Switching to a lightweight Google Android keyboard can make your device run faster because of the lower RAM and CPU usage of lightweight keyboards. It can also give Google Android’s keyboard a nice modern, and simple and clean design instead of using the default keyboard which came with your device. Some Lightweight Keyboards use 4-10+ MB of RAM, and under 1% CPU resources instead of 30 MB of RAM, and a lot of CPU resources like more heavyweight keyboards with more features, graphics, and a bigger file size. The lower RAM, and CPU usage could make your Keyboard show up faster when you tap on a textbox, and less freezes and slow down problems when using your keyboard app, and there is more RAM and CPU resources available for other apps like web browsers, and games.
Lightweight keyboards apps are sometimes under 1MB in size, so you can save space, free up RAM and CPU cycles by uninstalling or disabling your default keyboard, and switching to a lightweight keyboard which is under 1MB in size, and uses very little system resources, You will have more space to install games, apps, and store your personal files, and more free system resources like RAM, and CPU cycles for running games and apps more smoothly.
You may need to root Google Android to uninstall the default keyboard on many devices, but some versions of Android like Android 4.4-5.1 lets you disable the default keyboard, uninstall updates for it, and clear its cache, and data files in the default keyboard app settings to save space. But, you should download and install and activate a third-party keyboard like Big Button Keyboard in the Google Android Input settings found in the Settings app before uninstalling, or disabling your default pre-install keyboard, so you won’t lose the ability to type on your smartphone or tablet.
What I like most about some lightweight keyboards is that they don’t have any features like fast swipe typing, themes, ads, in-app purchases, word prediction, and auto-correct, and lightweight keyboards is just a keyboard for typing by taping on on-screen keys with my fingers.
Some lightweight keyboards even let me adjust the height of the keyboard to make typing easier on a tablet, or smaller sized touchscreens on smartphones and media players which run Google Android.
Many Lightweight keyboard apps also work fast on older versions of Google Android like 2.3 Gingerbread, and older smartphones and tablets like the Kobo Vox with 512MB or less RAM, a single-core 800 MHz or slower CPU, and 8 GB or less storage because a lightweight keyboard apps don’t need high system requirements like more RAM, more storage, and a faster CPU to run smoothly without freezing, and slow down problems.
Most Lightweight Keyboards also come with nice designs which gives its keyboard apps a nice, clean, simple, and modern design, or high tech design without the need to install a new theme, or custom graphics for it. Most of these lightweight keyboard’s file size is even smaller than the themes for other keyboard apps with bigger file sizes.
Best Free Lightweight Keyboard Apps for Google Android smartphones and tablets
Big Button Keyboard is a lightweight keyboard which allows you to adjust the height, and keyboard layout of the keyboard for easier typing on a touchscreen. Its button design is very basic with no fancy graphics, so the app file size is very small at only 135 K which is a smaller file size than some larger text document files, and most medium quality picture files. It uses the Delta II modified-QWERTY keyboard layout with large keys which makes typing faster, and easier to learn on a touchscreen device.
I have mostly been using Big Button Keyboard on my Google Android tablets like the Asus Nexus 7 2012, and Kobo Vox because of the small file size of Big Button Keyboard, and low RAM, and CPU usage. It has never crashed, randomly restarted, or froze when I use it on my Google Android tablets. Big Button Keyboard is the most reliable, and easy to use touchscreen keyboard app which I have ever used on Google Android tablets.
I also like typing with bigger buttons since it is easier to see the keys, and type quickly without making as many mistakes.
I can also turn off the keyboard sound effects, and hap-tic vibration feedback in Big Button Keyboard settings to save battery life, and make typing silent.
Big Button Keyboard works on Google Android 1.6 and up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bigbuttons
Simple Large Button Keyboard is a fast, lightweight, and small file size keyboard app for Google Android. Its app file size is only 43K, and its letter buttons are ordered in ABC English Alphabetical order instead of QWERTY. Simple Large Button is very reliable, and rarely crashes, and freezes in my experience. Simple Large Keyboard does not have extra features like typing sounds, word suggestions, auto-correct, and fancy theme which can slow down your device, make the app use more storage space, and make typing less smooth for some users and devices. I like the big gray buttons with white text which make the buttons easy to read.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.webrilliance.simplelargebuttonkeyboard
Flit Keyboard is a keyboard where you flick your finger on buttons with the letter you want to type. It is not a swiping keyboard where you need to quickly draw a long trail to each letter you want to type, so you can take your time to type each letter by flicking your finger a short distance rather than swiping a long fast trail to type. It is easy to type on with high accuracy without the need of auto-correct. It can even be used on smaller screen devices like Android Wear smartwatches, eReaders, and smartphones with very small screens.
Flit’s user can choose to type with 4 or 8 big buttons to tap and slide to quickly type out words. Flit supports QWERTY, AZERTY, and custom keyboard layouts.
It supports plug-ins to add more features like word suggestion, change appearance, and add keyboard layout.
It also has User defined shortcuts which let users input their favorite text quickly. There is Dynamic shortcuts which help users input current date and time easily.
