How to change keyboard on Android phone

Most of the Android stock keyboards that come with a built-in layout and features are pretty good. But we can also customize our Android phone and tablet keyboard's layout and anything else if you wish. You can switch between your stock keyboard and the newly installed keyboard app by doing a minor task.

In this article, we will discuss how to change the keyboard on an Android phone and even use different languages by switching to each other.

Download and install new keyboard app on Android phone

There are multiple keyboard apps that can be found at Google Play Store for try. You can also try the best keyboard apps for Android for your Android device and install them as per your need and device compatibility.

The process of switching from your stock keyboard to any downloaded keyboard app for Android is mostly the same. However, due to the variation of device versions and manufacturers, it is hard to say that. Here, we are using the "Realme" Android device and Google keyboard for Android known as "Gboard" to demonstrate you.

Note: It is suggested to download and install the keyboard app on an Android device from trusted publishers or companies. There might be chances of privacy risk of using apps from untrusted sources on your smartphone.

Download and install new keyboard

1. First of all, visit Google Play Store and search for the Android keyboard (or the keyboard's name "Gboard" in our case).
2. Based on your search result, tap on any one keyboard app you wish to download and install.
3. Now click on the Install button to start the installation process.

How to change your keyboard

After downloading and installing your preferred keyboard, you may be curious to try it. Follow the below-given steps to change your keyboard and start with the newly installed keyboard on Android.

1. Launch the device Settings app on your Android smartphone.
2. Scroll down to the Additional settings (in some devices "System") and tap on it.
3. Click on the "Keyboard & input method."
4. Now, look at the keyboard app you downloaded (Gboard) and tap on it.
   
5. Here, you can customize the Gboard keyboard theme, layout, voice typing, etc., of your choice.
6. Tab on the Language > English (US) to set language and layout.
7. Choose the layout type of your keyboard.
   
8. Go back to the "Keyboard & input method" screen and change the Current keyboard to the "Gboard" keyboard.
9. Open your Gboard keyboard (in any texting app like Messaging app, Google search, etc.).
10. Tab on the keyboard icon appears at the bottom-right corner, and click on the keyboard you want to switch.
    

Customize your Android keyboard

Now, your newly downloaded Android keyboard app is ready to use. However, most of the keyboard app allow changing and customizing keyboard appearance and layout. You can set the custom layout, auto-correct, change the theme, voice typing, and lots more.

You can customize your newly downloaded keyboard (Gboard) app from your app list. If it doesn't show in your apps list, navigate to Settings > Additional settings (in some case "System") > Keyboard & input method. Now click on your keyboard app to open its different customizable features and customize them as you want.

Multilanguage supportable keyboard app for Android (Google Indic Keyboard)

There are several keyboard apps you will found over Play Store that supports multiple language texting. Users can switch from one language to another language and type them by using the same keyboard app. One such example of a keyboard is Google Indic Keyboard. The Google Indic Keyboard app allows you to type words in the English language and your native language on your Android phone.

This app currently supports keyboard for the following languages:

• English
• Hindi
• Bengali
• Punjabi
• Assamese
• Gujarati
• Marathi
• Odia
• Kannada
• Malayalam
• Tamil
• Telugu

If you read your native language on your phone, then the keyboard will support only the above mentioned language on your phone. Google Indic Keyboard app allows us to type in different modes of words and phrases.

• Transliteration mode: In this method, you will type the words in the English language that sounds in your native language output using a physical keyboard. For example, you can type "nameste" in the English language that says "" in Hindi.
• Native Keyboard mode: You can type words and phrases directly to your native script using the keyboard.
• Handwriting mode: You can use handwriting skills to write directly on your phone screen. This feature is currently available for Hindi only.
• Hinglish mode: If you choose "Hindi" as a native input language, your English keyboard suggests both Hinglish and Hindi terms.

How to enable Google Indic Keyboard and set it as the default keyboard?

To set up the Google Indic Keyboard on your Android smartphone, follow the below-mentioned steps:

On Android 5.x and newer versions:

1. Open the device
2. Go to "Language & region."
3. Look for the "Keyboard & input method" and click on it.
4. Go to the Current keyboard and select English & Indic Language (Google Indic Keyboard).

You can also change this setting later while typing in the input box to its default input mode. You can do it by clicking on the keyboard icon that appears at the screen's bottom right.

On Android 4.x versions:

1. Open the device Settings.
2. Go to "Language & input."
3. Under the Keyboard & input methods section, look for the Google Indic Keyboard.
4. Now, click on the Default keyboard and select Google Indic Keyboard from the pop-up screen.