CleverKeys FAQ
Frequently asked questions about using CleverKeys keyboard.
Typing Numbers & Symbols (Subkeys / Short Swipes)
Q: How do I type numbers and symbols quickly?
A: Use short swipes (subkeys) on letter keys. Each key has up to 8 subkeys mapped to the cardinal directions N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW:
- Swipe NORTHEAST on
Qfor1(hint: start in the SW corner) - Each direction on each key can trigger a different character or action
- Directions are determined by the angle of your swipe
Q: How do I customize what short swipes do?
A: Go to Settings → Activities → Per-Key Customization to assign custom actions (characters, symbols, or commands) to each of the 8 directions on any key.
Cursor Control & Navigation
Q: How do I move the cursor without tapping the screen?
A: Swipe on the spacebar to move the cursor:
- Cursor movement is proportional to your swipe speed and distance
- Faster/longer swipes move further; slow precise swipes give fine control
- Works in both directions
Q: What is TrackPoint Mode?
A: TrackPoint mode provides laptop-style continuous cursor navigation:
- Long-press the nav key (between spacebar and enter) to enter trackpoint mode
- Move your finger like a joystick to control cursor direction
- Release to exit trackpoint mode
Text Selection & Deletion
Q: How do I select and delete text?
A: For Selection-Delete mode:
- Short swipe on the backspace key to initiate
- Keep your finger held down after the swipe
- Move your finger like a joystick to select text (left/right for characters, up/down for lines)
- Release to delete the selected text
Swipe left on backspace deletes the word before cursor.
Language & Input Options
Q: How do I quickly switch between languages?
A: Use the primary/secondary language toggle subkeys:
- Set your languages in Settings → Multi-Language (Primary and Secondary)
- The toggle subkeys cycle between them
- Both languages contribute to swipe predictions when Multi-Language mode is enabled
Emoji & Clipboard
Q: How do I access emojis?
A: Swipe SOUTHWEST on the Fn key to open the emoji picker:
- Search will auto-populate with nearby text
- Categories tab with all emoji groups
- Recents for quick access to frequently used
- Search by keyword or emoji name
- 119 text emoticons (kaomoji) also included
Q: How do I use the clipboard?
A: Swipe SOUTHWEST on the Ctrl key to open clipboard history:
- History tab: Recent clipboard items (text + media)
- Pinned tab: Items you’ve saved for quick access
- Todos tab: Items marked as todos
- Tap an item’s content to expand it (text) or paste it (media)
- Images, videos, and PDFs show thumbnails in the panel
- Use the icon buttons to paste, move to pinned, or copy as todo
- Re-copying text already in history won’t duplicate or reorder it (tip: use search instead)
- Password manager and ‘sensitive’ flagged clippings are excluded by default
Q: How do I paste images from clipboard?
A: Copy an image in any app (Gallery, Chrome, etc.) — it appears in clipboard history with a thumbnail. Tap the entry to paste it into the current app via commitContent. Most messaging apps support this.
Swipe Typing (Glide Typing)
Q: How does swipe typing work?
A: Touch the first letter of your word, slide your finger through each letter without lifting, then release on the last letter. Faster may yield better results.
Tip: Increase ‘Length Penalty (Alpha)’ for English (~1.5), decrease for other languages (and increase Vocab Frequency Weight).
Q: Can I swipe other languages?
A: Yes, but this currently requires using the qwerty latin layout and manually tuning several settings to achieve useable output - see FAQ entry above and Prefix Boost settings (these are very sensitive; try small changes).
Gestures Reference
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Tap | Type the key’s main character |
| Short swipe (8 directions) | Trigger subkey for that direction |
| Swipe on spacebar | Move cursor (proportional to swipe speed) |
| Long-press nav key | Enter TrackPoint mode |
| Short swipe + hold on backspace | Selection-Delete mode |
| Long swipe across keys | Swipe typing (glide input) |
| SW on Fn | Open emoji picker |
| SW on Ctrl | Open clipboard |
Troubleshooting
Q: Swipe typing isn’t working.
A: Check these settings:
- Ensure swipe typing is enabled in input settings
- ONNX model should load automatically on first use
- Try adjusting gesture distance thresholds in Short Swipe Calibration
Q: The keyboard is too tall/small.
A: Adjust in Settings → Appearance:
- Keyboard Height percentage slider
- Separate slider for landscape mode
Privacy & Security
Q: Does CleverKeys send my typing data anywhere?
A: No. CleverKeys is fully offline:
- All prediction runs on-device via ONNX Runtime
- No INTERNET permission in the manifest
- Your personal dictionary stays on your device
- Open source: verify the code on GitHub
For more detailed documentation, visit the other wiki pages.