About Keybee Keyboard | Open Source
We live in a World where the keyboard is the most used mobile application, but we type with a layout which belongs to something else. In 1863 Christopher Sholes wanted to fix the jams on typewriters. So he moved to the...
We live in a World where the keyboard is the most used mobile application, but we type with a layout which belongs to something else.
In 1863 Christopher Sholes wanted to fix the jams on typewriters. So he moved to the opposite the most frequent letters and letter-pairs to improve typing with both hands. The qwerty keyboard was invented. The success of qwerty was so huge that the same layout is still used today as input device on computer keyboard.
In 2007 the mobile world became touch friendly. Smartphones became our daily pocket computer and the touchscreen was introduced to use the phone with one hand.
But typing on a physical keyboard and on a touchscreen is not the same:
- different number of fingers necessary to type: ten vs one
- different gestures: no-swipe vs swipe
So sharing the same qwerty layout is not efficient.
This incompatibility created an usability problem because the device was adapted to the keyboard. How?
- Less space: limited key size and useless gap between keys
- Low speed: no swipe friendly, slow typing because floating fingers through the borders
- Less comfort: no ergonomics and uncomfortable typing, we are forced to type with two hands or switch the phone to landscape.
To fix this problem we adapted the keyboard to the device. How?
- we optimized the space by using an hexagonal structure the most efficient structure in Nature, which increases the key size in the same device area up to 50%
- we increased the typing speed up to 50% by making more swipe friendly connections between letters and letter-pairs and by removing the gaps between keys
- we improved ergonomics by arranging the layout around the center of the screen to type easily with just one finger. No need for two hands for typing.
Discover the new way of typing. For free. Forever.
Thoughts from the founder
The Qwerty on touchscreen is like using a steering wheel on a bicycle: just because I can turn it doesn’t mean that the controller should be like this. A bicycle needs a controller designed for it: the handlebar. A touchscreen needs a keyboard designed for it: Keybee Keyboard.
I want to give Keybee Keyboard for free because the keyboard is the basic human - device interaction and because it is universal. It involves all People in the World, no matter the age they have, the language they speak or the place they live. And all the greatest tech innovations are free.
I would like to thank all the Keybee Keyboard users who gave me the strength to continue this project even without external investments through their messages, reviews, previous subscriptions and purchases.
From 2025 Keybee Keyboard became full free, ads free and Open Source with the permissive license Apache 2.0. I hope that the dev Community can make this project awesome and together we can reach the visibility that Keybee Keyboard deserves. I mean, we don’t have to go to Mars with the qwerty layout, right?
Marco Papalia.
Keybee Keyboard main features
- Twipe typing gesture (swipe on adjacent keys)
- 20+ Keybee themes
- 1000+ Emoji compatible with Android 11
- 4 original layouts (English, Italian, German, Spanish)
- Custom layout
- Custom letter pop-up
- Totally free and ads free
Previous Versions
Here you can find the changelog of Keybee Keyboard | Open Source since it was posted on our website on 2017-01-03 19:09:59.
The latest version is and it was updated on 2026-06-11 17:54:53. See below the changes in each version.
Keybee Keyboard | Open Source version
Updated At: 2025-02-07
Changes: First release as Open Source project.
Keybee Keyboard | Open Source version
Updated At: 2024-11-28
Changes: New features:
+ Keybee Keyboard subscription and in-app purchases removed. The App is totally free.
Keybee Keyboard | Open Source version
Updated At: 2020-12-09
Changes: Bug fixing for Android9
Keybee Keyboard | Open Source version
Updated At: 2020-07-15
Changes: New features:
+ Custom Layout: for the first time, you can make your own keyboard layout by changing the arrangement of the letters!
+ Custom Pop-up: now you can also change the order of the special letter inside the pop-up!
+ 1089 new Emoji: compatible with the latest UNICODE 13 to support Android 11!
Bug fixed:
- Automatic return to the ABC keyboard after sending a message
- Landscape mode with Lateral gap fill option OFF now is working
- Fixed the underlined bug on Autocorrection ON
Keybee Keyboard | Open Source version
Updated At: 2018-04-11
Changes: New features:
+ 7 new amazing themes (3 of them for your favorite chat app)
+ Theme Subscription to use all Keybee themes forever
+ Notification system to get instant info and updates about Keybee
+ new chars in the pop up. Here the list:
ě ŕřŗ ŧțťţ ŷýÿ ŭůųũűµ ĩ ºő āăą ŝşśș ðď ġĝğģ ĥħ ĵ ķĸ ĺļľŀł źż ċĉ ŵ ņńŋňʼn
Bug fixed:
- checkbox for the "dot position" option
- "A" pop up now is working on English layout
- better UX for installation activity
Keybee Keyboard | Open Source version
Updated At: 2017-07-11
Changes: Dot position option: you can move the dot in the main keyboard
Autocapitalize option: you can disable uppercase on first letter
Added the new emoji flag category
Removed doubled emoji and added some new
Fixed bug duplication letter on enter
Added translations for Themes settings and other text
Alignment default now is set to "center"
Password fields will not start with upper case
Suggestions words bug fixed
Keybee Keyboard | Open Source version
Updated At: 2016-10-21
Changes: - Added 12 new themes,- fixed preview and popup bug,- fixed android 5.0 bug
Disclaimer
Official Google Play Link
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