Acti, a Singapore-based startup, launched an agentic keyboard for iOS and Android that doesn't just suggest the next word but can take actions on your behalf, bringing AI tools directly into the apps you already use including email, messaging, and social media. Founder and CEO Young Wang explained that the startup is betting the smartphone keyboard is the next home for AI assistants. "Today's AI agents are fundamentally limited because user context stays fragmented across separate apps," Wang told TechCrunch. "Acti sits across all of them, which is why we can build a context layer that genuinely belongs to the user instead of the platform." Under the hood, Acti is powered by Google's Gemini models, chosen for their balance of intelligence, speed, reliability, and multilingual performance. A key feature called "Skills" works like custom shortcuts — users can program a single key to trigger multistep tasks automatically, such as translating a message or instantly sharing a meeting link. The launch reflects a different philosophy about how consumers will ultimately embrace AI: rather than asking users to open various AI chatbots, Acti embeds AI into the interfaces people already use.
Acti puts AI agents directly into your smartphone keyboard
updated at June 30, 2026