Your phone’s keyboard is an essential part of your user experience. Most of us have wrestled with a default keyboard on an unfamiliar Android device. Some Android users prefer the pre-installed keyboard. You have a choice of several keyboard options if you use a top Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, or another Android smartphone or tablet. Let’s look at some of the best and show you how to switch to one that suits you.
Why should you change the default keyboard on your Android phone?
The default Samsung keyboard isn’t the best. Word prediction is unintelligent, and touch response is frustrating. Still, the Samsung keyboard is functional. You can send a text, search the internet, and customize the design. It falls short of the functionality and user experience of Google’s keyboard (Gboard) and some third-party providers.
You may want to change the default keyboard if you have a Samsung device. You might love the Samsung keyboard or struggle to get on with Gboard. It’s easy to install and trial new options until you find your perfect match.
What are your keyboard options on Android?
Unlike Apple, Google doesn’t hamper third-party keyboard functionality. When you change a keyboard on Android, the system applies the change across the entire device. iOS switches to the default keyboard where it can, like when typing a password.
Before we look at some options, proceed with caution. Keyboard apps are simple to make, which makes them attractive to hackers. An unknown keyboard app from a sketchy developer can slow down your device and compromise your data. There’s at least one well-known instance of a large personal data leak from a bogus keyboard app developer.
Here are a few top-end keyboard apps to try for the best experience.
Gboard
Gboard received a Material You makeover in 2021, and it’s continued to receive design updates over the years. This makes it among the best-looking Android keyboard apps. It’s the default keyboard app on most Android devices. Gboard syncs your data, like learned words, across devices and with your Google account. Plus, Gboard is packed with useful add-ons. Some notable features include support for stickers, GIFs, Google Translate, and one-handed mode.
Microsoft SwiftKey
Microsoft SwiftKey is a popular choice among tech-savvy users. It’s known for its insightful next-word prediction, sophisticated clipboard, Microsoft Translate integration, diverse theme and layout options, and seamless Bing integration. Another plus for SwiftKey is its AI integration with Bing Chat.
Grammarly
The Grammarly keyboard scans your text input in real-time to fix spelling and grammar errors. If you use your Android device for work, a helping hand from Grammarly might not go amiss. If you are new to Grammarly, check our dedicated post to learn everything about it.
That’s a quick rundown of the biggest and best, but there are other contenders for the title of top keyboard app for Android, so shop around.
The steps for changing the keyboard on Android may differ depending on the manufacturer. This guide shows the process on a Google Pixel device.
How to change the keyboard on Android
Stick to the Google Play Store if you’re looking for a reliable and safe keyboard app for Android. Most keyboard apps allow you to set a new default app during the setup process, but you can do it manually.
- Open Settings.
- Go to System > Languages & input.
- Tap On-screen keyboard.
- Toggle on the keyboard you want to use and toggle off the default one.
- Tap OK when prompted.
If you want to try keyboard options on the Google Play Store, use Android’s seamless keyboard switching feature and try multiple keyboards instantly.
How to use multiple keyboards on Android
If you can’t decide which keyboard to use or prefer one in some situations and one in others, switching between two options is easy. Below, we use Microsoft SwiftKey and Gboard as examples.
- Toggle on the keyboards you want to use.
- Go to an empty text field and tap to open the default keyboard.
- Tap the keyboard icon at the bottom to open more options.
- Tap one of the keyboard options to switch and start using it.
How to change the Android keyboard from the keyboard app
This is probably the simplest way of activating a new keyboard. Here’s the process on SwiftKey.
- Launch the Google Play Store app.
- Search for SwiftKey using the search bar.
- Tap Install.
- After it’s installed, tap Open.
- Tap Enable SwiftKey to go to the On-screen keyboard settings.
- Toggle on SwiftKey, go back, tap Select SwiftKey, and select it in the Choose input method popup.
- Tap Finish up and sign in to activate the rest of the features.
SwiftKey is Gboard’s strongest competitor. It has many features that general and niche audiences might like, such as its ability to sync your phone’s clipboard with Windows.
Samsung uses a different settings app on One UI software. The default Samsung keyboard leaves much to be desired, and it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Maybe you don’t need a new keyboard app
Unless you have issues with your default keyboard, you may want to stick with what you have. Switching means learning the new keyboard’s quirks and training it from scratch. Most keyboard apps have a shallow learning curve.
When you find a keyboard that suits you, improve your experience by exploring its settings. Gboard has a lot of tricks up its sleeve, and the same goes for the Samsung keyboard.
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