Gboard, Google’s official keyboard, doesn’t really need an introduction for most Android users! Most Android smartphones use Gboard as the default keyboard. I have relied on Gboard most of the time I’ve driven a daily Android smartphone, and the experience has been decent. I also love that it offers well-integrated features, including a built-in clipboard, multi-language support, in-line translation, and more.
However, the lack of customization and control has been a bottleneck from the get-go. While some customization options, such as themes and colors, are available, you can’t really customize the typing experience beyond a certain limit. There is also the problem with privacy, given that you don’t really control what happens to your data. The moment you part with a Google account, all those fancy features cease to be useful.
Given these circumstances, an open-source, offline-first Gboard alternative must sound like an amazing idea. This is what LeanType offered, and I decided to try it.
I tried an open-source keyboard to stop Google from learning my typing habits
I gave up Gboard after learning what really happens to your typing data
LeanType offered a brand-new experience
And a detailed setup process
Coming from Gboard, LeanType offers a brand-new experience for most people. For starters, it claims to be an open-source, AI-enhanced keyboard that you can use for free while enjoying the full set of features.
You should also note that LeanType is not built from the ground up. Instead, it is a fork of HeliBoard, another popular open-source Android keyboard. However, compared to HeliBoard, LeanType offers several improvements that make a day-and-night difference in how you type on your Android smartphone. It also means you’d find a few things familiar if you’ve tried HeliBoard before.
LeanType retains many of HeliBoard’s core features, including custom dictionary support, versatile keyboard themes, multiple keyboard layouts, multilingual typing, glide typing, clipboard history, and a split keyboard. These features are enough to offer the core typing experience you’re familiar with on Gboard — without the privacy concerns, of course.
I should admit that the setup process is a little detailed. It can be a bit more complex depending on the features you need, say, AI-powered functions. Because the app isn’t available on the Play Store, you must side-load the APK file. After installation, you can configure additional options. Once this part was done, I could enjoy a seamless typing experience with LeanType.
I soon realized that LeanType offers quite a lot, making the relatively lengthier installation worthwhile.
- OS
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Android
- Developer
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LeanBitLab
- Price model
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Free
LeanType is an free, open-source keyboard with online and offline AI editing features
You can choose between offline AI, online AI, or no AI
LeanType really respects your privacy
With Gboard, your only option is to agree to what you are supposed to agree to and start using the app without even looking under the hood. LeanType, on the other hand, offers multiple options based on the level of privacy and features you want. You see this at its best during the installation process. LeanType lets you choose between three installation types:
- Standard Version: This version gives you access to the full set of features, including AI Proofreading, AI Translation, Gesture Library, and more. It also means the keyboard will require internet access when you are using these AI features.
- Offline Version: You can choose this version if you want to use offline neural proofreading instead of online AI proofreading. The keyboard does not use the internet for any purpose whatsoever, so this is a pretty great option for privacy purists.
- Offline Lite Version: Just because Lean Type offers AI-powered features doesn’t mean you have to use these features. This version offers an AI-free typing experience.
I tried installing the app in all three ways, and the typing experience was impressive. With the standard version, I had to connect an API key to set up the AI function, but the offline version works surprisingly well. The setup process, which involves downloading the AI files, takes a couple of minutes, but the results were pretty impressive. Given that I use the AI for standard tasks like proofreading or checking for punctuation errors in what I’ve typed, I didn’t notice any delays. The system seemed perfect because I didn’t have to send all my thoughts and messages to a third-party server.
This is the kind of freedom that I can’t imagine Google offering.
You get a wonderful set of features
And they offer a smooth typing experience
Privacy enhancements are great, but they don’t make much sense if the user experience is poor. LeanType didn’t disappoint here.
Its AI-powered features are well integrated into the keyboard experience. For instance, you can use online or offline AI to proofread your text or translate it into another language. You can also set up custom AI keys that will help you deal with certain things. For instance, you can create an editor key or a proofreader key that will automatically select the text that you have typed and run it through the AI model.
This brilliant new Android keyboard makes typing effortless
I speak and this keyboard types, and it’s damn brilliant.
You get an insane amount of control over features like text correction, too. Sure, Gboard lets you control the basics of text correction and suggestions, but you get over a dozen control points with LeanType. The app continues to respect your privacy when it comes to suggestions as well.
The Preferences section of LeanType lets you customize how the keyboard looks and feels. You can use this section to easily manage features such as Input, Additional keys, and Clipboard management. Adding a permanent number row or placing a language switch key is an easy option.
Some other noteworthy features of this keyboard include:
- A force incognito mode, which prevents the keyboard from learning new words
- A touchpad mode that lets you easily move between characters and edit the text
- Advanced control over the AI toolbar and suggestions
Overall, you don’t lose features when you shift from Gboard to this privacy-conscious Android keyboard. If anything, you get some amazing features that Google has yet to introduce.
You don’t have to care about privacy to try LeanType
There is no denying the level of privacy improvements LeanType offers compared to something like Gboard. Even so, this commitment to privacy doesn’t have to be your only reason for switching to this keyboard. As I’ve clearly shown, the features built into this keyboard are pretty awesome, and it lets you enable AI-powered proofreading and editing, potentially free of cost. Even when you choose the online AI option, you can easily get a free Gemini API key to get started. But as I said, the offline AI model does an impressive job.
