If you only need roughly the same layout, you are able to replicate it without too much programming skills with the open source AnySoftKeyboard. Just fork it and create your own board. If you need assistance, I'm glad to give you a bit of help.
this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2024
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I just woke up and your comment is one of the first things I've read today and already you've made my day. You're a wonderful person.
That's extremely kind of you to offer; unfortunately my programming skills are non-existent and I wouldn't even know where to begin forking AnySoft (which is nice for its swipe-typing). More than anything it's the hexagonal-shaped keys I like because they're fingertip-shaped. AnySoft is great in many ways, but suffers a bit from too much menu diving; otherwise its customizability is fantastic. If only it had hexagonal keys! But if it did have that type of keyboard as an option, then the user would probably lose the swipe typing feature, yes?
You could try posting or sending in a feature request.
Like on github? (I think AnySoft's on github . . . )
GitHub is evil, but yes. If that's where they have a bug tracker, that would probably be the preferred place for suggestions. Also you can browse other tickets. There should be a tab saying "issues" or something like that. Posting will need an account, almost certainly.
I've tried FOSS keyboards, but always return to Gboard, my particular needs are: Swype and bilingual suggestions (English and Spanish). There are alternatives for Swype style, but none works good with bilingual language.
As an alternative I use, Unexpected keyboard, very good and small, is like a better and updated hacker's keyboard (abandoned). Give this a try. Very useful specially with Termux or similar.
I use Microsoft SwiftKey for the same reasons, find it hard to switch or get used to anything else.
Having used SwiftKey since before Microsoft acquired them, I'm a little annoyed at all the shit they've tacked onto the keyboard (like no, I don't need Bing and ChatGPT in my keyboard, thank you very much). But nothing else let's me mix languages in the same way as SwiftKey.
Have you tried HeliBoard with FUTO Voice Input? It has multi language support & multi lingual switching. Found it very accurate when dictating messages but understandably not so great with uncommon names or places. But you can input words (like a personal dictionary) & I've found it will then use the learned words. Here's a demonstration
Thanks for the suggestion, but I really, really dislike voice to text input.
For me Gborad's best feature is the speech to text function, I find it to be very accurate. Since I've started using it, I barely type anything at all.
There is a lack of normal polished FOSS keyboard, not to think about experiments like that.
Have you tried Heliboard with swiping?
This is what I currently use. The best for me but still lacks things like having multiple languages at the same time.
It has that! 😃 Long press a language in de settings, a pop up menu opens, and add a second language there.
Thank you!
Heliboard language supports is limited, not on par with Google or Microsoft Android keyboard unfortunately. Especially for non-alphabet language.
Is anything wrong with using aosp version?