How to change the keyboard on Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro: a complete guide with pictures and tips

Why Users Change Keyboards to Redmi 8 Pro and When to Change

The standard MIUI keyboard on the Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro is a compromise between functionality and performance. It is optimized for the Chinese market, so Russian-speaking users often face inconveniences: slow input, lack of proper smileys or incorrect autocorrection. But before you rush to change the keyboard, it is worthwhile to figure out whether this will really solve your problems.

The main reasons for the change:

• 🔄 Incorrect auto-enter – the keyboard substitutes the wrong words or ignores the Russian layout.
• 🐢 Slowdowns in printing – lags occur due to overload MIUI or conflict with other applications.
• 🎨 Inconvenient design – too large buttons, no dark theme or unreadable font.
• 🔒 No features – no gesture input, voice dialing, or sync with other devices.

But it's not always the keyboard that's to blame, for example, if the characters are late in entering the keyboard. 1-2 Even after changing the application, the problem may lie in the congested memory of the phone or conflict with the shell. MIUI 12/13. In this case, first you should clear the system cache in Settings. → Annexes → Application management → keyboard.

Method 1: Install an alternative keyboard via Google Play

The easiest and safest method is to download the keyboard from the official store. The Redmi 8 Pro works best with Gboard (from Google), SwiftKey (from Microsoft) or Chroom (for lovers of minimalism), all of which support gesture input, multithreading and synchronization of the vocabulary between devices.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Google Play Store and search for an app (e.g., “Gboard – Google Keyboard”).
2. Click Install and wait for the download to be completed.
3. After installation, open the application and follow the setup wizard (select language, theme, allow access to the microphone for voice input).
4. Go back to any field to type (like Notes), swipe down the input line, and the keyboard icon will appear. Click on it and select a new keyboard from the list.

Check the space available (need ≥100 MB)

Turn off battery optimization for keyboard in Settings → Battery

Allow access to contacts (to auto-fill names)

Sync the dictionary with your Google account (if necessary)-->

⚠️ Note: If the new keyboard does not appear in the selection list after installation, go to Settings → System and device → Language and input → Virtual keyboard and manually switch it on, and check if it's blocking. MIUI Installation of third-party keyboards through Settings → Confidentiality → Special permits → Installation of unknown applications.

Method 2: Configure a standard MIUI keyboard without installing third-party applications

Many users don't know that the standard MIUI keyboard can be deeply customized, such as:

• 🎨 Design themes – you can choose dark mode, transparent background or color accents.
• 🔠 Size and sensitivity – adjusting keyboard height and pressing force.
• 🗣️ Voice input – works without the Internet (but requires downloading a language packet).
• 🔄 Gesture input – key swipes for fast printing (similar to SwiftKey Flow).

To open the extended settings:

1. Press the comma (,) on the keyboard → choose ⚙ Settings.
2. Go to Topics for Change Design or Languages and Input for Adding layouts.
3. In addition, turn on Gesture input and adjust sensitivity.

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI missing the gesture settings, reset the keyboard to the factory: → Annexes → Application management → keyboard → Warehouse → Clear the data. It will delete the user dictionary!

💡

To speed up printing on a standard keyboard, turn off key animation in Settings → Additional → Animation when pressed. This will reduce the delay by 0.2-0.3 seconds.

Method 3: Install the keyboard via APK (if Google Play is not available)

If your Redmi 8 Pro doesn’t have Google Play (like Chinese firmware) or you want to install a beta version of the keyboard, you can use it. APK-This method is suitable for power users, as it requires manual permission management.

Instructions:

1. Download APK from a trusted source (e.g. APKMirror). For Gboard, choose the arm64 version (Redmi 8 Pro processor architecture - Snapdragon 665).
2. Transfer the file to your phone (via USB or cloud).
3. Open any file manager (such as Mi File Manager) and run the APK.
4. Allow installation from unknown sources in the window that appears.
5. After installation, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, find a new keyboard and allow it to access the Microphone (for voice input) and Storage (for themes).

⚠️ Attention: Installation APK from unverified sources may lead to data leakage:

• Check the hash of the file (for example, via VirusTotal).
• Turn off the internet during installation (to prevent automatic data sending).
• Do not use modified versions of keyboards (such as those with pre-installed themes) – they often contain spyware.

Method 4: Resetting the keyboard to factory settings

If the keyboard starts to glittle after updating MIUI or installing new applications, sometimes a complete reset of its settings helps.

• 📚 User dictionary (words you have added).
• 🎨 Selected themes and fonts.
• ⚙️ Individual gesture settings and auto-replacement.

How to reset:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the MIUI keyboard (or the name of your current keyboard).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Once you reset, the keyboard will go back to "as it was after you bought it."

• Add the layout languages.
• Set up auto-replacement and text prediction.
• Download offline packets for voice input (if you use).

💡

Resetting the keyboard does not delete the system language packets, but erases all user data. If after reset the problem remains - it is not the keyboard, but the system conflict (for example, with the MIUI shell or other application).

Method 5: Use the keyboard via ADB (for advanced users)

If you want to install a keyboard that is not available in Google Play for your region (like Japanese IME or Fleksy), you can use ADB. This method requires connecting the phone to your computer and basic command line knowledge.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install Platform Tools (includes ADB).
2. On the phone, turn on Developer Mode: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and press 7 times on this item.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
4. Connect your phone to your PC via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
5. Open the command prompt (cmd) in the folder with ADB and do:

adb devices


adb shell pm install -r path to file.apk




adb shell ime enable com.example.keyboard/.Class




adb shell ime set com.example.keyboard/.Class

Replace the path to file.apk with the real path to the downloaded keyboard, and the com.example.keyboard with its batch name (you can find out through the APK-analyzer like APKTool).

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB may lead to:

• 🔄 Reset the default keyboard to the system.
• 🚫 Blocking the installation of third-party keyboards (if disable) MIUI Optimization).
• 🐞 The appearance of artifacts when entering (e.g., repetitive symbols).

Problem Solving: The keyboard doesn’t change or disappears

Sometimes, after you install a new keyboard, it doesn't appear on your choice list or disappears after you reboot, and here are the most common reasons and ways to fix them:

If none of these methods worked, try:

1. Remove keyboard updates through Settings → Annexes → ⋮ → Remove updates.
2. Reverse the system to the previous version of MIUI (if the problem has occurred after the update).
3. Perform a reset of the phone to the factory settings (pre-saving data).

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing the keyboard to Redmi 8 Pro