How do I change the language on my phone and keyboard? How do I change the keyboard? Can I plug into an external keyboard? How to set up a virtual one? How do I change the pointer speed on my phone / tablet? Read the answers to these and other questions in my article.
All settings are relevant for Samsung devices, but are also suitable for other manufacturers.
Let's go to Settings> General Settings> Language & Input.
Language settings
By default, the language that you specified when you first turned on your new smartphone is selected. I have this Russian language, the region is Russia.
Additionally, you can add more languages. This will allow the application to use the next language listed if your native language is not supported.
To add a language, click on “+ Add language”. More than 100 variants are available in total, including Arabic languages.
To set the default language, simply move it to the first position in the list.
To delete a language: long press, select and delete.
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Default keyboard
Samsung keyboard is selected by default. Or another, depending on the manufacturer of your smartphone. As a rule, there is only one keyboard in the firmware, but you can install alternative ones. Google “keyboards for Android phone” on the web.
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Virtual keyboard
This is the keyboard you use when you type on your phone. Alternatively, you can use Google voice input if you have difficulty or reluctance to type. The Russian language is supported and perfectly recognized. To add / remove another keyboard, click on “+ Manage keyboards”.
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Samsung keyboard
Selecting this keyboard will open the available settings. Let's consider them in detail:
- Languages and types. These are available input languages, usually Russian and English. There are 2 keyboard types available: standard “Qwerty” and “3×4”.
- T9 mode. Intelligent mode, which ends words and phrases, changes them for some reason (autocorrect function). You can create your own shortcuts for frequently used phrases – just enter a shortcut that will appear as suggested text. For example, you can configure it so that each time you enter the word “address” the text “Moscow, st. Tveritina, 5 apt. 98 ”.
Personally, I don't use T9 mode for two reasons: 1) when using slang, it often changes words; 2) you need to constantly check what you wrote, otherwise T9 may completely distort the phrase. - Auto spell check. Spelling errors will be underlined in red and suggestions for the “correct” spelling will be suggested. Auto-check works only for those languages that are used on the keyboard.
- Automatic capitalization. Each sentence begins with a capital letter. The rule does not always work with proper names (full name, brand name, company name, technology and abbreviations).
- Spaces automatically. Automatically inserts a space after adding a word using continuous typing and predicting future text.
- Automatic punctuation. Press the spacebar twice to enter a period with a space.
- Control of swiping on the keyboard. Cool feature, but few people use it. You just slide your finger from one letter to the next, and T9 writes entire phrases and sentences for you. Alternatively, you can use the cursor: move your finger over the letters, and to select text, tap the Shift key and swipe (does not work everywhere).
- Keyboard size and layout. Sets the display size, shows or hides number keys and alternate characters, and customizes special characters.
- Number keys.
- Other symbols.
- Special characters – can be changed.
- Keyboard size. Drag the handles at the edges to adjust.
- Feedback when pressed. Enable sound and zoom in on pressed letters, symbols and emojis.
- Contrast keyboard. To improve visibility, the size and color of the keyboard is changed (to more contrasting ones).
- Reset to default values. Resets all your keyboard settings to factory defaults.
- About the keyboard. Here you can see the current version of the installed keyboard and update it if necessary.
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Google voice typing
Alternatively, you can use voice input instead of the keyboard. Here are the basic settings for better voice recognition and error-free typing:
- Languages. Select your primary language. I have it Russian.
- Voice match is a voice pattern. You can enable access to Google Assistant through the phrase “Okay Google” or set the option to unlock your phone using your voice. Record or re-record your voice sample for better performance.
- Voice control. Activate voice control via wired headset or bluetooth headset.
- Scoring of results. Sound is always available or with a headset connected.
- Offline speech recognition. To use the service without the Internet, install the necessary voice packages on your phone.
- Censorship. Should I hide recognized obscene words?
- Headset Bluetooth. Records audio from the headset, if possible.
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Physical keyboard
It is possible to connect an external wireless keyboard to the phone via bluetooth or wi-fi. This is necessary if you have to type a lot, and using the virtual keyboard is not always convenient.
There are 2 options available in the settings:
- Show virtual keyboard. Whether to display the virtual keyboard if an external physical keyboard is already connected?
- Keyboard Shortcuts – Displays an explanation of the hotkeys on the screen.
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Convert text to speech
This module will speak with your voice everything that you have written. And it will voice everything that is visible on the screen, voice all your actions. The function will be useful for people with poor eyesight.
The TTS Samsung module and the Google speech synthesizer are responsible for converting text to speech. I already wrote about them in this article. Therefore, I will not repeat myself – all the settings are described there.
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Pointer speed
When using a mouse, joystick with a phone / tablet, you can change the pointer speed – just like on a computer.
Summarize. We have analyzed all the input language settings, how to install and customize the keyboard for yourself; how to work with a virtual keyboard and how to connect an external one to a smartphone / tablet; how to convert text to speech and change the pointer speed when using a mouse or joystick.