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Home › Pay › Common problems › Keyboard and font apps
Apps

Keyboard and font apps

Your phone's keyboard already includes emoji, voice typing and ways to make text bigger. Free keyboards are also available from Google and Microsoft. Some keyboard and 'fancy font' apps charge weekly for themes or decorative text, and a keyboard can see what you type. This page explains the common tricks, free options, privacy cautions, and how to cancel.

Common problems to watch for

  • A weekly charge for decorative fonts or keyboard themes
  • Asking for 'Full Access' to your keyboard without explaining why
  • Free trial that starts as soon as you open the app
  • Promising bigger text that your phone's own settings already offer
  • Ads inside the keyboard that pop up while you type

Had one of these happen? Telling others what you were charged helps them avoid it.

Report it

Free and low-cost alternatives

Your phone's built-in keyboardiPhone and Android keyboards include emoji, voice typing, autocorrect and many languages at no cost. You can add keyboards for other languages in settings.
Built-in text size and display settingsBoth iPhone and Android let you make text larger or bold in display or accessibility settings, which is often what people want from font apps.
Gboard from GoogleGoogle's official Gboard keyboard is free on Android and iPhone and includes emoji search, glide typing, voice typing and themes.
Microsoft SwiftKeyMicrosoft's SwiftKey keyboard is a free download on Android and iPhone, with themes, emoji and typing suggestions.

Availability depends on your device and model. AblePro has no relationship with any company named here.

What fair pricing looks like

Keyboards and readable text sizes are free features on every phone, and official keyboards from Google and Microsoft are free. Paying weekly for decorative fonts or themes rarely makes sense.

Before you pay

  • Check your phone's display settings for larger or bold text.
  • Try your built-in keyboard's themes and emoji first.
  • Read why the keyboard needs Full Access before granting it.
  • Check the developer name and its privacy policy.
  • Look at the billing period. Weekly fees add up quickly.

How to cancel

  1. On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, pick the app and tap Cancel Subscription.
  2. On Android, open Google Play, tap your profile icon, choose Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions, and cancel there.
  3. Deleting or uninstalling the app does not cancel the subscription. You must cancel in the store settings.
  4. Also remove the keyboard in your phone's keyboard settings and turn off any Full Access you granted it.

Step-by-step cancel guide for iPhone, Android and PayPal →

Common questions

Can a keyboard app see what I type?

A keyboard handles everything you type, which can include passwords and messages. On iPhone, a third-party keyboard asks for 'Full Access' to send data off the phone. Only use keyboards from developers you trust, read their privacy policy, and avoid granting access a decorative font app does not clearly need.

How do I make text bigger without an app?

Your phone can do it for free. On iPhone, look in Display & Brightness or Accessibility settings for text size and bold text. On Android, look for font size and display size in Display or Accessibility settings. These change text across your phone, not just in one app.

Why do my fancy fonts look like boxes to other people?

Many 'fancy font' apps use unusual symbols that look like letters. Some phones, computers or apps do not display those symbols, so others may see boxes or nothing. Screen readers used by people with vision loss may also read them oddly. Plain text is the safest choice for messages that matter.

General consumer information, not legal or financial advice. Reports reflect the experiences and opinions of their writers, not AblePro, Inc. We check reports against our posting rules but do not verify them.