How to open and configure Google Keyboard on Xiaomi

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the manufacturer’s obsessive desire to use their own software solutions. The standard Sogou or Mi Input keyboard, which is pre-installed on devices, can seem uncomfortable, overloaded with advertising or simply unusual after other brands. Users want to return the familiar Gboard, but the system prevents this by hiding settings or forcibly launching third-party applications when typing.

To make matters worse, the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS has deep layers of protection that don’t allow you to simply change the input method without having to confirm it, you’ll have to go through several menus, turn off the extra notifications, and confirm your actions to let go of the standard keyboard, ostensibly for security, but in practice only annoys the user who wants to type quickly.

In this article, we will take a closer look at how to activate, configure and optimize Google Keyboards on Xiaomi devices, learn how to permanently eliminate pop-ups with a suggestion to change the input method, how to configure swipes and voice input, and how to solve the problem when the keyboard does not appear in the input fields.

System Preparation and Installation of Gboard

Before you try to activate the keyboard, you need to make sure that the corresponding application is even present in the system. On global versions of firmware, Gboard is often installed by default, but in Chinese versions or some regional builds it may not be. Check the list of applications: if the icon with the letter "G" is not, you need to download it from the official Google Play store.

Once installed, the system won't switch automatically. You'll need to manually activate the new input method. To do that, go to Settings, then select the Additional Settings section and find Language and Enter, and that's where the key to managing all the text fields on your device is.

In the menu that opens, click on Keyboard Management, you'll see a list of available apps, search the Gboard list and turn the switch into active position, the system will issue a standard security alert, warning that a third-party keyboard may access input data, which is standard Android procedure, and in the case of a Google product, the risks are minimal.

Now select Gboard as the default method. Click Current Keyboard (or Keyboard Select) and select Gboard in the window that appears. From now on, any touch of the text field should open that one. If that doesn't happen, there may be a conflict between an optimizer application or a third-party launcher.

⚠️ Warning: If you see a message after switching, "The keyboard can collect all input data," it's an Android warning system, not a virus. For Google, this is a regular situation necessary for autocorrection and dictionary to work.

Eliminating Intrusive Keyboard Change Notifications

MIUI is known for its aggressive policy against third-party input applications. Even after successful setup, every time you unlock the screen or launch the messenger, you can see a pop-up saying "Switch to Sogou" or "Improving input." This is not a bug, but a localization feature for some regions that can and should be turned off.

To stop this annoying process, go back to the Language and Enter menu. Find a item that might be called Keyboard Recommendations or Keyboard Switch. In some versions of the firmware, it's hidden inside submenu Input Security. Your task is to find the switch responsible for "Recommend Keyboard When You Type" and deactivate it.

If you can't get rid of ads with standard methods, you can use a deeper setting through the engineering menu or ADB, but this requires caution. Most often, just select "Do Not Show Again" or "Cancel" in the pop-up window several times in a row, and MIUI will remember your choice. However, on new versions of HyperOS, algorithms can be reset after an update.

It’s also worth checking the settings of the Gboard app itself. Go to its settings, select Additional and make sure features that may conflict with Xiaomi’s system limitations are not included. Sometimes cleaning the cache of the keyboard app itself through the Apps menu → All Apps → Gboard → Memory helps.

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If a keyboard change pop-up appears in games, try turning on Game Turbo and adding the app you're typing in, which often blocks MIUI system overlays.

Basic configuration and personalization of the interface

Once you have successfully opened Google Keyboard and got rid of the system interference, it is worthwhile to take care of its appearance. Standard white or black background can get boring. Press and hold the comma icon or emoji on the keyboard bar to call a quick menu, and select Settings (cog).

The Topic section opens a huge catalog of designs, so you can choose a finished design, upload your own photo from the gallery, or customize colors manually. OLED-Xiaomi smartphones critically important to choose a dark theme to save battery power and avoid pixel burnout.

