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this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2025
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F-Droid
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F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform. The client makes it easy to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.
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8vim
https://f-droid.org/packages/inc.flide.vi8
A very chaotic option but it is actually quite nice if you are patient.
You can be very precise with inputting letters, it is far more confidence inducing then normal touch keyboards are.
I have a phone with a large screen and I have the keyboard free floating which lets me easily move it around to utilize all the screen real estate without loss of accuracy from being too cramped.
Bonus points, this keyboard works great with a stylus too!
I am perfectly fine downloading emacs and spacemacs (evil/vim bindings with space leader key) in termux and just using 8vim for making and editing simple org mode files. 8vim is deceptively extremely capable if you can get over the hump of getting used to it. Vim modal editing with leader keys fits oddly naturally into 8vims basic control scheme given vim was designed for physical computer keyboards.
screenshot example
I like to leave 8vim free floating like this. This is spacemacs emacs in org mode all running inside termux.
Also Flickboard looks really interesting.
https://f-droid.org/packages/se.nullable.flickboard
I guess the name is adequate, you really have to read the friendly manual to use this one.
It's interesting, but I miss the spelling aid other keyboards provide.
Edit I am mistaken I just tried and I can't find the option, my bad for giving misinformation.
There are four lines that intersect a circle. Starting with your finger in the circle you can input a letter by drawing a line out of the circle and then passing through one of the four lines in a loop around the circle, the letter inputted is determined by how many additional lines (if any) you pass through before returning to inside the circle. In the following example to make an "r" is just the same as to make a "c" but in reverse.
*example of inputting a "c", if you wanted to keep typing "cat" as opposed to "c " instead of lifting your finger after finishing the "c" keep drawing an "a" and then "t" in one continuous motion.
I'm actually using it since my last comment yesterday. I'm enjoying the gesture based experience.
With 8vim or by switching to another app momentarily?
facepalm I was mistaken sorry, I was sure 8vim had a word suggestion feature at least but I must have mixed it up with something else gah, I don't tend to use word suggestion or autocorrect and haven't felt I needed it in 8vim but I somehow got in my head it had it.
That being said I unironically use 8vim as my phone keyboard and have for quite awhile now. I bounced off it a time or two trying to get committed to it but the hump of "this is weird" wasn't actually that bad.
What helps is as you say, 8vim is just more fun fluid (AND more precise) than normal touch keyboards.
I guess I am somewhat slower with it but also it is so much more precise and confident it is hard to compare directly. I can use keyboard heavy UIs like emacs perfectly fine with 8vim without getting frustrated about constantly mistyping inputs, I would never do that except as a meme with normal touch keyboards.