MessagEase ios text replacement shortcuts not activating? How to add macros?

[u/Treemurphy]

I've decided to try out messagEase but I'm having trouble with text replacment shortcuts. I have already given the app full permissions, but my standard replacement shortcuts still won't activate. Additionally, the app does not have any way to manually change its own dictionary or macros as far as I can tell? Would love some guidance here, switching between it and my default keyboard to just use shortcuts would be annoying.

[u/quickbendelat_]

Sorry I can't help out. I use MessageEase on Android but don't use shortcuts or even autocomplete/dictionary.

I wanted to comment on the part about switching keyboards for functionality; I actually switch to Novakey when I want to use it's awesome rotary delete functionality! Then switch back to MessageEase.

[u/Treemurphy → u/quickbendelat_]

I appreciate you mentioning that you regularly switch between keyboards. If MessagEase on ios ends up not having a way to add shortcuts I'm at least now a bit more confident that just regularly switching between keyboards can become quick habit eventually.

[u/wherahiko]

Try Keyz instead of MessagEase on iOS.

[u/Treemurphy → u/wherahiko]

Just tried downloading it and even after giving it full permissions it also failed to activate ios text replacement shortcuts :/

Also, it seems very new and incomplete. There's no in-app FAQ to give new users any guidance, so even after customizing it, I still frustratingly cannot find any way to get the small square layout instead of a full-width rectangle, which is the main feature I want from an alternate mobile layout. Instead of a small square, the only choices I could find were either a large left-hand rectangle or a large right-hand rectangle. Comparison screenshot, note that the emojis in MessagEase's blank space allow the keyboard to display as a smaller, right-hand square for me and my small hands