An important aspect is the adjustment of the pitch and soundtrack, which allows you to turn on or off the vibration when pressed and sound effects in the Preferences menu, and many users turn off the sounds but leave a light tactile recoil, as it gives you the feeling of physical contact with the buttons.

• 🎨 Dynamic themes: Gboard can automatically change the color of the keyboard depending on the colors of the open application if Material You support is enabled on Android 12 and higher.
• 🔊 Volume: The volume control of the keyboard is made separately from the total volume of the media, which is convenient for quiet dialing at night.
• 📏 Height: Changing the height of the keyboard affects the size of the dialing area, which is especially true for people with large fingers or when using one hand.

Configuring the dictionary and multilingual input

One of the main reasons for the move to Gboard is its powerful predictive dialing engine. On Xiaomi devices, it is important to properly configure the language bar so that the switch between Russian and English is instantaneous. Go to Languages in the keyboard settings and press Add keyboard.

Choose the languages you want. You can download offline dictionaries for each language, which allows you to type without the Internet. Moreover, for English and some other languages, Handwriting is available, which allows you to write letters directly on the screen with your finger, which is sometimes more convenient in poor lighting.

The autocorrect and T9 feature deserves special attention. Unlike the standard Xiaomi keyboard, Gboard offers smarter algorithms. You can add your own unique words (such as nicknames, addresses or professional terms) to the dictionary so that the system stops emphasizing them with a red line.

To activate rapid language switching, use a space. Swipe left or right to change the language without unnecessary clicks. This action can be configured in Settings → Languages → Switching languages by selecting the Space option instead of the Globe button.

Use of advanced functions: Voice and swipes

The smartphone today is impossible to imagine without voice input. Gboard has a great implementation. Clicking on the microphone icon activates speech recognition, which works even without the Internet (if the corresponding language pack is loaded), it is the perfect way to type long messages in messengers or search for information in the browser.

Another powerful feature is Glide Typing. Instead of pressing each letter separately, you can just swipe from letter to letter without tearing it away from the screen. Google's algorithms can detect trajectory with high accuracy. You can activate this feature in the Settings → Continuous Input menu.

For those who work hard with text, clipboard is useful, allowing you to save a few copied snippets and paste them in turn. Unlike the standard Xiaomi buffer, which is often cleaned, the Gboard buffer stores the story longer and allows you to fix important elements.

Also worth mentioning is the integration with Google Search and GIF, which allows you to send a sticker directly from the keyboard, find a picture, or even share a geo-position without switching between apps, which greatly speeds up social media communication.

Solving problems: The keyboard won't open or freezes

Despite the stability, Xiaomi smartphones sometimes have conflicts, and sometimes you click on the input field, but the keyboard does not appear, or it hangs on the logo, most often due to a lack of RAM or aggressive operation of the MIUI energy saving system.

First, try rebooting your device. If that doesn't work, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Gboard and select Clear Cache. Don't be afraid to delete the cache, your personal dictionaries and settings will still be saved, but the temporary files causing the error will be deleted.

If persists is a problem, check permissions. In the same app menu, click Permissions and make sure the keyboard has access to the Microphone (for voice input) and, if necessary, access to storage. Sometimes Xiaomi's system blocks background work, so you should set the No Limits mode in the Battery menu for Gboard.

• 🔄 Update: Make sure Google Play has the latest version of Gboard installed.Old versions may not work properly with new Android security patches.
• 🗑️ Remove Updates: In a pinch, you can tap three dots in the corner in the app menu and select “Delete Updates” by returning the keyboard to factory status, then updating it again.
• 📵 Safe Mode: If the keyboard doesn't work anywhere, try entering Safe Mode. If everything works there, then some third-party application you recently installed is in conflict.

⚠️ Note: If the keyboard is only lost in specific applications (e.g., in a bank), this may be a security measure of the application itself, which blocks third-party input methods to protect your data from keyloggers.

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90% of Gboard problems on Xiaomi are solved by removing battery restrictions and cleaning the app's cache.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)