Your Android phone keyboard may be tracking your inputs - how to check (and 2 ways to stop it)

Tech Home Tech Services & Software Operating Systems Mobile OS Android Your Android phone keyboard may be tracking your inputs - how to check (and 2 ways to stop it) Your Android keyboard may be collecting more than you realize. Here are two ways to take back your privacy, but I only trust one. Written by Jack Wallen, Contributing Writer Contributing Writer June 16, 2026 at 5:10 p.m. PT Jack Wallen/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways If you use the default Android keyboard, it's tracking you. There are two options to prevent this: configure it or change it. FUTO Keyboard is a better option than the default. Everything is tracking us. You can have a conversation with someone without even unlocking your phone, and the next day, that device will show you ads based on what you talked about. It's not just infuriating; it's kind of frightening.  What's worse, the companies behind all of this don't seem to really care about our privacy . What was once a given is now opt-out, and sometimes opting out is obfuscated in such a way that you have no idea it's even possible. Also: Use Google Messages? I change these 9 settings on every new Android phone - here's why Another thing that'll make you want to chuck your Android phone against a wall is that your keyboard is tracking you. Yes, your keyboard. Why? Autocorrect, typing suggestions, AI ... it all uses an internet connection to work, and because of that, it can track you. I, for one, cannot tolerate yet another thing tracking me. I'm done with it.  To that end, I decided to see if there was a way to prevent it from happening.  How to prevent your Android keyboard from tracking you There are two options, but I truly trust only one of them. 1. Make the default more private Gboard is the default Android keyboard, and unless you take the time to make it private, it's tracking you. Yes, there is a way to stop so