Google Keyboard accents and other special characters

I’m starting a new job. My new boss is from an East European country, and has accented characters in her name (ž to be exact). I would like to be able to use the correct diacritics when writing her name. Easy on my Mac (long key press to show all diacritics for a letter), but less so on my Android phone.

While the android language setting is set to English (UK) this character isn’t available via a long press (as it would be for è, â and ç). To make it available, I need to add a language that includes it (Croatian for example).

Here’s how:

  • Settings > Language and input
  • Virtual keyboard
  • Gboard
  • Languages
  • Turn off use system locale to allow selection of multiple languages
  • Enable your home language and the additional language that has the characters you need.

Now the accented options are available on a long press of the parent letter.

I also noticed that the gboard suggestions now includes the accented characters when before it didn’t.

Fixed.

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8 thoughts on “Google Keyboard accents and other special characters

  1. I came across your post while searching how to accomplish exactly the same thing. However, I got stuck on the “Turn off use system locale to allow selection of multiple languages” step. I can’t seem to find any such option in my language settings, not in the Gboard settings.

    I am using Samsung Galaxy S8 so maybe they changed something…

    • Actually managed to solve this by adding Esperanto keyboard in multi-language mode with English. Now it has all the characters I’ll ever need (čćšž), and many I’ll never use, like ŵ and ķ 🙂
      As an added bonus, I can use old English eð and þorn (except that “þ” is bound to the “y” key).

  2. I didn’t see this option in my phone (Android 9). I added Esperanto keyboard with QWERY Layout. it works for me!

  3. I also came across thy post and I need help in how do I add this letter to my long press letter s in my Google keyboard: the ſ. It is called “long/medial position s”

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