I’ve been using the Openboard keyboard on Android for a while but it seems like the developers have either disappeared, abandoned the project, or are otherwise just MIA/not releasing new versions.
In case anyone was still using the old version, was just wanting to let people know that there is a fork that is continuing development of it and has already had some improvements, though it’s considered beta/development for now: https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/tree/new
According to their Github, here are some of the current differences and changes:
spoiler
Debug version can be installed along OpenBoard
Allow users to add and replace built-in dictionaries
modified / improved from openboard-team#569 and openboard-team#578
some AOSP dictionaries are available here
experimental dictionaries with next-word suggestions created from sentence lists are also available, but they may contain unwanted words, and may be missing other features
dictionary files starting with "main_" replace the built-in dictionary for the language, all other names work as add-on dictionaries
emoji dictionaries can be used to get emoji suggestions
Fixes / improvements regarding suggestions
Remove suggestions by long pressing on suggestion strip while the more suggestions popup is open (suggestions get re-added if they are entered again)
Allow using contacts for suggestions
several small adjustments and fixes
Reduce amount of unwanted automatic space insertions, openboard-team#576
Add multi-lingual typing, slightly modified from openboard-team#586, openboard-team#593
Allow loading an external library to enable gesture typing, openboard-team#3
based on wordmage's work
tested with Google libraries and others (when building with the rename)
Theming: allow adjusting keyboard colors, openboard-team#124
Optionally make the navigation bar follow current theme, #4
Allow defining day/night themes
Remove suggestions by long pressing on suggestion strip while the more suggestions popup is open, openboard-team#106
suggestions get re-added if they are entered again
Optionally add typed words to system personal dictionary
Improve issues with emoji deletion (still happens with delete gesture), #22
Add Unicode 15 emojis, openboard-team#25
Better currency selection, #21 / https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/commit/0d1106649f95ecbd7d8f6d950428547666059564
Reduce space between keys, with option to use old values, #8
Fix number row not split in split keyboard view, #27
Fix issue with spell checker incorrectly flagging words before a period as wrong on newer Android versions, openboard-team#679
maybe not properly fixed, this causes some other issues
Fix always-dark settings on some Android versions, #69
Fix bug with space before word being deleted in some apps / input fields, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/commit/ce0bf06545c4547d3fc5791cc769508db0a89e87
Allow using auto theme on some devices with Android 9
Add number pad
Overhauled language settings
Updated translations
Open dictionary files with the app
Add more options to the language switch key
I’ve never done that before? It’s there an easy guide to follow?
Well its simple:
Thank you. I thought it involved compiling a new apk file. That was far easier than I expected.