Barely a couple of days after Android L was announced by Google, the keyboard from the new version is now available on the Google Play Store.
Of course, it isn’t the official version, but a direct port of the keyboard from Android L.
The app was ported by XDA users Chrisch1974 and Shen Ye.
But the good news is, it has been backported to work on any device running Android 4.0 or above. Even better, you don’t even need root access on your device for the app to work.
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A flashable zip of the Android L Keyboard was available on Google Play, prior to this version. But many users with rooted phones opted to give it a miss. Why? Because it required the user to replace the Keyboard apk from the root folder with the new one. Even though it is not a complicated process, it would prevent the user from getting an OTA update for their firmware. When a firmware update is downloaded, a script is triggered on the device to check for all stock apps that it originally shipped with. If any app is found missing, or has a different checksum value, the OTA update fails.
But you have no such worries with this keyboard app as it does not change the system files in anyway, and you can still get an OTA update, should one arrive for your device.
How to enable the Material design on the Android L Keyboard:
1. Install the App from the Google Play (Google Play link at the bottom of this post). Once you have installed it, select it from the Input method.
2. Tap on the settings button.
3. Scroll down and tap on Advanced Settings.
4. Select Colors
5. Tap on the “Material” option.
Congratulations, you now have the Android L Keyboard with Material Design on your device.
Go ahead and give it a shot. The keyboard is free, has no ads, and doesn’t require root. That’s everything an Android user would ask for.
[appbox googleplay uk.co.shenye.android.inputmethod.latin]
On a sidenote, the keyboard only supports US English for now. This is because the other languages have some bugs which break the app. Maybe the modders will update it soon.
[Update:]
Since Google took the Keyboard down, the developers have published the app at the Amazon Appstore.
