This seems to be resolved for MPE on iOS 9.2. I was having the same problem (on iPad), backspace would not delete characters, and couldn't type any other characters reliably. Seems to be resolved after updating to iOS 9.2, with no other updates to Minecraft, etc.
when I first started using Minecraft I could access the Marketplace and customer my skin with various templates.
Recently this has stopped, and I am unable to access the Marketplace at all. 95% of the customisable options for skins ave gone from the game also.
When trying to log into the Marketplace I just get the loading symbol on my screen