What is a good keyboard app for Android?

3 years ago by Ashen to c/privacy

I've been using SwiftKey for over a decade now, and I didn't really realize how potentially horrible it is for privacy. What are some good alternatives you guys can suggest, ideally open source?

My ideal keyboard includes swipe to type and a notepad (to paste certain emoticons like shrug emoji and such).

Thank you!

Edit, for any future lemmings/internet people who want the definitive answer (so far, as of October '23), OpenBoard works great.

Download the latest release apk from here

And if you want swipe typing as well,

Download the "libjni_latinimegoogle.so" file onto your phone from here

Then when you open OpenBoard, go to Advanced and select "Load gesture typing library". When it asks you to select a file, select the "libjni" file and swiping should work just fine.

bledley 35 points 3 years ago

Unfortunately Gboard is still the best around. Block it's internet access.

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84615_on_resu 17 points 3 years ago

I think that Gboard would still find a way to connect to the mothership.

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bledley 6 points 3 years ago

Yes probably. It's a compromise and not ideal. I revoke internet access and on Graphene OS not tied to a Google account. We all find our own peace with this kind of thing. Florisboard looked very promising but the swipe text wasn't implemented last I checked.

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TheCopiedCovenant 3 points 3 years ago

Florisboard appears to have been abandoned

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type 9 points 3 years ago
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Chais 3 points 3 years ago

I'd love to love Florisboard, but it doesn't make it easy. Swiping feels great, but it's dearly missing autocorrect/suggestions and the word recognition is so bad that typing is faster at least 80% of the time, which defeats the purpose.
I hope it gets better in the future.

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

Sadly, seems so. They have swipe now but they don't have an autocorrect.

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Ashen 3 points 3 years ago

So one of the suggestions was to use Invizible Pro to block it's access. Do you use the same method?

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jacktherippah 2 points 3 years ago

GrapheneOS has a built in firewall but yeah anything that creates a firewall should work.

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

I see. Thanks!

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f4b10 1 point 3 years ago
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Anticorp 1 point 3 years ago

Can you still use GIFs and stuff like that if you block its access? Seems like it would be better if we had an equivalent of a hosts file on Android to block or redirect certain addresses.

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bledley 3 points 3 years ago

can't access the GIFs panel without internet access..just standard emoji..I don't use those anyway so can deal with that.

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Encode1307 1 point 3 years ago

It's no better than SwiftKey for privacy though, is it?

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aubertlone 1 point 3 years ago

Wanted to add my perspective. Decided to splurge and get the z fold 5 after rocking the OnePlus 7 pro for 4+ years now. Wouldn't have upgraded except I cracked the shit out of my OnePlus recently and repairing/replacing just wasn't worth it.

After using this phone for a couple days, I have having serious thoughts about returning it. Spent so much time customizing the keyboard for the main screen, but just couldn't find a comfortable typing experience. Then I realized I hadn't installed GBoard yet. As soon as it was loaded, I was off to the races. No customization required. Very comfortable typing experience now with the default settings.

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citizenserious 26 points 3 years ago

Openboard

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FarLine99 9 points 3 years ago

This fork is actively developed, supports gestures amd many other features. Try it!

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sudo22 1 point 3 years ago

I'm not sure how to enable swipe on this on. I downloaded and loaded the en-us regular and experimental dictionaries, but its still not swyping.

Edit: Oh wait I got it. You need this library: https://github.com/...

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FarLine99 2 points 3 years ago

Yup. Gesture support is really good in my experience. Thank you, Google! I hate you but sometimes......

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curiousmonkey 1 point 3 years ago

I downloaded that, but gesture support is no working. Do we have to do something else. I already turned on the gesture support option in settings, what am I missing?

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FarLine99 2 points 3 years ago

You should download this file to your phone. Then in additional settings you should choose load gesture typing library and choose this file. That's it.

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curiousmonkey 1 point 3 years ago

Done it, still not working. Do we have to restart for it to effect??? i even turned on show glide trail, but nothing

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

Thanks for this, btw. The fork that has swiping enabled hasn't been updated for over a year at this point :/

u/sudo22 has mentioned that a library is required to enable swiping, but I don't have a clue on how to download/use it. I'll try figuring it out.

