This modded version of Gboard proves you don't need to give up Google to gain privacy

Published Nov 8, 2026, 6:30 AM EST Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade. Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem have been a focus for years, as well as reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer and food blogger. He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews. Before joining How-To Geek, Joe worked at XDA-Developers as Managing Editor and covered news from the Google ecosystem. He got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone on a small blog, and later moved to Phandroid where he covered Android news, reviewed devices, wrote tutorials, created YouTube videos, and hosted a podcast. From smartphones to Bluetooth earbuds to Z-Wave switches, Joe is interested in all kinds of technology. After several years of jailbreaking and heavily modifying an iPod Touch, he moved on to his first smartphone, the HTC DROID Eris. He's been hooked ever since. I love that Android allows me to swap keyboard apps, but if I'm being honest, I rarely stray from Gboard. That being said, I'm not entirely comfortable with how much it talks to Google. That's why I was intrigued by a privacy-focused mod of Gboard. Obviously, using Android at all requires giving up a certain level of private information to Google. It knows my location, my search history, app usage, and plenty more. However, so much of what I do on my phone passes through the keyboard. A forked app called “GboardWu Privacy” is the safeguard I was looking for. Gboard is a privacy liability Despite Google's claims Let's talk a little bit about why Gboard, among all of Google's apps, is extra problematic for privacy. It starts with network access — a permission that is granted by default and can't be disabled. Gboard uses the permission to download and send data to remote servers. Gboard attempts to handle a lot of stuff locally on your phone. It knows which apps you open the keyboard in, how long you type, the length of words, and other habits. This data — including raw keystrokes — is then fed into a local AI model to improve predictive text. However, Gboard's privacy policy admits it collects data that's linked directly to users. Back in 2022, a researcher was able to intercept the logs Gboard sends out to Google. These logs include the information mentioned above, along with your Android phone's unique ID. This makes it possible for the data to be linked back to your real identity, and that puts your Google account, payment methods, and phone number at risk. Gboard without Google's servers The best of both worlds There are settings you can tweak to make the official Gboard app more private, but they only go so far. In an attempt to truly use Gboard in a more private way, I came across the "Gboardwu/Gboard Patches" project. It's a collection of mods that can be patched on top of Gboard. “GboardWu Privacy” is a privacy-focused fork. GboardWu in and of itself is an absolutely awesome app. It adds tons of extra features to the standard Gboard experience. For example, it brings the Pixel 11's excellent "Rambler" feature to more devices. The list of features is lengthy, and they're included in the privacy fork as well. In simple terms, Gboardwu Privacy blocks the app from sending usage events, performance numbers, crash reports, and even your usage of Google's Tenor GIFs. What it doesn't block is network access. The features that rely on the internet are still allowed to work, but Google doesn't get any of the analytics data. Here's the full list of blocked and preserved Gboard reporting paths: Blocked central Clearcut event submission, covering Gboard logging and ML Kit / OCR FIREBASE_ML_SDK logging; Gboard's Clearcut logger creation gate as defence in depth; Google Play Services ClientTelemetry, ClientThrottlingTelemetry, and ClientNotificationTelemetry reporting; Daily Ping periodic metrics; Primes startup, native crash sidecar, and Lifeboat crash retransmission; Tenor /v2/registershare share tracking only; Cronet Android StatsLog telemetry via android.net.http.EnableTelemetry=false. Preserved UsageReporting / Usage & diagnostics consent plumbing; Audit API consent/compliance records; AppDoctor remote remediation; authentication and account operations; OCR execution itself; voice recognition and Agentic Dictation functional requests; model/module downloads and remote configuration; Tenor search, download, media delivery, and user-visible GIF sharing; Voice Donation consent plumbing; other network traffic required for explicitly requested Gboard features. How to install Gboard Patches More than a simple APK sideload Bad news: Installing Gboardwu Privacy is not as easy as downloading an APK file. Good news: It's still easy, just a different process. The app is installed through "Morphe," a tool that enables modifications for Android apps. After installing Morphe — which can be sideloaded like normal — you can simply tap the "Open this fork in Morphe" link on the Gboardwu Privacy GitHub page. Morphe will guide you through the process of downloading the correct version for your phone and installing it. Once you have Gboardwu Privacy installed, you'll need to enable it and select it as the input method like you would for any keyboard app. The main page looks exactly like the normal Gboard, but scroll down and you'll find a "Patches" section. The privacy features are all baked in, but there's plenty of other goodies to play with in here. The great thing about this is it just flat-out works like Gboard should, but with the added benefit of just a little more privacy. It's not as perfect as replacing Gboard entirely, but it's a good compromise for those of us who can't find a better keyboard.