Gboard, Google’s official keyboard, does not actually need an introduction for many Android customers! Most Android smartphones use Gboard because the default keyboard. I’ve relied on Gboard more often than not I’ve pushed a every day Android smartphone, and the expertise has been first rate. I additionally love that it presents well-integrated options, together with a built-in clipboard, multi-language help, in-line translation, and extra.
Nevertheless, the shortage of customization and management has been a bottleneck from the get-go. Whereas some customization choices, comparable to themes and colours, can be found, you may’t actually customise the typing expertise past a sure restrict. There’s additionally the issue with privateness, provided that you do not actually management what occurs to your knowledge. The second you half with a Google account, all these fancy options stop to be helpful.
Given these circumstances, an open-source, offline-first Gboard different should sound like an incredible concept. That is what LeanType supplied, and I made a decision to strive it.
Associated
I attempted an open-source keyboard to cease Google from studying my typing habits
I gave up Gboard after studying what actually occurs to your typing knowledge
LeanType supplied a brand-new expertise
And an in depth setup course of
Credit score: Abhijith N Arjunan/MakeUseOf
Coming from Gboard, LeanType presents a brand-new expertise for most individuals. For starters, it claims to be an open-source, AI-enhanced keyboard that you should use without spending a dime whereas having fun with the total set of options.
You must also word that LeanType isn’t constructed from the bottom up. As an alternative, it’s a fork of HeliBoard, one other widespread open-source Android keyboard. Nevertheless, in comparison with HeliBoard, LeanType presents a number of enhancements that make a day-and-night distinction in the way you sort in your Android smartphone. It additionally means you’d discover a number of issues acquainted should you’ve tried HeliBoard earlier than.
LeanType retains lots of HeliBoard’s core options, together with customized dictionary help, versatile keyboard themes, a number of keyboard layouts, multilingual typing, glide typing, clipboard historical past, and a break up keyboard. These options are sufficient to supply the core typing expertise you are aware of on Gboard — with out the privateness considerations, in fact.
I ought to admit that the setup course of is somewhat detailed. It may be a bit extra complicated relying on the options you want, say, AI-powered capabilities. As a result of the app is not obtainable on the Play Retailer, you will need to side-load the APK file. After set up, you may configure further choices. As soon as this half was accomplished, I might take pleasure in a seamless typing expertise with LeanType.
I quickly realized that LeanType presents rather a lot, making the comparatively lengthier set up worthwhile.
OS
Android
Developer
LeanBitLab
Worth mannequin
Free
LeanType is an free, open-source keyboard with on-line and offline AI enhancing options
You may select between offline AI, on-line AI, or no AI
LeanType actually respects your privateness
With Gboard, your solely choice is to conform to what you’re presupposed to conform to and begin utilizing the app with out even wanting beneath the hood. LeanType, alternatively, presents a number of choices based mostly on the extent of privateness and options you need. You see this at its finest throughout the set up course of. LeanType helps you to select between three set up varieties:
- Customary Model: This model offers you entry to the total set of options, together with AI Proofreading, AI Translation, Gesture Library, and extra. It additionally means the keyboard would require web entry if you end up utilizing these AI options.
- Offline Model: You may select this model if you wish to use offline neural proofreading as an alternative of on-line AI proofreading. The keyboard doesn’t use the web for any objective by any means, so this can be a fairly nice choice for privateness purists.
- Offline Lite Model: Simply because Lean Kind presents AI-powered options doesn’t suggest you need to use these options. This model presents an AI-free typing expertise.
I attempted putting in the app in all 3 ways, and the typing expertise was spectacular. With the usual model, I needed to join an API key to arrange the AI perform, however the offline model works surprisingly nicely. The setup course of, which includes downloading the AI recordsdata, takes a few minutes, however the outcomes had been fairly spectacular. Provided that I exploit the AI for normal duties like proofreading or checking for punctuation errors in what I’ve typed, I did not discover any delays. The system appeared good as a result of I did not must ship all my ideas and messages to a third-party server.
That is the sort of freedom that I am unable to think about Google providing.
You get a beautiful set of options
They usually provide a clean typing expertise
Privateness enhancements are nice, however they do not make a lot sense if the consumer expertise is poor. LeanType did not disappoint right here.
Its AI-powered options are nicely built-in into the keyboard expertise. For example, you should use on-line or offline AI to proofread your textual content or translate it into one other language. It’s also possible to arrange customized AI keys that may aid you cope with sure issues. For example, you may create an editor key or a proofreader key that may routinely choose the textual content that you’ve typed and run it by means of the AI mannequin.
Associated
This good new Android keyboard makes typing easy
I converse and this keyboard varieties, and it is rattling good.
You get an insane quantity of management over options like textual content correction, too. Positive, Gboard helps you to management the fundamentals of textual content correction and options, however you recover from a dozen management factors with LeanType. The app continues to respect your privateness in terms of options as nicely.
The Preferences part of LeanType helps you to customise how the keyboard seems and feels. You should utilize this part to simply handle options comparable to Enter, Further keys, and Clipboard administration. Including a everlasting quantity row or putting a language swap secret’s a simple choice.
Another noteworthy options of this keyboard embrace:
- A power incognito mode, which prevents the keyboard from studying new phrases
- A touchpad mode that allows you to simply transfer between characters and edit the textual content
- Superior management over the AI toolbar and options
General, you do not lose options once you shift from Gboard to this privacy-conscious Android keyboard. If something, you get some superb options that Google has but to introduce.
You do not have to care about privateness to strive LeanType
There is no such thing as a denying the extent of privateness enhancements LeanType presents in comparison with one thing like Gboard. Even so, this dedication to privateness does not must be your solely cause for switching to this keyboard. As I’ve clearly proven, the options constructed into this keyboard are fairly superior, and it helps you to allow AI-powered proofreading and enhancing, probably freed from value. Even once you select the web AI choice, you may simply get a free Gemini API key to get began. However as I mentioned, the offline AI mannequin does a powerful job.