Edit : Figured it out, the app allows you to import the libjni_latinimegoogle.so file if you've downloaded it.

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FarLine99 -1 points 3 years ago

I was very pleased with how well swipe input works with this library. After finding this fork, I stopped using GBoard, which I am very happy about :)

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

Yes! Also the original, actively developed Open Board has a vastly superior auto correct. I've just been using it for a couple hours now but I absolutely love it.

My typing speed was really good in SwiftKey because of it's autocorrect. I felt hindered with the previous fork, but this one is absolutely wonderful. I'm about 90-95% there.

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carloshr 1 point 3 years ago

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a lot! Now I can definitely leave gboard. One step more in my degoogling process.

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FarLine99 1 point 3 years ago

yup! same here. this fork have me ability to finally leave GBoard. it is awesome!

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Downcount 5 points 3 years ago

I tried openboard but am missing swipe.

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darcmage 17 points 3 years ago path: 0 2299447 2299481 2300337, hotness: undefined, score: 17, children: 7
cupcakezealot 9 points 3 years ago

(Don't be a goof like me and install the Neo Store/Fdroid version and spend 15 minutes wondering how to enable swiping, btw. The version on Github which has swipe is from September 2022, a month after the Fdroid/Neo Store release: https://github.com/...)

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Downcount 1 point 3 years ago

Too late, I guess ;)

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Dillacorn 3 points 3 years ago

Sweet! This is more comfortable to use coming from Gboard to ASK. I got used to the issues with ASK but def prefer AOSP keyboards more.

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Downcount 1 point 3 years ago

Yeah, thanks! This swipes indeed.

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

Yep, this is absolutely fantastic. Thanks a bunch! It's like 85%-90% of my Swiftkey experience, so I'm loving this!

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

Unfortunately doesn't have swipe :/ I was just trying it out for 10 minutes or so. I'll still keep it and try to work around it unless I find something better.

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polluteyourjorts 4 points 3 years ago

If you download from the github it has swipe.

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eruchitanda 18 points 3 years ago path: 0 2302069, hotness: undefined, score: 18, children: 9
matthew 5 points 3 years ago

Ive been using this keyboard for around a year now, and compared to Swiftkey and gboard, I absolutely hate anysoftkeyboard with a passion. However, its the best FOSS alternative I've come across.

Also, my dogs name is Bowie, so whenever I type his name, the keyboard just starts spitting out David Bowie lyrics across the bottom of the keyboard, so thats kinda cool I guess.

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eruchitanda 5 points 3 years ago path: 0 2302069 2302082, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 0
OminousOrange 3 points 3 years ago

I tried ASK and wasn't a fan. Unless I'm missing customization options, it lacked the ability to change long press times, there's an obnoxious empty space above the keyboard, and it was quite poor at auto correcting words that were supposed to have apostrophes. You'll have to change your bottom row to get the space bar a similar size to Swiftkey (I missed it a fair bit before doing this), and it doesn't have the hold space bar to move cursor either.

I get that using a different keyboard is going to be an adjustment, being a convert to Colemak, but this one seems just a bit too rough around the edges for me.

E: found the long press adjustment, but now can't find how to add long press symbols to the keys...maybe I'm just too dumb for this keyboard

E2: Actually, after more messing with it, I'm going to give it another go. Still missing the long press symbols, autocorrect apostrophes, and auto space placement after adding commas and periods though. We'll see how long I can put up with that.

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

I'm trying to find the long press adjuster myself, where is it?

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OminousOrange 1 point 3 years ago

UI>Tweaks and more>Tweaks>under behavior tweaks.

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Ashen 2 points 3 years ago

I'm not sure ifn you've seen the rest of the thread, but there's a version of OpenBoard that has swipe as well. It's almost exactly the experience I've been looking for. You might like it as well.

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eruchitanda 1 point 3 years ago
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Dillacorn 15 points 3 years ago

I was going to recommend AnySoftKeyboard but someone recommended OpenBoard fork with swipe type and that's by far the best open source keyboard app I've used now... Especially coming from gboard

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mortrek 5 points 3 years ago path: 0 2310199 2312511, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 0
Ashen 3 points 3 years ago

Agreed, it's a fantastic alternative.

