How to add language to the Android keyboard Xiaomi: step-by-step guide

Changing the input language is one of the most basic but often difficult tasks when you first set up a smartphone or flash it over. Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices are faced with the fact that only one or two main languages are activated by default, and the desired layout, for example, Kazakh, Armenian or specific English, is missing, which creates a noticeable discomfort, especially if you are used to a certain character arrangement or use a specific phonetic layout.

In Android, which is the basis of the MIUI or HyperOS shell, the input language management is placed in a separate deep settings section that is not directly related to the interface language of the phone itself. Many users mistakenly search for the layout in the general settings of the system, where only the menu language changes. It is important to understand that the interface language and the keyboard language are two different parameters that are configured independently from each other through different paths.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the nuances of adding new languages to the standard Gboard keyboard, which is preinstalled on most of the Chinese brand’s current smartphones. You’ll learn how to activate hidden layouts, how to switch between them in one click, and what to do if the language you want is physically absent from the list of available options. Adding rare languages often requires preloading the language package through the settings menu of the keyboard itself, rather than the system.

Diagnostics of the current keyboard and version verification

Before you start taking active steps to change the configuration, you need to make sure which keyboard is installed by default. On Xiaomi smartphones of recent years, Google’s Gboard is most often used, but in some regions or on older models, there may be a MIUI Keyboard or a third-party solution from Sogou. The type of application directly depends on the algorithm of your further actions.

You can check the current input application through system settings. You need to go to the Advanced Settings section, then select Language and Input. Here, at the top of the screen, the active keyboard will be displayed. If it says "Gboard", then you're lucky: it's the most functional tool with hundreds of languages and constant database updates.

• 📱 Open your smartphone settings and find the section "Additional settings".
• ⌨️ Go to the Language and Input menu to check the current application.
• 🔄 Make sure the version of the keyboard app is updated through the Google Play Store.
• 👀 Note the presence of the "Current Keyboard" at the top of the screen.

If you find that you have an outdated version of Gboard or a third-party keyboard with limited functionality, the process of adding the language may be different or impossible without installing additional software. In such cases, it is recommended to update the application immediately through the Play Market store, as older versions may not contain current dictionaries or have bugs in the display of the list of languages.

Instructions for adding language to Gboard

The process of activating the new layout in Gboard is as unified as possible, but requires careful navigation through the nested menus. The algorithm of actions is the same for all Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco models, regardless of the Android version.

You need to get directly into the settings menu of the keyboard itself, and you can do this in two ways: through general Android settings or through a menu called right while you're printing, and the second way is often more convenient, because it allows you to see the results of the changes instantly.

Consider the classic path through the system menu. Go to Settings on your smartphone, go down to Settings, and select Language and input. Then click on Keyboard Management or the name of an active keyboard (like Gboard). In the window that opens, select Languages, and that's where the full list of all the layouts available in the world is located.

⚠️ Note: If you are in a region where Google restrictions apply, the list of languages may be truncated, in which case the addition of the language is possible only after changing the region in the settings of the Google account or using the language. VPN at the initial loading of the package.

Inside the language section, you'll see a list of layouts that have already been added. To add a new one, scroll down to the bottom and click Add keyboard. The alphabetic index will open. Find the language you want, like "English (US)" or "Kazakh." Once you select, the system will offer you several layout options: QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY or handwriting. Choose your preferred one and confirm the action.

Once successfully added, the new language will appear on the active list, so you can switch between it and other languages when you type, and if you add multiple variants of the same language (e.g. U.S. English and U.K. English), the switch will occur within the same language group without having to press additional buttons.

Alternative method of activation through the printing panel

There is a faster way to manage languages that doesn't require diving into deep settings menus, and it's especially convenient when you need to quickly add a temporary layout to enter a password or a short message, and it works directly on the lock screen or in any text field.

Open any application that requires text input, such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or the browser search box. When the keyboard appears, look at the toolbar above the rows of letters. It usually has a gear or globe icon. If you press and hold the globe icon (or gears, depending on the version of Gboard), the context menu will open.

In the menu that appears, select Settings or Change Language. The system will take you straight to the desired section of the Gboard menu, described in the previous chapter. However, there is an even faster option: if there are already several options in the list of active languages, simply dragging your finger on the space key or the globe icon can instantly change the language. But to add a new language, you still have to go to the language management menu through a long tap on the globe icon.

