Thanks to the cool work done by Shaftamle, you now have the choice of using your favorite keyboard in your favorite color. Yep, the Google Keyboard, version 1.0.1870.703320, is available for you in variety of colors: Blue, Black, Green, Red, Onyx, Purple, Orange, Pink, Gold and ICS (Android 4.0 themed).

You need a device with Android 4.0 or above installed, and with a XHDPI resolution display: a device whose PPI is higher than 316 PPI, which basically covers all high-end and many devices that come with 720p display or higher one. Examples are: Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, HTC One, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, etc.

You can see all colors of the keyboard in one big pic above (click to see enlarged view of it).

Now let’s see the download links and guide to install the keyboard.

The colored Google Keyboard is available for download in each color in both APK and zip formats.

The APK file can be installed easily as usual using a file manager, while zip would have to be flashed from the recovery — if you are going with recovery route, be sure to have a nandroid backup for safety just in case something goes wrong, although chances are almost nil.

Download Links

Installation Method 1: Google Keyboard APK File

Using the APK file is the safest way of the two and doesn’t require a custom recovery (twrp or cwm). Here’s how you install the keyboard using the APK file:

  1. Download the APK file of the colored keyboard of your choice or all of them and transfer it to your phone in any folder of your choice and remember the files’ location.
  2. Allow you device to install app using APK files by enabling Unknown Sources under settings – security. The keyboard isn’t compatible with version below Android 4.0.
  3. You’ll need a file manager. If you don’t have one, install the ES File Explorer from the Google Play Store.
  4. Open the ES File explorer and go to folder where you have the APK file of the Google keyboard you want to install.
  5. Tap on the file to begin its installation. Follow the directions and the keyboard would be installed in less than a minute. Done!
  6. You can either tap on Google Keyboard app’s icon in the drawer to start keyboard or select the themed Google keyboard under Language and Input settings.

[alert style=”info”]If the APK file method doesn’t work, then you can try flashing/installing the keyboard’s zip file using a custom recovery: twrp or cwm. The main job for you here to get either of the two custom recoveries for your device. Once you have got custom recovery, it’s easy.

Search our site for your phone’s recovery and if you can’t find it here, do try Google. In case you need help, be sire to ask us in comments below.[/alert]

Installation Method 2: Google Keyboard ZIP File

In order to install the keyboard using its zip file via twrp/cwm recovery, do this:

  1. Boot into recovery mode to use your custom recovery.
  2. [Optional] create a nandroid backup for safety.
  3. Select ‘install zip from sdcard’ option under cwm and ‘Install’ option under twrp respectively and then select the zip file of the keyboard and say Yes for the installation.
  4. The recovery will flash the keyboard and once that is done, go back and select ‘reboot’ option to restart the device.
  5. Upon restart, you can either tap on Google Keyboard app’s icon in the drawer to start keyboard or select the themed Google keyboard under Language and Input settings.

Let us know which one is your favorite color/theme of all the above keyboards. And don’t forget to thank the creator of these keyboards: Shaftamle

Via XDA