One of the cool features of Android “L” is the keyboard which Google has decided to give a makeover with its Material Design language. It looks different from before and in some ways it might even be better. Now Android “L” has yet to be officially released and unless you’re a developer, chances are you will only be able to get your hands on the update later in the year.
That being said, if you liked what you saw in the keyboard, there’s a way for you to get your hands on it. In fact even better news is that it will not require you to root your handset! So for those who might be a little technologically challenged or not interested in rooting, you’ll want to pop on over to the XDA forums for the download.
We should point out that this method will not work for every device out there. According to the modder asdfzz, the keyboard APK has only been tested on a non-rooted Moto G handset running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. If you own a Nexus device, you’d be out of luck because the Google keyboard is a system app and will not allow you to uninstall it, which is one of the methods required for installing the APK.
For those who are interested, we suggest you back your phone up first in the event that something goes wrong, but do proceed with caution just to be on the safe side of things. Alternatively if you own a rooted handset or don’t mind rooting, you can head on over to the XDA forums for the rooted version of the keyboard. So, what do you guys make of the new keyboard design anyway? Yay or nay?