How to change your default keyboard on Android

The keyboard on Android is usually Gboard for obvious reasons — both are made by Google and they obviously want their own products on their phones. But nobody can dictate what you use, and if you decide Gboard is not for you, you can change to something else. Here is how to change your default keyboard on Android.

Read more: The best Android keyboards for all kinds of typists

How to change your default keyboard on Android

Before we start, we should point out that the following tutorial was done using an Android Pixel 4 with stock Android installed. If you are using a different model of phone with a customized version of Android, the settings part may vary. But it’s not that difficult that you can’t work 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 onto your phone.

Once you have installed SwiftKey, open it up and start going through the on-screen prompts to get it set up.

At one point, you will be asked to confirm which keyboard you want to use. Select SwiftKey (or whatever keyboard you have installed as your default.)

Once you have finished the set-up process in the keyboard app, go into your phone’s settings and go to System–>Languages & input. Under Keyboards, you should see the name of the now-default keyboard. Tap On-screen keyboard to double-check that everything has been done properly.

Make sure that the keyboard you want as your default on Android is toggled on, and that the other installed keyboards are toggled off.

When you leave your default keyboard toggled on, your phone will ask you to confirm your choice. Tap OK to proceed.