• 🖱️ Open any application with a text field (Notes, Messages).
• 🌐 Find and hold your finger on the globe or gear icon on the keyboard panel.
• ➕ In the menu that appears, select "Language Settings" to go to the list of layouts.
• ✅ Activate the language you want if it’s on the list, or add a new one.

This method is good for its speed, but it is less informative for beginners, since it does not show a complete list of all possible configuration options, such as choosing the type of layout (phonetic or standard), so it is still recommended to use the full path through the system settings for the initial configuration of the device.

Configuring layout and types of input

Just adding a language isn't enough -- it's important to customize it to your habits. Gboard offers an impressive selection of layout types for most languages. This is especially true for non-Latin languages like Arabic, Hindi, Thai or Amharic, where standard layout can be uncomfortable for a user accustomed to Latin.

When selecting a language in the add-on menu, the system often offers several options, such as standard YTSUKEN, phonetic (transliteration) and handwriting are available for Russian. For English, you can choose QWERTY or Dvorak. Choosing the wrong layout type can cause the letters to be placed randomly from the user's point of view, making printing impossible.

To change the layout type for a language you have already added, you go to the language menu, click on the language name (e.g., "Russian") and select from the list of available options. If you accidentally choose the wrong type, you don't have to delete the entire language, just reconfigure it. This will save the word history and personal dictionaries accumulated for the language.

⚠️ Note: When switching the layout type (e.g., from standard to phonetic), predictive typing (autocorrection) may not work properly in the first minutes until the algorithm adapts to the new printing style.

Also worth mentioning is the voice input feature, which activates automatically for most added languages if the device has Google voice packs installed, which allows you to dictate text rather than type it, which is extremely convenient for long messages, and voice input also supports language switching on the fly if the automatic language definition option is enabled in the Gboard settings.

Managing Multilingual Input and Auto-Switching

One of the most useful features of a modern keyboard is the ability to use multiple languages simultaneously without constantly manually switching. Gboard can automatically detect which language you are typing in and suggest appropriate words and corrections, which is called multilingual input.

To activate this feature, you need to select the option "Multilingual input" in the language menu or just make sure that several languages are selected, in which case the keyboard will analyze the characters you enter. If you start writing a word in English, it will switch the dictionary even if the Russian language is formally active.

Switching between active languages is done in several ways:

• 🔄 A brief click on the globe icon (if it is included in the interface).
• 👆 Swipe (swipe) on the space to the left or right.
• ⌨️ Long-click on the space triggers the language selection menu (depending on settings).
• 🌐 Clicking on the language icon displayed on the space button itself (in some themes).

Importantly, the order of languages in the switching list is determined by the order of adding them or manually sorting. In the Gboard languages menu, you can often drag and drop languages, changing their priority. The language that is first on the list after the main one will switch at single tap, and the rest will switch at subsequent taps.

💡

The order of languages in the list determines the priority of switching: the first language in the list is the main language, the second is an additional one, which is called by a quick swipe or tap.

Solution: Languages are not added or disappear

Despite the simplicity of the procedure, Xiaomi users sometimes face technical problems, the most common being the add-on button is inactive (gray) or the language is simply not listed, which may be due to region limitations, an outdated version of the application, or a conflict of system settings MIUI.

If the language is not listed, try changing the region of the device. Go to Settings -> Additional settings -> Region and select, for example, the United States or India. After changing region, reboot your smartphone and check the list of languages in the keyboard again. Often this will unlock access to full language packs.

Another problem is that the keyboard forgets settings after a reboot or spontaneously resets into English, which often happens on devices with heavily modified firmware or when using the "Chinese" versions of smartphones with global firmware, in which case cleaning the keyboard application data helps.

Settings -> Applications -> All applications -> Gboard -> Memory -> Clear data

After this procedure, the keyboard will return to factory settings and you will have to re-add the desired languages, but this often solves the problem with the "glues" of switching. Also make sure that the Gboard application has all the necessary permissions, especially access to storage (for downloading dictionaries) and microphone (for voice input).

⚠️ Warning: Cleaning up your keyboard data will delete all your personal words and autocorrection learning history, and the keyboard will "forget" your type of typing and start offering standard word variants.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions