Android It is an operating system that supports a higher level of customization than it seems at first glance, but regardless of the circumstances, most users do not go in-depth when using products, but limit themselves to using what they like. comes standard. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t many things on Android that can be modified or replaced, such as the keyboard.

Most Android smartphones and tablets include Gboard, Google’s keyboard, which is mistakenly believed to be the default keyboard of the original Android Open Source Project (AOSP) operating system. However, there are other options that may better suit the user’s preferences or the way the device is used.

If you use a custom ROM, the user will most likely encounter the AOSP keyboard, which is a bit like Gboard, but when it comes to push to shove, it has limitations in comparison. It might be a good option for users with typing skills or not trusting a corporate solution, but seeing how Google’s ecosystem usually works, Gboard users may be missing out.

How to manage keyboards on Android

Alternative keyboards on Android are added in the same way as launcher or alternative launchers: by installing apps. In other words, if there are apps that provide alternative launchers, the same goes for keyboards, so if you’re not using a non-Google ROM, just go to the Play Store and get a keyboard that’s meant to be used.

Activating and deactivating the keyboards present in the system takes place via a path Settings > System > “Languages ​​& input” > “On-screen keyboard”. From there, the user can mark which on-screen keyboards they want to enable, as Android offers the ability to switch between them when trying to type.

The easiest way to switch between keyboards is by clicking on the icon that appears on the bottom right. Once pressed, the user can choose the one they want or the one that suits them best for each situation.

It should be noted here that after the first access to the application, alternative keyboards will usually suggest their activation and default settings, thus facilitating the configuration of the user in case he is used to using a particular one and does not want to. route via Android settings. Without further ado, I will mention the most popular alternative keyboards for the Google mobile operating system.

gboard

We’ll start with the most popular option: Gboard. Although it is common to find this keyboard pre-installed, it is also possible to get it as an app through the Play Store. Its features include integration with Google Translate, provision of Emoji Kitchen stickers, support for voice input, handwriting and gestures.

In short, a fairly competent keyboard that is also familiar to the vast majority of Android users. What else could you wish for?

SwiftKey

SwiftKey is one of many purchases Microsoft has made over the past decade. British in origin, at that time it was already one of the most popular on-screen keyboards on Android, and its acquisition by the Redmond giant already heralded a turn to its own services and solutions.

Microsoft first introduced integration with its Bing search engine and then incorporated Copilot, its AI-powered chatbot. This already highlights one of the main attractions of SwiftKey, which is that the Redmond-based corporation is trying to provide valuable things to Android, such as its own launcher.

At the feature level, SwitfKey supports more than 700 languages, emoji and GIF search, and multiple themes. It also supports translation features, but of course it relies on Microsoft services instead of Google services.

Yandex keyboard

And another proposal coming from a corporation, though this time of Russian rather than American origin. Here we find again more of the same, but supported by Yandex services. At the level of features it supports Spell checking, swipe typing, built-in translator, GIFs, stickers and voice commands.

Yandex Keyboard for Android is an interesting alternative for those who want to break away from the excessive dominance of American technology giants in the field of computing in general and in home computers in particular, but like the other alternatives mentioned so far, it allows to be proprietary software.

Ginger keyboard

The Ginger keyboard suffers from many of its features being focused or only supporting English, but luckily the typing supports Spanish properly, so it’s another alternative to consider. It excels in its assistance tools, checks English grammar and supports voice commands through Google for this purpose.

The free version of this app has some interesting things like a series of games that includes the classic snake. Keyboard Provides shortcuts to other calendar, notes, and tasks appsso it also contributes a little to the user’s personal organization.

Those who want to get all the features can subscribe to plans for 3.19 euros per month or 20.99 euros per year.

A simple keyboard

And after mentioning four proprietary options, what less than an open source revelation that boasts of not collecting user data, something that large multinationals will increasingly suspect due to the vogue for artificial intelligence supported by proprietary software.

Simple Keyboard is a simple, lightweight and open source keyboard as its source code is published under the Apache 2 license. It supports emoticons, GIFs, spell check, swipe typing, is ad-free and says it only asks for vibration permissionso it is a non-intrusive application.

At a time when software tends to be hypertrophied and full of features that are unnecessary for most, Simple Keyboard will be an oasis for more than one, limited to what the on-screen keyboard needs to do. Nothing more, nothing less.

AOSP keyboard for users using custom Android ROMs

If you’re running a custom Android ROM, there’s a good chance you’re using the AOSP keyboard by default. The good thing about AOSP is that it is an open source project published under the Apache 2 license, so the keyboard can be audited freely and without obligation to Google.

The AOSP keyboard is a rather basic option that doesn’t help typing as much as the others listed, mainly the proprietary ones from big companies, but if a person has a certain talent for writing or wants to improve, it is a perfectly valid tool that will cover all the needs of the user who just wants to write without complications. Its features include the ability to enter voice input through Google services.

If you search the internet, it is possible to find AOSP keyboard installers.

Proprietary software and tracking, cause for mistrust

As we can see, most of the most popular on-screen keyboards for Android are proprietary, which calls into question the real privacy they provide, although the operating system has tended to offer more detailed and limited management of the permissions it offers. They are granted to applications to enhance security and privacy.

Android ROM users can be among the most privileged because their keyboard is open source in origin, so one can be more calm about incorporating things that can be questionable from a privacy point of view if the system is not supplemented with Google services.

The dominance of proprietary apps isn’t something exclusive to on-screen keyboards, but rather a general trend in the Android ecosystem, which is why alternative stores like F-Droid exist. But the issue with keyboards goes a little further, because we are talking about a tool widely used by the user when interacting with the device, which covers all or at least a very important percentage of installed applications.

Conclusion

As we can see, there are very powerful on-screen keyboards for Android, but the fact that the most popular ones are mostly proprietary means that they cannot be fully trusted, especially when it comes to the privacy they offer. Here we can mention the management of permissions granted through the operating system, but this does not take away from the non-transparency of these applications and the great importance they have for the normal use of a smartphone or tablet.

Another debate that can be raised is whether using so many assistants makes us clumsier when writing, but that’s another topic for debate.