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Android L Keyboard pulled from Google Play

23

Android L wallpaper

We should have seen this one coming. After Android L’s revamped keyboard was ripped from a developer preview and repackaged for use with older Android builds, Google has pulled it from the Play Store. The app, which as a rip straight from Android L was far from the original creation of developer Shen Ye, was found to violate certain aspects of Google’s Developer Distribution Agreement.

What is really surprising is just how long it actually took for Google to take action. The Android L Keyboard had amassed 800,000 downloads since it appeared on Google Play shortly after last month’s Google I/O keynote.

Google currently offers their own Google Keyboard via the Play Store, and app which is more or less the same as Ye’s Android L Keyboard minus the Android L updates, particularly the Material Design theme. This surely isn’t the last we will see of the Android L Keyboard, however. For rooted users and those willing to side-load an APK, distribution channels outside of Google Play shouldn’t be too hard to track down.

 

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23 Comments

  1. I know I was one of those 800,000 this keyboard kicks ass.

    1. Can you share it, so the rest of us can enjoy it?

      1. How do I do that? Tell and I’ll try…

        1. Thanks bud, not necessary as someone has already decided to share it.

          1. Lol my noob ass..haha…glad u got it..

    2. Installed it on my Moto X on day one. LOVE it. Will never go back!

      1. Same here..when I installed it the counter was at 500 downloads.

      2. Derek I’m sure this is a little off topic I’m just curious what phone is your daily driver these days the nexus the x or the opo?

  2. I kept my HTC Keyboard anyway, the L keyboard seemed cool but it’s hard to pry me away from the Sense 6 keyboard

  3. Here is the link to download for non-root users. Works well:

    http://www.mediafire.com/download/os6yut0zuha166r/LatinImeGoogle_noroot.apk

    And taken from the androidcommunity.com site:

    “Installation is a breeze – just uninstall the Google keyboard, if you have previously installed the one from the Play Store, and then install the downloaded APK. There is one more setting to change after the APK installation. You have to go to Google Keyboard settings > Advanced Settings, change the “Color scheme” to “Material””

    1. Thanks, just got the G2 and I was disappointed it was pulled from the store after I wiped my old phone.

    2. Unfortunately, this does not work on a Nexus device, but the “Android L Keyboard” that was in the Store did. Hopefully that one will get distributed as well.

  4. Yeah, I’ve got it as well and it is pretty sweet. Not sure how long I’ll enjoy it though, probably back on Swiftkey within the month…

  5. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to break up with Swiftkey..

    1. I love SwiftKey, but it’s so laggy on my S3.

      1. I also had Swiftkey on my GS3..after 4.3 update it was not the same..but I also was not devoted to swiftkey..I switched back and forth between Kboards…

    2. I love SwiftKey but it’s Flow isn’t nearly as accurate as Swype. So I keep both on board and switch between then depending on what mood I’m in.

  6. I’m one of the 800,00 and I love this keyboard. I have it on all 3 of my Android devices.

  7. Stil prefer swiftkey keyboard but with swipe turned off

  8. I wasn’t a fan.. maybe because I didn’t calibrate but eh..

  9. Already got it so this doesnt affect me. Plus im rooted so it wouldnt have affected me anyways. Google keyboard , the best keyboard for Android. I dont use the Swipe, so time consuming.

  10. This may be a bit off topic, but I really hate the way that google limits the autocorrect functionality. Try typing in a google search field of any kind ,and you get squat in terms of suggestions and/or corrections. It’s really silly. Thankfully I have a rooted phone with xposed framework, so I can easily remove these lame restrictions, but they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

    That being said, I absolutely love this keyboard when the auto correct limitations are turned off, and it is now my keyboard of choice. I just hope google wisens up and provides autocorrect for all search fields moving forward.

  11. it looks like the Android Keyboard has been updated to have the placement of the microphone and the comma keys changed to match the “L” keyboard.

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