HeliBoard review: an offline Android keyboard

HeliBoard is an open-source Android keyboard for people who want word suggestions, spell check, and a layout they can change, without giving the keyboard permission to use the internet. The project describes it as a privacy-conscious keyboard based on the Android Open Source Project keyboard and on OpenBoard.¹ It says HeliBoard does not use the internet permission, and so stays fully offline.¹ The same kind of choice shows up in Gadgetbridge, another Android app that ships without an internet permission.

Last checked October 28, 2026.

At a glance

What it is: A customizable open-source keyboard for Android that does not use the internet permission.¹

Works on: Android 5.0 or newer.²

Price: Free to install. No payment modules are listed, and the project benefits from donations.³¹

Licence: GNU GPL v3.0 only. Inherited Android keyboard code is Apache 2.0, and the icon is Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.²¹

Best for: Everyday typing on Android when you want the keyboard to stay on the phone.

Official site: HeliBoard on GitHub

What HeliBoard does (and how it protects your privacy)

HeliBoard is the on-screen keyboard that appears when you tap a text box. It suggests words, checks spelling, and lets you change colors, the background, and the layout.¹ On Android 10 and later, and on some versions of Android 9, it can follow the system’s day and night setting. On Android 12 and later it can follow dynamic colors.¹

The internet permission is the Android switch that lets an app open a network connection. HeliBoard’s project says the app does not use that permission, which is why it calls the keyboard fully offline.¹ IzzyOnDroid describes the contacts permission as the one used to add contact names to suggestions and spell check, and the dictionary permissions as the ones used for spell checking and for saving words you want offered again.³

Letters you press still go into the open app. That is a keyboard’s job. HeliBoard’s protection is that it has no internet permission, so it cannot send those letters to a server on its own.¹ You can back up settings, learned words, and history.¹ To choose which other apps may go online, see NetGuard. For passwords you keep, KeePassDX stores a vault in a file on the phone.

Key features

No internet permission. The project says the keyboard is fully offline.¹
Dictionaries for suggestions and spell check. You can add your own, or use dictionaries the project publishes separately. Quality may vary.¹
Themes. Style, colors, and a background image, plus day and night colors on Android 10 and later (and on some versions of Android 9) and dynamic colors on Android 12 and later.¹
Layouts you can edit. Custom layouts are available when you turn off the setting “use system languages”.¹
More than one language. Multilingual typing is part of the feature list.¹
Clipboard history, one-handed mode, and a number pad. The project lists all three.¹
Split keyboard. F-Droid says this is available when the screen is large enough.²
Backup and restore. You can save settings and the words and history the keyboard has learned.¹

Pros and cons

Pros

Free to install, with no payment modules listed on IzzyOnDroid.³
Open source under the GNU GPL v3.0 only.²
Does not use the internet permission.¹
Still being updated. IzzyOnDroid lists version 4.2 with an app update on 12 October 2026, and F-Droid added that suggested build on 25 October 2026.³²
Runs on Android 5.0 and newer.²
F-Droid says version 4.2 is built and signed by the original developer and matches the published source.²

Cons

The official listings are Android packages that require Android 5.0 or newer.²
Swipe typing, which the project calls glide typing, needs a closed-source library that is not included. The project says there is no compatible open-source library available.¹
F-Droid’s notes for version 4.2 say hardware-keyboard support can be turned on and is still buggy.²
Many language dictionaries are added by you, and the project says quality may vary. For Korean layouts it says suggestions need one particular dictionary.¹
Suggesting contact names uses the contacts permission.³
Gesture-data gathering is optional. The project’s issue tracker says participation is completely opt-in, background mode logs words you swipe, and you email any sample yourself because the keyboard does not allow internet connections.⁴

Is HeliBoard safe and private?

HeliBoard is developed in public. IzzyOnDroid names Helium314 as the author, and the source is published under the GNU GPL v3.0 only.³² The project says it is funded through the NGI Mobifree fund, run by NLnet with support from the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet program.¹ NLnet’s page describes HeliBoard as a customizable, privacy-conscious Android keyboard, and says the current swipe feature works only when you add closed-source code from Google.⁵ The funded goal is a fully open-source version of gesture typing.⁵

The project wiki says background collection can record what you enter with gesture typing, and it calls that record very sensitive.⁶ You can exclude apps, and newly installed apps are blocked by default.⁶ Collection is disabled in incognito mode and in sensitive fields such as passwords and email.⁶ Words outside the dictionaries it knows are not saved.⁶ Leave it off and it stays out of ordinary typing.⁴ F-Droid says version 4.2 is built and signed by the original developer and guaranteed to match the published source.² The keyboard still handles the characters you press. An offline keyboard cannot make the app you are typing into private.

How to get started

Install the F-Droid app from f-droid.org if you do not already have it. F-Droid says a direct APK will not notify you about updates, and recommends the F-Droid client.²
Open HeliBoard on F-Droid and install it. The suggested version is 4.2, and it requires Android 5.0 or newer.²
Or install it from IzzyOnDroid, which also lists version 4.2. GitHub’s latest release is named HeliBoard 4.2.³⁹
When Android asks, enable HeliBoard as an input method and choose it as the keyboard you type with. Open any app and type a sentence so you can see suggestions.
If suggestions for your language are thin, add a dictionary. The project points to a separate collection and says you can build your own. Quality may vary. The keyboard has no internet permission, so save the file yourself and then load it into HeliBoard.¹
In settings, pick a theme if you want one. Custom layouts are available only after you turn off “use system languages”.¹
Leave the glide-typing library unloaded unless you want swipe typing and accept that the file is closed source. Leave gesture-data gathering off unless you mean to email samples to the project.¹⁴

Who should use HeliBoard (and who might prefer something else)

HeliBoard fits Android typing when you want suggestions and layouts from a keyboard that cannot open the network.¹ You add language dictionaries yourself.¹ The swipe-sample tool is for people helping to build open-source gesture typing.⁴

To compare another open-source Android keyboard, FlorisBoard describes itself as a keyboard that respects your privacy and says it is currently in beta.⁷ AnySoftKeyboard describes itself as an on-screen keyboard for multiple languages with no internet access.⁸ People who need an iPhone keyboard will need a different app. HeliBoard’s published packages require Android 5.0 or newer.²

Frequently asked questions

Is HeliBoard free?

Yes. You install it from F-Droid or IzzyOnDroid at no charge, and IzzyOnDroid lists no payment modules. The project says it also benefits from donations.³¹

Is HeliBoard safe?

It is public GPL code with no internet permission, and F-Droid says the suggested build matches the published source.¹² Swipe samples are opt-in and sent by you in an email. The project says that record can be sensitive.⁴⁶

Does HeliBoard work on iPhone?

F-Droid and IzzyOnDroid list it as an Android app, and version 4.2 requires Android 5.0 or newer.²³

Does HeliBoard support swipe typing?

Only if you add a closed-source library yourself. The project says that library is not included, because there is no compatible open-source library available.¹ NLnet is funding work whose goal is a fully open-source gesture-typing library for this kind of keyboard.⁵