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Redinx 2 points 3 years ago

Thanks, trying it now and it's great so far. Also trying to get away from Swiftkey.

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marionberrycore 13 points 3 years ago

I'm in kind of the same boat as you op, I've been using Swiftkey for 5+ years but have been wanting an altnernative that isn't associated with the big tech companies for a while. After seeing this post earlier today I decided to give AnySoftKeyboard a shot.

I got it all configured the way I wanted but now I'm actually using it I don't think it's gonna work for me tbh. I'll give it a few days before making a decision though. I wish there more options out there.

On the plus side, I came across this and it made my day:

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Ashen 2 points 3 years ago

Hahah, that's hilarious! I tried ASK as well but gave up after 10-15 minutes of using it.

One of the comments has a link to a fork of OpenBoard that includes swipe (version 1.4.5 or something), and it works really well. The auto correct isn't as great as Swiftkey (I'm hoping it gets better with time), but the swiping is absolutely solid.

Been using this for about a day now and I don't see myself going back to Swiftkey. Typed this comment with it, hahah.

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darcy 13 points 3 years ago

i like florisboard: language switching, clipvoard actions, undo/redo, customization, ...

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thecam 2 points 3 years ago

FlorisBoard is feature rich.

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Illecors 9 points 3 years ago

Floriaboard deserves a shoutout. As a multilingual, I value the mixing languages without switching them. Takes some time to adjusr and no autocorrect for now, but it's getting there.

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angrymouse 2 points 3 years ago

Dude, thanks to recommend this, as a multilingual I'm tired of the default keyboard of E/os that doesn't have this feature.

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diaonaastick 9 points 3 years ago
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Ashen 3 points 3 years ago

So I do appreciate that they have swipe to type, but it doesn't have a word suggestion feature / autocorrect.

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beta_tester 3 points 3 years ago
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Ashen 3 points 3 years ago

I'll check this out, but on their Git they haven't updated since September 2022 :/

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beta_tester 3 points 3 years ago
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Anbalsilfer 8 points 3 years ago

I've used MessagEase for many years now and I absolutely love it. It's a very different kind of keyboard and so takes a while to get used to but once you've learned to use it properly you can type a lot faster with it on a touch screen with limited real estate.

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Rouxibeau 2 points 3 years ago

Ok, I am typing this with that keyboard now, and can see how this could be rather neat once one learns all thkey locations.

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bahmanm 1 point 3 years ago

Does it collect/transmit the keystrokes to their server?

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Anbalsilfer 1 point 3 years ago

I can't claim to be a 100% sure to be honest, but if the information on their privacy info page is accurate, it shouldn't ask for any android system permissions at all, including internet access:

In particular, MessagEase does not seek Internet access permission.

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bahmanm 3 points 3 years ago

I installed it. Definitely very different! I'll give it a fair shot though - looks like there's been plenty of thought behind its design.

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Anbalsilfer 2 points 3 years ago

Nice! I hope you will like it.

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aurele 1 point 3 years ago

It looks really neat, but is it still maintained?

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Anbalsilfer 1 point 3 years ago

I think so. The last update was in december -21, which doesn't seem that far back for a keyboard app. I've not contacted the developer by their support channel email so I don't know if they respond that way. I've personally had very few problems with it over many years' use.

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aurele 2 points 3 years ago

I cannot seem to find either the game app or the dictionaries on the play store.

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Anbalsilfer 1 point 3 years ago

They are still on the app store, but unlike the keyboard app itself don't seem to be updated for modern Android devices. For example:

I've sent Exideas a support email asking why this is the case, so I guess when and whether they respond will be something of a litmus test of how active their support is these days. In the meantime, it seems the language modules/dictionaries can be downloaded as APKs directly from their website. They should not at all be necessary to use the keyboard, in any case.

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Elephantpurple7603 6 points 3 years ago path: 0 2343934, hotness: undefined, score: 6, children: 2
ProperlyProperTea 0 points 3 years ago

Not a huge fan last time I used it

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Ashen 2 points 3 years ago

Check out one of the comments which has a fork of OpenBoard with swipe. I'm using it right now and it's quite a solid alternative!

