feature that surprised me when I first downloaded PokéKeys, is its ability to display all of the best counters for each Raid boss and then show you which of those counters you have in your storage… mind-blow moment!
All you have to do is start typing the Raid boss’ name and hit the swords that appear next to it (as shown below). A search string will be automatically generated, and a list of counters will appear. You can tap those to toggle which ones you want to be displayed within your storage.
This is a great alternative if you haven’t had time to use a Pokémon Go Hub Heat Map to optimize your Battle Parties. The process is so quick and easy; you could even build your Battle Party while waiting in the Raid lobby!
Advanced IV and Level Search
Tapping the magnifying glass next to the Pokémon you’ve searched for will open another menu from which you can create search strings for a specific IV range (91-100% for example).
This menu also has the option to further refine your search by the Pokémon’s level in case you only want to find the ones that are above a certain level.
As with the 100% search strings, these also tell you which ones could have the chosen IVs. Appraise and check in the app to clarify.
Families
Tapping the ‘Family’ Emoji next to the Pokémon you’ve searched for will display the rest of its evolution line and forms.
Pokédex Number
Saves you having to type out the full name. Useful for searching species that have long names and/or share the first few letters of their name with a few other species’.
Paste from Clipboard
If for any reason you need to copy a search string from another source, there’s a ‘Paste from Clipboard’ button available in the top left of the Keyboard. I’ve found this very handy on a few occasions.
Pro Version
PokéKeys comes with some free features, but for the full experience, the Pro version is (in this writers unsponsored and unaffiliated, humble opinion) well worth investing in.
Here’s a rundown of the features you get with both versions:
Free Features:
- Live IV Checking (limited to 5 Live Checks per session, but you can restart the App indefinitely to start a new session)
- Screenshot analyzing IV checker built right into the keyboard interface
- PvP analyzer integrated into the IV checker
- 100% and 0% IV search
- Set of predefined replacements for raid boss counter search
- Three keyboard layouts accessible via swipe left/right
- Cursor bar for easy caret position adjustment
- 3D-touch support for caret position adjustment
- Predefined replacements for keywords, names, types, and attack types
- Paste button
Current Pro Features:
- Unlimited Live IV checking
- Advanced IV and Level search
- Raid boss counter search query editor
- Name generator integrated with the IV checker
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Option to automatically delete screenshots after scanning
- Customize predefined keyboard layouts
- Configure extra personal layout for quick input
- Symbols layout showing all supported symbols
- Add custom replacements for quick paste
Addressing your Concerns
Allowing Full Access to the Keyboard
Since recommending this App to friends and fellow Trainers, many of them have shown understandable concern regarding the fact that you have to grant the PokéKeys keyboard full access to what you type with it. Giving full access to a third party keyboard such as this triggers a very scary sounding message which, while absolutely true, is mainly there to remove liability from Apple, in the very unlikely event that any sensitive data was to be transmitted by them.
It’s important to note, however, that the message also states that the keyboard can only transmit data that is typed using “this keyboard.” As long as you ensure that you only use the PokéKeys keyboard within Pokémon Go, there’s no risk whatsoever.
“Start Broadcast” on Live IV Checker
The word “Broadcast” that is used to begin the Live IV Checker is, again, ambiguous and understandably worrying on first glance. With other Apps that use this feature, such as Skype, TeamViewer, and Messenger, the Broadcast feature is indeed used to screen-share, but PokéKeys certainly doesn’t get to view your screen, as all scanning of Pokémon information is carried out within your device. Doing so remotely would not only be slower and use a lot of your data, but it would also be more expensive for the Dev in terms of server costs. Keeping this process ‘local’ is a win-win.
Whenever the Live IV Checker is active, it is clearly marked as such by a red banner across the top of the screen, so you always know when the screen is being scanned. For your peace of mind, be sure to end the scanning before using other apps that you may not want to be scanned.
The Developer
In my dealings with Victor Pavlychko, the Developer of PokéKeys, over the last few weeks of beta testing the latest features, I’ve found him to be a very genuine and helpful person who puts a tonne of energy and hard work into making this app the very best it can be. Victor listens and reacts to every piece of feedback he’s given, not only by his beta-testing team but also by the App users that publicly report bugs and offer suggestions for improvements, in the PokéKeys Discord server (link below).
If you’re still nervous about using PokéKeys, The thing to remember is that third-party keyboards and screen sharing apps only have access to the data you provide to them. As long as you don’t use them to type or view any sensitive data, then there’s no way that they can access or transmit it anywhere.
Whether you trust PokéKeys or not, you should never use any third-party keyboard for sensitive data or allow your screen to be recorded/scanned when you don’t want it to be.
Support
For any issues you may have with PokéKeys, please refer to the following sources: