What open source, privacy respecting keyboards are available in the android Play Store?
Executive summary
A small but growing set of open-source Android keyboards promote privacy and run locally, and several of those have Play Store entries or test tracks — but availability differs by project and some privacy-first keyboards remain distributed through F‑Droid or GitHub instead of the Play Store [1] [2]. AnySoftKeyboard is a consistently cited Play‑store-friendly open-source option, while projects like FlorisBoard report Google Play beta/test-track availability even as other reputable FOSS keyboards (OpenBoard, Simple Keyboard, HeliBoard) are often distributed outside Play [3] [1] [2] [4].
1. What “open source” and “privacy‑respecting” mean in practice for keyboards
Open‑source keyboards are projects whose source code is public so anyone can audit what they do; privacy‑respecting keyboards commonly avoid network permissions, run suggestions locally, and explicitly advertise that they don’t send keystrokes to remote servers — descriptions used by reviewers and project pages for OpenBoard, AnySoftKeyboard and similar projects [5] [6]. Reporters and how‑to guides emphasize that open code and minimal permissions are the main measurable signals of privacy, while business models (cloud suggestions, telemetry) are the main vectors to watch out for [5] [2].
2. Notable open‑source keyboards with Play Store presence (what is supported by reporting)
AnySoftKeyboard is repeatedly listed as an open‑source, privacy‑focused keyboard and is described in reviews as available from the Play Store and suitable for users wanting offline input; reviewers note its feature set and long history [3] [6]. FlorisBoard is an ambitious modern FOSS keyboard that explicitly documents a Google Play public beta/test workflow — join the test group to get Play updates — indicating a Play presence in at least preview channels [1]. SourceForge and curated directories also indicate some niche ports such as fcitx5‑android publish APKs and may be available via GitHub, F‑Droid and occasionally Google Play according to project pages aggregated there [7]. Where a Play listing is not explicit in the sources, reviewers point users to F‑Droid or GitHub instead [2] [4].
3. Well‑known open keyboards that are commonly NOT on Google Play according to reporting
Several privacy‑focused projects are commonly distributed outside Play: OpenBoard — a 100% FOSS AOSP‑based keyboard — and Simple Keyboard are recommended by multiple guides but are noted as primarily available via F‑Droid or GitHub rather than Play [5] [2]. HeliBoard, an AOSP/OpenBoard‑derived keyboard praised in testing, is likewise discussed as being obtained from F‑Droid or GitHub rather than via a mainstream Play listing [4].
4. Tradeoffs: features, convenience, and verification
Open keyboards that avoid network permissions sometimes omit cloud features such as server‑side suggestions or advanced AI, which is a conscious privacy tradeoff called out by reviewers — users gain local privacy but lose cloud‑backed autocorrect or large language processing unless projects implement local models [5] [2]. Verification of claims is possible: FlorisBoard publishes package names and SHA‑256 signature hashes for APK verification, and many projects keep source code on GitHub for public inspection, which reviewers cite as key evidence of privacy commitments [1] [8].
5. Practical guidance and limits of reporting
Current reporting supports naming AnySoftKeyboard and FlorisBoard as open‑source options with Play‑store ties (AnySoftKeyboard as a Play‑available project in reviews; FlorisBoard with a documented Play test group) while OpenBoard, Simple Keyboard and HeliBoard are reliably recommended but are generally distributed via F‑Droid/GitHub rather than Play according to the sources [3] [1] [5] [2] [4]. The sources do not provide an exhaustive, up‑to‑the‑minute Play Store inventory or guarantee every keyboard’s Play listing across regions, so verifying each project’s current Play presence and permissions on the Play Store page or the project’s official repo is advised [1] [2].