title: Common Issues
description: Solutions for frequently encountered problems
category: Troubleshooting
difficulty: beginner
related_spec: ../specs/troubleshooting/common-issues-spec.md
Common Issues
Solutions for the most frequently encountered problems with CleverKeys.
Quick Summary
| Issue Type | Common Causes |
|---|
| Keyboard not showing | Not enabled in system settings |
| Typing issues | Settings misconfiguration |
| Gesture problems | Threshold settings |
| App compatibility | App-specific behavior |
Keyboard Not Appearing
Issue: Keyboard doesn't show when tapping text field
Solutions:
- 1. Check if enabled
- Go to Android Settings > System > Languages & input
- Tap "On-screen keyboard" or "Virtual keyboard"
- Ensure CleverKeys is enabled
- 2. Set as default
- Settings > System > Languages & input
- Tap "Default keyboard"
- Select CleverKeys
- 3. Force stop and restart
- Settings > Apps > CleverKeys
- Tap "Force Stop"
- Try again
Issue: Keyboard shows briefly then disappears
Solutions:
- 1. Clear app cache:
- Settings > Apps > CleverKeys > Storage
- Tap "Clear Cache"
- 2. Check for conflicts:
- Temporarily disable other keyboards
- Disable accessibility services one by one
Typing Issues
Issue: Wrong characters appear
Possible causes:
| Cause | Solution |
| Wrong layout | Check active layout in Layout Manager |
| Autocorrect | Adjust autocorrect in Word Prediction section |
| Language mismatch | Check language configuration |
Issue: Autocorrect making wrong corrections
Solutions:
- 1. Adjust autocorrect settings
- Settings > Word Prediction section (expand it)
- Toggle Autocorrect on/off or adjust Min Word Length
- 2. Add words to dictionary
- When corrected wrongly, tap suggestion bar
- Select the word you intended
- It will be learned
- 3. Disable for certain apps
- Some apps (code editors) should have autocorrect off
Issue: No predictions showing
Solutions:
- 1. Check if predictions enabled:
- Settings > Word Prediction section
- Ensure Word Predictions is enabled
- 2. Check language support:
- Predictions require a dictionary for your language
- English is bundled by default
Gesture Issues
Issue: Short swipes not working
Solutions:
- 1. Adjust swipe distance
- Settings > Gesture Tuning section
- Adjust Short Gesture Min Distance
- 2. Check if enabled
- Settings > Gesture Tuning > Short Gestures toggle
- 3. Practice technique
- Swipe must be from key center, not edge
- Movement should be quick, not slow drag
Issue: TrackPoint mode won't activate
Solutions:
- 1. Check gesture
- Long-press the nav key (between spacebar and enter)
- Wait for haptic feedback
- 2. Adjust threshold
- Settings > Input section > Long Press Timeout
- 3. Wait for feedback
- Haptic vibration indicates activation
- Enable haptics in Accessibility section
Issue: Circle gestures not recognized
Solutions:
- 1. Circle must be complete
- Draw full circle, not arc
- End near start point
- 2. Adjust sensitivity
- Settings > Gesture Tuning > Circle Sensitivity
- 3. Practice size
- Circle should span 2-3 keys
- Too small or too large won't register
App Compatibility
Issue: Keyboard behaves differently in certain apps
Explanation:
Some apps override keyboard behavior:
| App Type | Common Issues |
| Terminal | May need special key settings |
| Games | May block keyboard |
| Password managers | May show own keyboard |
| Some social apps | Custom input handling |
Solutions:
- 1. Add extra keys for terminals
- Settings > Activities > Extra Keys
- Add Ctrl, Tab, Escape
- 2. Check app permissions
- Some apps require explicit keyboard permission
Issue: Keyboard keeps getting deselected
Solutions:
- 1. Check Android battery optimization:
- Settings > Apps > CleverKeys > Battery
- Select "Don't optimize" or "Unrestricted"
- 2. Check app cleaner:
- If using RAM cleaner, whitelist CleverKeys
Performance on Older Devices
Issue: Keyboard crashes when swipe typing
Affected: Older devices (pre-2018), devices with limited RAM, or slow processors
Symptoms:
- • Keyboard crashes immediately when trying to swipe type
- • App force closes during gesture input
- • Works fine with tap typing, crashes with swipe
Solution:
- 1. Disable neural swipe typing
- Open CleverKeys Settings
- Go to Neural Prediction section
- Disable Swipe Typing
- Use tap typing instead
- 2. Why this happens
- Neural swipe prediction uses an ONNX machine learning model
- Older devices may lack sufficient memory or CPU power
- The model requires real-time inference during gestures
[!NOTE]
CleverKeys' neural prediction is optimized for modern devices. If your device is from 2017 or earlier, disabling swipe typing provides a stable experience while retaining all other features.
