The keyboard on Android is mostly Gboard for obvious reasons – both are made by Google and they obviously want their own products on their phones. But no one can dictate what you use, and if you decide Gboard isn’t for you, you can turn it into something else. Here’s how to change your default keyboard on Android.
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To change the default keyboard on Android, go to the Play Store and install the keyboard you want to use. Once installed, open it and go through the on-screen installation steps. Then go to Settings–>System–>Languages & Input and make sure all other installed keyboards are disabled.
How to Change Your Default Keyboard on Android
Before we begin, we should point out that the following tutorial was done using an Android Pixel 4 with Android installed. If you are using a different phone model with a modified version of Android, the settings section may vary. But it’s not so hard that you can’t figure it out.
There are many third-party Android keyboards to choose from, but today we are going to use SwiftKey. So go to the Play Store and install SwiftKey on your phone.
Once you’ve installed SwiftKey, open it up and start going through the on-screen prompts to set it up.
At some point you will be asked to confirm which keyboard you want to use. Select SwiftKey (or whatever keyboard you have installed as default.)
Once you have completed the setup process in the keyboard app, go to your phone’s settings and go to System–>Languages & Input† below keyboards, you should see the name of the now default keyboard. Tap On-Screen Keyboard to make sure everything is done correctly.
Make sure the keyboard you want to use as the default on Android is enabled and the other installed keyboards are disabled.
When you leave your default keyboard enabled, your phone will ask you to confirm your choice. Tap Okay continue.
The easiest way is to use Gboard, which comes with several downloadable themes and colors.