But every so often, an update changes the game entirely—and not always for the better. For a specific generation of Android power users, the shift from (and later) was a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.
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Most users today should stick with or Gboard . They are secure, updated, and private enough. But every so often, an update changes the
The old versions (specifically TouchPal v5) were legendary for three specific features that modern keyboards still struggle to replicate. Modern slide-to-type (Glide typing) requires you to trace every letter. Old TouchPal introduced a hybrid approach. You could tap the first letter of a word, slide to the last letter, and let go. The algorithm filled in the middle. It sounds weird, but once you learned the rhythm, you could type faster than a court stenographer. 2. Curve Word Prediction This was the killer app. In old versions, as you typed, a curved line would float above the keyboard showing you the next word it predicted. You didn't have to look up at the suggestion bar. You just looked at the space bar. It felt like mind-reading. Modern AI keyboards hide predictions in menus; old TouchPal put them right in your line of sight. 3. No "Cloud" Bloat Here is the biggest difference. The old TouchPal was a local keyboard. It lived entirely on your device. The APK was tiny—usually under 15MB. It didn't ask for permission to "record audio" or "access your contact history for better predictions." It asked for storage (for a local dictionary) and that was it. The Great "Enshittification": What Went Wrong? If the old version was so perfect, why did everyone leave? The company behind TouchPal (CooTek) discovered the monetization trap. Subscribe to our newsletter for more retro-tech reviews