FlorisBoard: an Apache-2.0 Android keyboard in beta, without word suggestions

What FlorisBoard replaces, and for whom

Android ships with a default keyboard that most people never change. FlorisBoard targets the users who want to change it for reasons the stock keyboard does not address: privacy, theming, and the ability to inspect the code. The README describes it as "a free and open-source keyboard for Android 8.0+ devices" that aims to be "modern, user-friendly and customizable while fully respecting your privacy." That framing is the whole pitch. It is an input method editor, not a general-purpose text tool, so it sits in the same slot as the keyboard you already have.

The audience is narrow but real. Someone who wants to theme a keyboard beyond a color picker, or who wants a clipboard history that stays on the device, or who wants to read the source before granting an IME full access to typed text. The README lists four highlighted features: an integrated clipboard manager with history, advanced theming and customization, extension support that it calls "still evolving", and an emoji keyboard with history and suggestions. Everything else you might expect from a modern keyboard is either absent or on the roadmap.

The project is honest about its state. The description says "Currently in beta", and a note in the README states that "Word suggestions/spell checking are not included in the current releases and are a major goal for the v0.6 milestone." If you type primarily through prediction and autocorrect, that sentence is the one that decides whether FlorisBoard is for you.

How the input method, clipboard and extension layers fit together

The repository layout tells you more about the architecture than the README does. The top level contains app/, lib/, libnative/, benchmark/ and utils/, plus Gradle files (build.gradle.kts, settings.gradle.kts, gradle.properties, gradlew). The primary language is Kotlin. That split suggests the usual Android shape: app/ holds the IME service and settings UI, lib/ holds shared Kotlin modules, libnative/ holds native code for performance-sensitive parts, and benchmark/ holds a separate benchmarking module. The README also credits AndroidX, KotlinX coroutines, KotlinX serialization, AboutLibraries and the JetPref preference library, which is consistent with a Jetpack Compose-era Android app that leans on coroutines for input handling.

The extension system is the part with the most visible external surface. The README points to an official Addons Store at beta.addons.florisboard.org where the community can share and download extensions, with publishing instructions at docs.florisboard.org/publishing. A note in the README states that during the initial beta release phase the store "will only accept theme extensions", with language packs and keyboard extensions planned later. So today the extension mechanism is real but narrow: you can distribute a theme, not a new input engine.

Clipboard history and emoji history are local features, and the README does not describe any sync or network component for them. The permission list lives at docs.florisboard.org/permissions rather than in the README, which is a deliberate choice: the README does not enumerate what the IME requests. If you care about that, the linked page is the source, not this article.

Installing FlorisBoard from F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid or an APK

There are two tracks, stable and preview, and the README lays out the distribution channels for each. Stable is described as "Major versions only", with updates that are "more polished" and features "matured and tested". Preview includes "Major + Alpha/Beta/Rc versions" and the README warns that "bugs are more likely to occur". Both tracks are available on F-Droid and the IzzyOnDroid repository, through a Google Play test group, through Obtainium auto-import configs, or as a manually downloaded APK from the release page.

The package names differ by track, which matters when you verify a download. The stable track is dev.patrickgold.florisboard and the preview track is dev.patrickgold.florisboard.beta. The README publishes the SHA-256 hash of the signing certificate for both, and both hashes are identical. It gives this command for verification:

apksigner verify --print-certs florisboard-<version>-<track>.apk

The README also mentions that if you have AppVerifier installed, you can copy the package name and hash and share them to it. That verification step is the only integrity check the README documents; it does not describe a checksum file for the APK itself.

Once installed, you enable it like any other Android keyboard: the README does not walk through the enable-and-select flow, so treat the standard Android input method settings as the place to switch. After that, the first real use is the clipboard manager. The README lists it as "Integrated clipboard manager / history", meaning copied text accumulates in a history you can paste from rather than being lost after one paste. The README does not document a retention limit or a way to clear that history, so check the in-app settings before you rely on it for anything sensitive.

