This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
What's the deal with Android "keyboards"? Why is it just an app that you can install? And why can it have more functionality/permissions from the OS beyond just being a local keyboard? As an iOS user this is very bizarre and foreign to me.
I feel like every time the topic of Android keyboards (again, why is this a thing?) comes up it's some kind of big spyware thing. Seems like most every app on Android and iOS is spyware anyway, of course.
As an iOS user, I'll just say "slide to type" is better than "hammer thumbs". Until the iOS keyboard gets that on all platforms, 3rd party is my go-to.
Hmm...
I use AnySoftKeyboard instead of the default android keyboard or the Samsung keyboard just to preemptively avoid these kind of “issues” creeping up in the future.
Should I still be worried?
Is there a way to sandbox or scope the software keyboards to never see the network (wired ethernet, Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G or otherwise) on stock Android 13 ?
Other than:
Settings > Connections > Data Usage >
Allowed networks for apps > {app} > Wi-Fi only (and not use Wi-Fi) or Mobile data only (and not use Mobile data)
and
Mobile data usage > {app} > Allow background data usage > Disabled
Moreover, there is no "Network Permissions" setting option from what I can see even within Permission manager > Additional permissions.
Can you point to where it says that in the report? It actually says:
an IME will commonly reach out over the network to a cloud-based service for suggestions if suitable suggestions are not available in the input method’s local database.
So it doesn't send "every key typed".
Until you realized what sequence of letters most commonly not have any suggestion. That's right, when you type your password.