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Gnorv 5 points 3 years ago

Look at the AnySoft keyboard, available from F-Droid.

It has emojis like the one you mentioned inbuilt.

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Clubbing4198 5 points 3 years ago

Florisboard

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Pantherina 2 points 3 years ago

Poorly the dev is not active anymore. And the beta sucks, the new buttons are pretty weird.

For people needing autocompletion its poorly not an option, but I love it.

Easy clipboard functions, cursor, internal clipboard with history. Its also so good for security as no app can view your clipboard

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Ashen 2 points 3 years ago

Check out the comment which includes the fork of OpenBoard with swipe. I'm using it right now and it's fantastic!

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jacktherippah 5 points 3 years ago

GBoard is the one Google app I put in my owner profile. I've tried every recommendation I've seen and nothing else comes close to how good Gboard is.

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M_Djallo 3 points 3 years ago

Different apporach: use the keyboard you like and block its internet access using invizible pro/netguard/afwall.

I had the same problem, after using openboard for a long time, and now I'm doing this, using gboard and blocking it with invizible pro.

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Ashen 1 point 3 years ago

I'll look into this, thanks for the suggestion!

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http417 3 points 3 years ago path: 0 2422544, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0
Amphobet 2 points 3 years ago

OK, this doesn't have swipe to type or a notepad, but I'm trying out Thumb-Key. It's a very different sort of keyboard, almost akin to the old-fashioned way of texting with just the number keys on a phone, just updated for a smartphone screen. The problem is that it takes practice/memorization to learn, because it's a whole new layout. It's open source and very privacy conscious (there's no predictive text or autocorrect).

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Linssiili 2 points 3 years ago

I started using it about a month ago, and I'm now having a pretty good muscle memory. I like how having larger keys makes it much easier to "touch-type" (even thought I can barely do it, but I see the potential).

The only thing I'm missing is auto-completing my email and home address, but oh well.

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Sim 2 points 3 years ago

I use Gboard and have been meaning to find an alternative, so this is a useful thread though it seems the concensus is there aren't really any.

What I'd love to do is completely remove any reference to stickers and gifs from the emojis selection but it's not possible. The emojis button can be removed from the keyboard, maybe it's time to go back to traditional ASCII.

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Ashen 2 points 3 years ago

Check out the comment about the version of OpenBoard that supports swipe. I'm using it right now, actually. It's not perfect but serves as a solid alternative to Swiftkey.

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Sim 1 point 3 years ago

Thanks! Using it now, perfect!

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Anticorp 2 points 3 years ago

OMG I hate the stickers. I used to accidentally send them all the time when trying to hit the comma. I uninstalled all the stickers packs, which means I can't accidentally send them now, but I still accidentally hit the button since you can't remove it for some dumb-ass reason.

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Sim 2 points 3 years ago

Openboard with swipe has fixed this for me. Takes a little getting used to but worth it IMO.

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SendMePhotos 2 points 3 years ago

There was a cool multiswipe keyboard called KeyMon like ten years ago. It was great to be able to dual swipe to type. It brought back memories of t9 typing. Unfortunately, the app hasn't been updated and has been lost to outdated time.

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akilou 2 points 3 years ago

I've been using SwiftKey for about as long as you have and for a while, about once or twice a year, I'd do exactly what you're doing- looking around for a better, privacy focused keyboard. I find one or two and try them out for a while but always end up back on SwiftKey because the predictions are unmatched.

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AdmiralShat 1 point 3 years ago

Any of these allow you to change the size of individual keys like Smasung Keyboard?

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Ashen 2 points 3 years ago

I've tried most of the ones suggested on here, but I don't recall any of them having this feature.

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nottheengineer 1 point 3 years ago

Seconded, I currently use unexpected keyboard but I really want something with swipe typing.

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Heavybell 1 point 3 years ago

I really like Keyboard Designer. I have made myself a keyboard in it that resembles Kii Keyboard, which was previously my fav.

That said setting it up might be a bit much for your average user.

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yoz 1 point 3 years ago

Openboard FTW

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