The missing word suggestions, and other limits you should weigh

The largest limitation is stated plainly in the README: word suggestions and spell checking are not in current releases. For anyone used to swiping or tapping through predictions, this is not a small gap. It changes how you type. The README frames it as a v0.6 milestone goal, and the most recent releases are v0.6.0-alpha01 and v0.6.0-alpha02 from January 2026, so the work is in progress rather than abandoned. But an alpha is not a promise about timing.

The extension store is the second constraint. The README says the store will only accept theme extensions during the initial beta phase, with language packs and keyboard extensions planned later. If your interest in FlorisBoard is writing a custom input extension, the publishing path for that does not exist yet. You can still theme it, and the README calls the theming "advanced", but the extension surface is narrower than the phrase "integrated extension support" might suggest.

A third limit is the release cadence itself. The stable line's most recent release listed is v0.5.2 from November 2025, while the alpha line moved in January 2026. If you want stability, you are on a slower train. If you want the v0.6 work, you are on a preview track the README explicitly says is more likely to have bugs. There is no third option.

Finally, the README does not document rollback, data export, or what happens to clipboard history when you uninstall. Those omissions are worth noting before you migrate your daily typing to it.

FlorisBoard versus HeliBoard and FUTO Keyboard

The obvious comparison is HeliBoard, another open-source Android keyboard, and the search data shows people asking about it directly. The README does not describe HeliBoard's internals, so the honest difference to draw is about project posture rather than features. FlorisBoard's README positions it as a beta with an extension store and a roadmap that still lists word suggestions as a goal. That tells you where its effort is going: theming, extensions, and eventually prediction. If you need prediction today, FlorisBoard is the wrong pick regardless of how the two compare on other axes.

FUTO Keyboard appears in the search questions as well. Again, the README does not cover it, so any claim about how it works would be invented. What can be said is structural: FlorisBoard is Apache-2.0, Kotlin, and distributed through F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid, a Play test group and Obtainium. That distribution spread is unusually wide for a beta, and it is a real advantage if you want automatic updates without the Play Store.

Against Gboard, the difference is not a feature list. It is the trust model. Gboard is a closed binary from Google; FlorisBoard publishes its signing certificate hashes so you can verify the APK you downloaded. The README gives the exact command for that. Whether that verification matters to you is the actual decision, because on raw typing features Gboard is ahead by a wide margin given FlorisBoard's missing suggestions.

Maintenance, licensing and what the Apache-2.0 grant covers

The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-09-21, which is the same day as the release timeline's most recent activity. That is a current project by any reasonable measure, though the stable release line is older than the alpha line. The README also states that beginning with v0.7, FlorisBoard will enter the public beta on Google Play, which implies a further distribution change is planned.

Licensing is straightforward. The README carries an Apache License 2.0 header, "Copyright 2020-2026 The FlorisBoard Contributors", and the repository's LICENSE file is Apache-2.0. For an Android app this is permissive: you can fork it, ship a modified build, and redistribute, provided you keep the license and notices. That is a meaningful difference from a copyleft keyboard, and it is why forks of this kind of project tend to appear. This is not legal advice; read the LICENSE file itself if you plan to redistribute.

The upgrade cost depends on your track. On stable, releases are described as polished and tested, so upgrades should be low-drama. On preview, the README says bugs are more likely, so budget time for regressions after each alpha. There is no documented migration or backup path for settings, clipboard history or themes, so treat a track switch as a fresh setup rather than a transfer.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt FlorisBoard if you want an Apache-2.0 keyboard you can audit, theme and extend, and you can live without word suggestions and spell checking until the v0.6 milestone lands. Do not adopt it if predictive typing is a hard requirement for your daily typing, or if you need a store-stable release rather than an alpha track. Before installing, verify the APK signature with apksigner verify --print-certs and confirm the package name matches the stable or preview track you intended to install.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. florisboard/florisboard on GitHub
2. License: Apache-2.0
3. Project website
4. README
5. Releases