Issue: Keyboard is slow or laggy
Solutions:
- 1. Reduce prediction beam width
- Settings > Neural Prediction > Beam Width
- Try 3-4 instead of 6+
- 2. Disable haptic feedback
- Settings > Accessibility section
- Disable Vibration
- Haptics can cause lag on some devices
- 3. Clear app cache
- Android Settings > Apps > CleverKeys > Storage
- Tap "Clear Cache"
Android Version-Specific Issues
Issue: Navigation bar covers keyboard (Android 15)
Status: Fixed in v1.2.8
If you see this issue, update to v1.2.8 or later. The keyboard now properly handles Android 15's edge-to-edge display mode.
Issue: White navigation buttons (Android 8-9)
Status: Fixed in v1.2.8
Update to v1.2.8 or later. Navigation button colors now properly adapt to theme.
Issue: Monet theme crash on tablets
Status: Fixed in v1.2.8
Tablets running Android 12+ with limited color extraction now fall back gracefully to default themes.
Visual Issues
Issue: Keyboard background is transparent
Common on: Devices with blur disabled in accessibility settings
Solution:
- 1. Go to Settings > Appearance > Keyboard Opacity
- 2. Increase to 100% for solid background
- 3. Also check Key Opacity if keys appear transparent
[!TIP]
If using a custom theme, ensure both key and background opacity are set to your preference in the theme creator.
Issue: Keyboard too small/large
Solution:
- • Settings > Appearance section > Key Height
- • Adjust to preference
Issue: Keys hard to see
Solutions:
- 1. Try different theme
- Settings > Activities > Theme Manager
- Choose high contrast theme
- 2. Increase label visibility
- Settings > Appearance > Label Brightness
- 3. Enable key borders
- Settings > Appearance > Key Borders
Issue: Theme not applying
Solutions:
- 1. Force stop and restart keyboard
- 2. Check if custom colors override theme
- 3. Reset to default theme first
Sound/Haptic Issues
Issue: No haptic feedback
Solutions:
- 1. Check CleverKeys setting
- Settings > Accessibility section > Vibration
- 2. Check system setting
- Android Settings > Sound > Vibration
- 3. Check device capability
- Some tablets lack haptic motor
Issue: Haptics too weak/strong
Solution:
- • Settings > Accessibility section > Vibration Duration
- • Adjust to preference
Testing Your Keyboard
Use the built-in test field to troubleshoot without switching apps:
- 1. Open CleverKeys Settings
- 2. Look for the test keyboard area at the top
- 3. Test gestures, layouts, and features
Still Having Issues?
If problems persist:
- 1. Check for updates
- App store may have newer version
- 2. Try reset
- See Reset Defaults
- 3. Collect logs
- Use adb logcat -s CleverKeys to capture debug output
- Include with bug report
- 4. Report issue
- Include device model, Android version
- Describe exact steps to reproduce
Related Topics
- • Reset Defaults - Start fresh
- • Backup & Restore - Preserve settings
- • Performance - Speed issues