One of the most important features of the Android operating system is its customization capability, and changing the default keyboard of Android phones is one of the features of this feature. Changing the keyboard does not depend on the type of phone and different brands including Samsung, Google, Huawei and Xiaomi support it.
Most of the default keyboards are fine, but some users may need a different keyboard for their specific needs. For example, the user wants to use another language or use mathematical symbols in an equation, but the default keyboard does not have this capability. In general, the steps to change the keyboard in Android phones are similar, but in some cases, depending on the manufacturer, model, and version of Android (Android 11, Android 12, etc.), it differs.
Almost all Android phones and devices (eg TVs) have two types of keyboards:
Virtual keyboard (on screen): Android user can type some letters without using physical keyboard. User commands are usually transferred to the keyboard via the touch screen, but on Android TVs it may be via the remote control.
Physical keyboard: any type of keyboard that is connected to an Android phone or device through a USB (OTG connection), Bluetooth or wireless port is called a physical or external keyboard.
Switch between physical and virtual keyboard
In most new phones, after connecting the physical keyboard to the phone, the device automatically receives input from the physical keyboard, but in some cases, the user must change the phone's settings. In this case, the user must:
1- Go to the Settings section of the phone and touch the Language & Input option. In some phones, the user must open or expand the system partition.
2- Now touch the Physical Keyboard option and activate it if necessary. If the virtual keyboard bothers you when using the physical keyboard, you can disable it in the phone settings or use an empty virtual keyboard that does not take up the screen.
Open the physical keyboard in the settings section of the Android phone
Install another virtual keyboard
To change the virtual keyboard, the user must have another virtual keyboard on the device. To install another virtual keyboard on your Android phone, you must:
1- Open the Google Play Store app and search for Keyboard.
2- Now download and install your favorite keyboard.
Some examples of the most famous Android keyboards are:
Gboard (our offer-download link)
Swiftkey (second suggestion-download link)
Chrome
Flesky
Grammarly Keyboard
Simple Keyboard
In some cases when you install the keyboard app, the app prompts you to change the default keyboard. In this case, you can follow the suggested steps. Otherwise or if you are not satisfied with the proposed steps of the program, you can follow the steps below.
Change the Android virtual keyboard
Changing the keyboard in Android phones has two steps:
1- Activate the keyboard in the phone settings
2- Change to the desired keyboard
Step 1: Enable the second keyboard in the phone settings
Before changing the virtual keyboard, the user must activate that keyboard in the phone settings. You can do this by following the steps below:
1- Enter the phone settings and touch the System or General Management option.
Open the system section in the settings of the Android phone.
2- Now touch the Language & Input option.
3- Then open the virtual keyboard and touch the Manage Keyboard option.
Step 2: Open the virtual keyboard in the language and input section of the Android settings.
3- Now activate the keyboard you want (eg Gboard) and then (if you are satisfied with its validity and access) confirm it.
Confirm that you want to enable the keyboard (and if you are satisfied with the security of the keyboard and its necessary permissions). Some users need to enter the Configure Input Method menu to enable the keyboard.
Remember that you must use a valid keyboard because an invalid keyboard may steal your data and financial information (such as bank card information) etc. and cause you great harm. Privacy-conscious users will also check the keyboard access requirements.
Change the Android keyboard
When you enable the keyboard in the phone settings, you can change it in two ways: through the phone settings or from within the keyboard you want to change.
Change the keyboard in phone settings
If the user likes the new keyboard he downloaded and wants to use it everywhere on his phone, the best option is to make the new keyboard the default keyboard. For this you must:
1- (According to the previous explanation), go to the Manage Keyboard section in the phone settings and touch the Default Keyboard option.
2- Now select the desired keyboard to become the default keyboard of the phone.
Change the keyboard from within
In many cases, users use the keyboard for a specific purpose. For example, some users want to send a message in a language that the default keyboard does not support, or they want to write a mathematical equation. In this case, the best way is to change the keyboard itself.
1- Open a program that requires a keyboard (for example, phone messages or WhatsApp messenger)
2- In the virtual keyboard, touch the keyboard (or globe) icon. In some keyboards, such as Gboard, the user must touch the space bar for a few seconds to open the keyboard selection menu.
3- Now select the desired keyboard in the list and the keyboard will be changed easily. Be sure to go to Accessibility (Settings >> Apps & notifications >> All >> Apps >> Keyboard app)) to check keyboard accessibility. When you no longer need the keyboard, you can return to the previous keyboard.
If the keyboard icon is not in the list of keyboards, disable simultaneous transcription in the phone's accessibility settings and try again. After changing the keyboard, the user may want to implement his desired settings on the keyboard, for example, add a new language to the keyboard. In this case, go to the keyboard management section in the phone settings and touch the keyboard option.
Return to the default Android keyboard
To return to the phone's default keyboard, the user can change the keyboard to the default keyboard by performing the above steps and then delete the desired keyboard.
