change language easily on Android smartphone keyboard

Smartphone keyboards Android allow a lot of customization. You can change the size, color, and even keyboard language. This is very practical when we want to take even more ownership of our phone.

This is the big advantage of Android over Apple, the almost infinite customization of our smartphone.

Today we will focus on the change keyboard language on your phone.

If, for example, you are bilingual and converse regularly in two different languages, it is important to be able change keyboard language quickly. Because with the automatic corrector, your phone will correct every word if you write in another language and it quickly becomes annoying.

If, however, you were having trouble with your keyboard, here's a complete guide to troubleshooting keyboard issues:

The objective here is therefore to explain to you how to change the keyboard language of your android smartphone.

Change the default language on your Android phone

The first, easiest and fastest method is simply to configure your Android phone to the language you want to use when you write with the keyboard. This simple method is effective, but it will change the default language of your phone, which is not necessarily the goal.

If you only want to change the keyboard language, go directly to the next paragraph.

Change phone language to change keyboard language

To set up a new language on your smartphone, here is the little manipulation:

  • Go to settings from your phone
  • If you have a recent phone (Android 8 or higher), go to the option Systems and Updatesthen Languages ​​and entries
  • If your phone is a bit old, go directly to the tab Languages ​​and entries
  • From there, open the first option: Language and Region
  • Click on Add a language
  • Choose the language you want to use in the language menu
  • Validate your choice, and you're done

If you don't want to change your phone's default language, here's how to change only the keyboard language:

Change keyboard language on Android

First of all, the desired language must have been added among the languages ​​of the telephone. This does not mean that you select it as the default language for the whole phone. You simply activate it in the language available on your Android.

Add a language in Android phone settings

As shown in the example below, Arabic language and English language have been added. French remains my default language on the phone, but the other two are available for my keyboards.

how to change android smartphone keyboard language

Change the language according to the keyboard used on your phone

Depending on the default keyboard you are using, the handling may be a little different. We will explain here the methods with the two main keyboards used on Android smartphones.

  • The SwiftKey keyboard, native Android keyboard, installed by default on our phones
  • The Gboard keyboard, keyboard developed by Google

Change keyboard language with SwiftKey keyboard

If you're using SwiftKey as your keyboard, here's how. First, make sure that the chosen language is correctly installed on the keyboard. For it :

  • go to Settings from your Android phone
  • System and updates
  • Languages ​​and entries
  • Click on SwiftKey Keyboard
  • Open option Languages, you will arrive on the tab as below
  • Make sure you have installed the languages ​​you want to use. In our example, we added english
language english and french change android keyboard language

If both languages ​​are checked, they will therefore be available at the same time on your keyboard. You can then type in both languages ​​simultaneously. This function is possible as long as the languages ​​use the same keyboard. If, for example, you would like to install an Arabic keyboard, the handling is a little different. We invite you to read our article on this subject:

Change keyboard language with Google Gboard keyboard

If you are using Google's Gboard, it is not possible to use multiple languages ​​simultaneously on your keyboard. However, there is a little manipulation to switch from one language to another in 2 clicks.

Before that, as explained previously, make sure you have installed the languages ​​you want to use on your keyboard. For that, here's how to do it with the Gboard keyboard:

  • In your language and input settings, click on Gboard keyboard
  • Open the Languages ​​tab
  • Among languages, make sure you have the ones you want to use
  • If the languages ​​you use do not appear in the list, press Add a keyboard, at the bottom of your screen
  • In our example, we will use the French, English, and Arabic

Once the languages ​​you want to use are properly installed, you can close these settings and return to your messaging app.

From there, you can directly and just change the language. To do this, simply press the space bar on your Gboard keyboard for a few seconds. You will then see appear the different languages that you have installed. Click on the language you want to use for your keyboard: