The modern smartphone has become a universal tool for work and communication, where speed and ease of typing play a critical role. Owners of budget and mid-budget devices such as the Xiaomi Redmi 9 often face the need to adapt standard interface settings to their individual preferences.
In this article, we will go into detail all aspects of the configuration of the keyboard in the MIUI shell that is installed on your device. You will learn how to change the layout, add new languages, change the appearance and even install third-party applications for more advanced text management. Deep customization is available to everyone, regardless of their level of technical training.
Google's standard solution, which is pre-installed on most Redmi 9 devices, offers a wide range of functionality hidden by default. Understanding how system text input works will help you avoid typing errors and exploit the hidden capabilities of the gadget. Let's start to explore the options available in detail.
Select and install the keyboard on Redmi 9
The first step in the personalization process is choosing the right typed software. In the factory, Gboard is usually built into the device, which is considered one of the most reliable options in the Android market. However, Xiaomi users have the option to choose any alternative from the Google Play store if the standard one does not suit them.
It's not enough to download it to activate a new app. Android security requires explicit permission to use the input method. Go to Settings menu, then select Additional and find Language and Type. This is where the key key keyboard management option is located.
In the list that opens, you'll see all the typing apps you've installed, and you'll need to activate a switch opposite the name you want, like SwiftKey or Yandex Keyboard, and then you'll have a security alert that you need to confirm by pressing OK, and then the new keyboard will be available to switch.
⚠️ Note: Install text entry apps only from trusted sources, such as Google Play, to avoid password and personal data theft.
There are several popular options that Redmi 9 owners should consider:
- 📱 Gboard is a standard, fast and functional solution from Google with excellent support for voice input.
- 🎨 SwiftKey – leader in predictive keyset and deep keyboard configuration.
- 🇷🇺 Yandex.Keyboard is the best choice for Russian-speaking users thanks to a powerful autocorrector.
- 🚀 Chrooma – lightweight keyboard with adaptive color design, useful for devices with a small amount of RAM.
Language settings and input layouts
Multilingualism is a key feature of modern smartphones. On Xiaomi Redmi 9, you can use multiple languages simultaneously, switching between them with one touch. To add a new language, open the active keyboard settings through the Language and Input menu or through the gear icon in the keyboard hint bar.
In Languages, click Add keyboard and select the country and layout you want, and the system will prompt you to download the necessary dictionaries for offline work, which is especially important for autocorrection and word prediction, which work much more accurately when you have loaded language packs.
Switching between languages is done by clicking on the globe icon or space icon, depending on the theme you choose. If you have multiple languages on, a long click on the space will trigger a quick selection menu, which allows you to instantly change the alphabet without diving deep into the settings menu.
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Use the Multilingual Input function in Gboard settings so that the keyboard itself determines the language of the typed text and does not emphasize the correct words with a red line.
Please note the following parameters in the language section:
- 🌍 Regional options – the ability to choose, for example, English (USA) or English (UK), which affects the spelling.
- 🔤 The lettering – the choice between QWERTY, QWERTZ or AZERTY depending on the user's habits.
- 📝 Handwriting – an option for entering text by drawing characters with your finger on the screen.
Change in size, font and theme of design
The visual component of the keyboard on Redmi 9 is flexible. Resizing the keyboard is a popular request, as standard height can be uncomfortable for users with large fingers or using one hand. In the Gboard settings, go to Settings → Keyboard settings → Keyboard height.
There's a slider that can change the keyboard height from 30 percent to 150 percent of the standard, and the size increases make the keys bigger and easier to press, which reduces the number of typos, and the size decreases, in turn, free up useful screen space for viewing content in messengers.
The themes allow you to personalize your device to your liking. You can choose the color of the background, change the color of the keys themselves, and even set a live wallpaper or your own photo from the gallery. To access these features, click on the palette icon or select the Topic item in the keyboard settings menu.
| Setup parameter | Where to find out. | Impact on work |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard height | Settings → Height | Increases or decreases the area of the keys |
| Pressing sound | Settings → Sound when pressed | Adds an acoustic response to each touch |
| Vibration. | Settings → Vibration when pressed | Creates a tactile sense of input confirmation |
| Stretching | Settings → Stretching the keyboard | Moves the keyboard left or right for convenience |
⚠️ Warning: Installing too bright or contrasting themes can lead to faster battery consumption. AMOLED-screens, if used in the dark.
Set up autocorrection and predictive set
Smart text input is a feature that distinguishes modern smartphones from push-button predecessors. On Xiaomi Redmi 9, the autocorrection system automatically corrects typos in real time. However, sometimes it can be too aggressive, swapping correct but rare words for common ones.
To adjust the sensitivity of the fixes, go to Settings → Text Correction. Here you can turn on or off the autocorrect function. If you type very quickly or use specific vocabulary, completely disabling autocorrect may be more convenient, although it will require more care.
Predictive text shows you how to continue a phrase over a keyboard, and learning this system automatically: the more you type, the more accurately the algorithm guesses your thoughts, and you can also add words to your personal dictionary so that they are never labeled as errors.
How to reset the keyboard dictionary?
Additional smart input capabilities include:
- 🗣️ Voice input – allows you to dictate text with high recognition accuracy.
- ✂️ Clipboard – Preserving the history of copied fragments for quick insertion.
- 🔍 Google Search – Built-in search bar for instant information finding without leaving chat.
Using one-hand mode and sharing the keyboard
Redmi 9 screen size is 6.53 inches, which makes it quite large for one-handed control. To solve this problem, the developers have implemented a one-hand mode, activate it by swiping a finger from the edge of the keyboard to the center (if the appropriate gesture setting is enabled), or through the settings menu Mode with one hand.
In this mode, the keyboard is compressed and shifted to the left or right edge of the screen, leaving the rest of the display free. This makes it much easier to type with your thumbs when the second hand is occupied.
Another useful feature is splitting the keyboard in the middle, which is especially relevant for tablets, but on larger smartphones in horizontal mode, it can also be convenient. Separation allows you to place the typing areas around the edges of the screen, which is ergonomic for printing with two thumbs in landscape mode.
☑️ Verification of ergonomics of input
When you return to standard mode, all controls return to their normal places, and this is a dynamic setup that doesn't require you to restart the application.
Solving and resetting keyboard settings
During operation, users of Xiaomi Redmi 9 may encounter a situation where the keyboard stops responding to clicks, freezes or disappears when the text field starts. Most often, the problem lies in a crowded application cache or a conflict of system processes. The first step should always be to restart the device.
If the reboot didn’t work, you need to clear the keyboard data. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find your keyboard (like Gboard) and select Clear → All data. This action will return the settings to factory settings, delete the learned words, but often solves software glitches.
In rare cases, the problem may be related to a MIUI update. After a major firmware update, the old keyboard settings may conflict with the new algorithms, and in this situation, it is recommended to check for updates to the keyboard application itself in Google Play.
⚠️ Note: Before clearing your data, make sure you remember your passwords from important accounts, as the autocomplete feature may stop working before re-authorization.
The main steps to diagnose problems:
- 🔄 Reboot – a universal tool to eliminate temporary failures in the OS.
- 🧹 Cache Clearance – Delete temporary files that may have been corrupted.
- ⚙️ Resetting – Returning the keyboard to its original state without removing the application itself.
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In 90% of cases, keyboard problems on Redmi 9 are solved by simply cleaning the app cache or updating it through Google Play.