If Gboard is one of the best Android keyboard, why do I like this various a lot?

I’ve lengthy believed that Gboard is the Android keyboard king. In any case, it’s made by Android’s creator, gives a laundry record of useful options, and is entrenched deep inside Google’s ecosystem. Nevertheless, my current expertise with one other keyboard makes me query this perception.

I usually hunt down new, thrilling alternate options to established apps, even these I assumed I might by no means ditch. With Gboard subsequent on the chopping block, I stumbled throughout an app known as HeliBoard — a easy Android keyboard that focuses on privateness and ease. Regardless of my preliminary quibbles, I’ve not but felt the necessity to swap again to Gboard. The truth is, I could by no means look again.

Leaping from Gboard to Heliboard seems like ditching a comfortable SUV for a compact metropolis runabout, however this isn’t essentially a downgrade. Initially, getting used to the change was difficult, however I finally warmed to the latter’s zippy ease.

Whereas Gboard is able to use from the get-go, HeliBoard calls for extra tinkering earlier than any dependable keystrokes will be made. This app is a boon for tinkerers like me however will undoubtedly annoy those that desire readymade options. Aesthetically, HeliBoard is much extra malleable than its up to date, providing three keyboard kinds, a extra fluid colour mixture through colour pickers, and a genuinely helpful customizable toolbar.

This toolbar resides on the prime of the keyboard and permits fast entry to a number of very important shortcuts. Every of those myriad components is customizable and movable. In case you activate your numpad manually and do it usually, you possibly can scoot that toolbar shortcut to the primary place within the line. I’ve grown fairly keen on shortly deciding on all textual content, tapping the undo/redo buttons and the directional buttons, which permits me to maneuver by particular person letters extra simply.

In case you’re multilingual, switching between tongues is tremendous straightforward. Press and maintain the spacebar, choose your tertiary language, and off you go. Some languages don’t have dictionaries to again them, so ideas and predictions disappear. Like Gboard, customers can choose completely different popup key orders, trace sources, and keyboard layouts for every language. HeliBoard will robotically swap to AZERTY when deciding on French and again to QWERTY when English is required.

Pound for pound, HeliBoard can’t match Gboard’s cumbersome characteristic set. Some possible really feel that these enhancements, like content material discovery, built-in search, fast emoji entry, and Emoji Kitchen smarts, are strengths, however I see them as bloat. Typically, you simply want a keyboard, nothing extra. HeliBoard cuts all this from its coffers, dashing up its operation and my system by specializing in the core keyboard expertise.

HeliBoard isn’t threadbare and does help just a few normal Gboard options, together with phrase ideas and gesture typing, however each require guide activation. The latter calls for you put in a closed-source swipe library that’s, sarcastically, from Google. Nevertheless, that’s factor. HeliBoard acknowledges my gestures as deliberately and readily as Google’s product. Solutions do require extra compelled studying, although. I need to hand-hold the keyboard to make sure future suggestions propel my typing velocity slightly than sluggish it down. Nevertheless, that is additionally the case with Gboard when you find yourself simply getting began or disabling personalizations.

And therein lies the opposite HeliBoard benefit: privateness. Whereas Gboard logs utilization information (when you enable it) to enhance the service, HeliBoard has no web permissions and can’t hook up with the net. For hermits like me, it is a consolation. I typically don’t enable apps to smell my utilization stats, however even when this toggle is off, the keyboard nonetheless scours the web to search out that good GIF when demanded. As talked about, Gboard’s personalization service enhances its operation — it’s one of many causes it’s such product — however I’ve grown extra involved about how I feed info into my system. HeliBoard forces me to rethink how I take advantage of my keyboard, which I respect.

Whilst a fan of HeliBoard, I can’t advocate you select it over Gboard. Regardless of its strengths and disregarding my affection for it, the keyboard is just not prepared for a broad consumer set. It’s buggy in methods Gboard simply isn’t. The emoji library is damaged and the toolbar usually goes lacking fully. Different options, like voice typing and the clipboard library, additionally are likely to clean out the keyboard, forcing me to bypass these options fully.

Regardless of its swift operation, oodles of customization choices, and privacy-first philosophy, HeliBoard nonetheless wants a lot polish. This refinement will are available in time. I’m blissful to make use of it as my principal typewriter for now. It does the fundamentals nicely, offering a nice typing expertise; that’s all I really want.

Are there another Gboard alternate options on the market?

Keyboards are extremely private apps that kind round our wants, so I can’t say one is unquestionably higher for you. Nevertheless, listed below are 4 which can be nicely price making an attempt.

• Florisboard: With fast growth and the promise of extensions, Florisboard will likely be a keyboard to look at sooner or later. It’s nonetheless present process testing and isn’t fairly prepared for the large time.
• Microsoft SwiftKey: Now laden with AI options, SwiftKey isn’t the identical product I as soon as used religiously. Whereas the Copilot integration is cool, and its autocorrection smarts are second to none, it’s presently affected by characteristic bloat. That stated, it’s the closest pound-for-pound Gboard rival.
• FUTO Keyboard: A keyboard from the builders behind GrayJay and Immich, FUTO Keyboard is another choice nonetheless in alpha however has potential. It packs a clear, enticing design, native swipe typing, and offline voice enter.
• Surprising Keyboard: A wonderful keyboard that isn’t talked about practically as usually because it ought to. It depends on faucets and directional button swipes to entry particular characters shortly.