The App download size for Flit Keyboard is very small at 117k which is about the size of a medium quality picture file on a website. Flit Keyboard works for Google Android 1.6 and up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.locnet.flitkeyboard
Hacker’s Keyboard is a keyboard app with a lot of useful buttons like CTRL, ALT, ESC, Directional buttons, and Windows Command Button. It has many of the same buttons like Function F Keys found on a regular Windows PC keyboard. It has a 5 line layout with an extra line for the numbers, and a compact 4 line layout when in portrait mode. You can adjust the height of the keyboard app in the settings. Hacker’s keyboard has voice input, text suggestions, and a few themes for changing the appearance of the keyboard from dark, white, transparent, and bold.
Hacker’s Keyboard app is 1.7MB in size, and works with Google Android 2.2 and up,
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.pocketworkstation.pckeyboard
Classic Keyboard is a Keyboard App with a simple white keys, and light gray background design with black text on the individual onscreen keys on the keyboard. Its keyboard design looks similar to the Apple iPhones’ keyboard design. Classic Keyboard features include prediction/dictionary available,
turn on and off sound on key tap, and enable and disable haptic feedback vibrations when a key is pressed on Classic Keyboard. When I use Classic Keyboard, it is pretty fast, reliable, and simple. This is a good keyboard app for users who just want a simple keyboard with only the basic features, and no un-needed features like swiping keyboard which you may not need.
I also like that Classic Keyboard does not use a lot of screen space, and the keys are spaced farther a part, so I can type accurately on it while it does not use up much screen space which is great for smaller size smartphones and tablets with lower screen resolution screens.
Classic Keyboard App size is a small 1.8 M, and it works with Google Android 2.2 and up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gl.iphone5.keyboard.ios7.theme
Multiling O Keyboard + emoji is a multi-language keyboard which supports 200 languages, and keyboard layouts like QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, DVORAK and custom user designed layouts. It also has swipe gesture input for faster more accurate typing. Using this keyboard will also save you battery power, and free up RAM, and CPU usage for faster typing, and mobile performance on your device. Users can change the keyboard’s size, and location which makes this keyboard good for tablets, phablets/bigger size smartphones, smartphones, and smaller sized Google Android screens.
It has unlimited themes with style and color mixing to mix your very own shade of colors you want to use.
There are better color emoji for Android, fun text formatting tool, calculator, autotext. Users can easily switch languages, layouts, voice input, or even other keyboards. It has T9 Prediction, Physical or Bluetooth keyboard.
There are also no Internet Permissions in this keyboard, so it is safer to use.
Multiling O Keyboard + emoji App is only 412K in size, so it does not use a lot of data to download, or use much storage space. It works for Google Android 2.1 and up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kl.ime.oh
CM Keyboard is a customizable keyboard apps which let you change the background color of the keyboard, turn on and off word suggestion, sounds, and other features. It has a simple and modern keyboard user interface to make typing on a touchscreen device easier. CM Keyboard app is 1.8 MB to download from the Google Play App store. Its App is compatible with Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and up. It supports multiple languages, emoji, emoticons, and has a number row at the top of the keyboard for fast number typing. It runs very quickly, and reliably for a more modern keyboard app for Google Android.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cmcm.emoji
Null Input Method Keyboard is a keyboard which does nothing, and shows nothing on your screen when you click on a text box. It is useful if you use a Bluetooth or USB Physical Keyboard or remote for typing text on Google Android devices like set-top boxes and laptops. Users mainly use Null Input Method to stop a keyboard app from popping up when typing with a real keyboard which is connected to Google Android. You could also use Null Input Method Keyboard to save RAM, and CPU resources when you are charging your battery, conserving battery power for calls, phone calls, playing a game, or app which does not need a keyboard to type text.
Null Input Method App is a tiny 23K in size, and works with Google Android 1.6 and up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apedroid.hwkeyboardhelperfree
Null Keyboard is a keyboard which is a keyboard which does nothing. It uses very little RAM, and CPU resources and is primarily designed for people who use a Bluetooth physical keyboard instead of a touchscreen keyboard app for typing. Null will stop the onscreen keyboard app from showing up when typing on a physical keyboard. Null can also save you some RAM, CPU resources, and battery life because a keyboard app is not always running in the background using up RAM, and CPU resources.
Null Keyboard is only 19K in size, and works with Google Android 1.6 and up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wparam.nullkeyboard
Lightweight Keyboard Apps are a great way to make typing faster, and easier on a touchscreen device by having your keyboard, and other apps run faster because there is more free RAM, and CPU cycles when you use a lightweight keyboard. Your Google Android user experience maybe faster as well, and you won’t need to charge your battery as much because of the lower power usage of lightweight Keyboards.
You also can customize the look of Google Android’s keyboard by switching to a lightweight keyboard app with a nice theme which is simple, and clean.
Do you have a favorite Keyboard App for Google Android devices?
Very nice review with technical details. This is a only charm in the ocean of bloat-reviews. Thanks!