I’ve been using SwiftKey since before the Microsoft acquisition, but now I want to move on because it’s pushing copilot.
What do you recommend? I’m fine with the play store or F-droid, and I’ll pay for a good one if necessary
HeliBoard has been my chosen SwiftKey replacement: https://github.com/Helium314/HeliBoard
Features I value:
- Multilingual typing (as someone who writes EN, PT and dabbles on DE and NL daily, having to check which language I’m on and switch keyboards/layouts every time sucks)
- Glide typing (with optional closed source library)
- Clipboard history
- Comprehensive layout customization
- Autocorrect (with customizable level of confidence)
- Emoji selection and history
It does suck to see an app that I loved and paid for (yes, I used it for THAT long) get enshittified and try push AI* down my throat.
Not to mention M$ owning my typing history (which I kinda could live with).
RIP SwiftKey.
Happen to know if it’s going to be on f-droid at some point?
The latest release hints towards F-Droid availability: https://github.com/Helium314/HeliBoard/releases/tag/v1.2
Just updating 1.1 APKs would have created issues with incoming F-Droid build.
It’s on froid
It’s not in the default F-droid repo, but you can get it on fdroid in the izzyondroid repo
I downloaded it using Droid-ify. It’s like F-droid without the F-droid drama, which i forgot the details of. Someone convinced me to switch and it was painless.
It’s available on the IzzyOnDroid repo
I’m using Florisboard: https://f-droid.org/packages/dev.patrickgold.florisboard/
It can be a bit rough around the edges, but it’s got the features I want.
I just got swiping to work in Heliboard, which is nice. Works and looks just like Gboard. You just have to go to the advanced settings, scroll all the way to the bottom, then load the required library manually.
This is a direct link to the library if you have an ARM 64bit v8 phone. Otherwise, you can find different version in that same repo, I think. Just use the 3-dot menu to download it:
https://github.com/erkserkserks/openboard/tree/master/app/src/main/jniLibs/arm64-v8a
I found the link to that file in this reddit thread:
I’ll set that up as I got used to swiping and typing normally is slowing me down on heliboard at the moment
Since I run GrapheneOS, I just install any keyboard I like, and deny it network access in the permissions panel to disable any privacy invading features.
I would rather be running a fully open source keyboard, so I’ll be watching this thread for better solutions.
I personally use an expected keyboard. Really nice, especially if you use termux. FCITX5 for Android is another good keyboard if you like the more AOSP style keyboard that supports other characters
https://github.com/fcitx5-android/fcitx5-android?tab=readme-ov-file#supported-languages
Yay for Unexpected! I was really surprised when I found out just how many keyboard shortcuts it supports. I find myself using the keyboard-based text selection/copy/cut/paste/cursor-movement/etc more often than the “normal” way. It’s also a great help when using Termux or generally writing code.
^5 Unexpected Keyboard!! <3 it
Does anyone know a keyboard where you swipe up on a letter to capaitalize and swipe down on it to do the underlying number/symbol? That’s what I’ve got at the moment on my keyboard, but it was removed from the play store years ago, so would like to move on
If it uses diagonal swipes on the keys to do that, might be unexpected keyboard…
