I tried replacing Gboard, and this open source keyboard was the only one that impressed me

Gboard has been my default keyboard on Android, and for good reason. Predictive typing works well, multilingual input is seamless, and voice dictation is incredibly convenient.

Recently, I started wondering if I’d been relying on it a little too much. It made me curious if there are any good alternatives left, or has Gboard become the only real option?

During my search, an open source alternative called Unexpected Keyboard stood out because it takes a completely different approach. Surprisingly, it was the only one that made me seriously consider switching.

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By  Dhruv Bhutani

Most keyboards today feel surprisingly similar

When you browse the Play Store for keyboard apps, you’ll notice that many of them follow the same blueprint. They offer swipe typing, emoji search, themes, and sometimes a few AI-powered features.

Popular alternatives, like Microsoft SwiftKey or Fleksy, are still excellent keyboards, but they don’t fundamentally change how typing works on Android. They compete with Gboard by providing various prediction engines and customization options.

There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but if you’re already comfortable with Gboard, switching to one of these keyboards rarely feels transformative.

That’s why Unexpected Keyboard caught my attention almost immediately. It doesn’t try to imitate mainstream keyboards at all.

A gesture-based keyboard designed for efficiency

The most distinctive feature of Unexpected Keyboard is its gesture system. Instead of forcing you to switch between multiple keyboard layouts to access numbers and symbols, it places many of those characters directly on the main keyboard.

At first glance, the keyboard appears a little unusual. Each key displays several small characters around its edges, which represent symbols you can access by swiping in different directions.

For example, tapping a key types the normal letter, while swiping upward enters a number. Swiping left or right lets you move the cursor, and diagonal swipes give you access to punctuation and additional symbols.

This design lets users type symbols such as parentheses, quotation marks, and slashes without needing to switch to a separate symbol page.

It takes a little time to learn, but after you get used to it, the system feels surprisingly efficient. I found myself typing URLs, passwords, and formatted text much faster because the symbols I needed were only a quick gesture away.

It’s especially useful for technical typing

Unexpected Keyboard was originally designed with developers and technical users in mind, and that becomes obvious when you explore the layout.

The keyboard includes keys that are rarely available on mobile keyboards, such as Tab, Esc, arrow keys, and modifier keys like Ctrl and Alt. These keys are incredibly helpful when using terminal apps, remote servers, or development environments on a phone.

Before discovering Unexpected Keyboard, I occasionally relied on Hacker’s Keyboard for tasks like this. For years, it was the go-to option for users who wanted a desktop-style keyboard layout on Android.

Unfortunately, Hacker’s Keyboard hasn’t been getting updates, and was removed from the Play Store.

Unexpected Keyboard feels like a modern replacement for that niche. It still offers the extra keys power users appreciate, but it also introduces the gesture system that makes symbol typing far more efficient.

It’s not just for programmers

Despite its reputation as a developer’s keyboard, Unexpected Keyboard isn’t only useful for programmers.

Many everyday typing tasks involve symbols that are surprisingly annoying to access on standard keyboards. Think about how often you type email addresses, URLs, parentheses, quotation marks, slashes, and brackets.

Normally, you have to tap a button to switch keyboard layouts to insert one of these characters. Unexpected Keyboard makes many symbols available directly from the main layout with quick swipes.

After using it for a while, I noticed that typing links and passwords became much more fluid.

A few tips that make a big difference

After you get comfortable with Unexpected Keyboard, you start noticing little features that make it far more capable than it first appears.

For example, you can type uppercase letters directly from the main layout without using the Shift key. A quick clockwise half-circle swipe on a letter does the job, which feels surprisingly natural after a bit of practice.

The keyboard also features dedicated Ctrl, Alt, and Fn keys, which unlock desktop-style shortcuts on Android. That means you can use familiar combinations like Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + V to paste, and Ctrl + Z to undo.

There’s even a full Fn layer that gives you access to function keys (F1 to F12), punctuation, currency symbols, and other special characters, without leaving the keyboard.

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If you want to go further, you can create custom layouts, tailoring the keyboard to your typing style.

That said, it’s not perfect. One notable drawback is the lack of autocorrect, which can make casual typing slower if you rely heavily on predictions.

A keyboard that puts privacy first

Another reason Unexpected Keyboard appealed to me is its simplicity and transparency.

Unlike many mainstream keyboards, it’s fully open source. That means its code is publicly available and anyone can inspect it.

It also avoids many of the features that modern keyboards rely on, such as cloud-based prediction systems or heavy background processing. The keyboard doesn’t send your typing data to external servers, and it remains extremely lightweight compared to most alternatives.

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By  Andy Boxall

The only keyboard that made me rethink Gboard

Exploring Unexpected Keyboard reminded me why Android’s open ecosystem remains exciting, although I didn’t completely abandon Gboard.

It may not be the ideal keyboard for everyone, and it certainly requires some time to get used to.

But if you enjoy experimenting with unusual Android apps or want a lightweight keyboard that respects your privacy, it’s easily one of the most interesting options available today.