In a recent update, Helakuru has added support for Tamil on its keyboard. Thus making the Helakuru keyboard trilingual. Users can now type in Tamil on Helakuru, provided you’ve updated the app to version 6.0.17.
In case the option doesn’t appear on the keyboard, do double check to see if you’ve enabled Tamil in Languages in the phone’s settings. This applies for both Android and iOS.
In addition to supporting Tamil the update also includes,
- Improved typing speed
- Improved word prediction support
- Reduced app size with AAB (Android App Bundle) support
- Social commenting for Helakuru News
- Backup & Sync self-learned predictions
From a keyboard to a lifestyle app
Unfortunately, I don’t know enough Tamil to type out even a sentence. At least not a sensible one. But this comes as a welcome addition to the host of features the app has added on over the years. First there was the basic Sinhala typing keyboard. Then came features like Sinhala word prediction, keyboard customizations, Sinhala voice typing, etc.
Helakuru has come a long way since its debut on the play store back in December 2011
Although most of us probably see Helakuru as a keyboard app, it’s not really just that anymore. The app offers a variety of other functionalities as well. This includes local news, eChanneling, live TV, radio, and even a note taking function among other services.
Dhanika Perera, Founder and CEO of Bhasha, has stated in the past that they intend to upgrade Helakuru from a keyboard to a lifestyle app. Fast forward to today, users can now get a glimpse of what that’s like. Then again, with a download count exceeding 5 million it probably makes sense to upgrade what Helakuru can offer for users beyond the keyboard function.
Have you tried tamil typing on Helakuru yet?
Helakuru being a trilingual keyboard is indeed quite useful. Including support for the tamil language opens up Helakuru to a broader market. While we can probably expect further improvements to its core keyboard functionality in the near future. It would also be interesting to see how the app expands as a lifestyle app now that it appeals to a new market segment as well.
Either way, if you’ve updated the app to the latest version do let us know how you’ve found the tamil typing feature so far, down in the comments below.