Newsletter 
Kika Keyboard is a third-party keyboard for Android that aims to offer users all the features that a modern user would want. With lots of different themes available – including the ability to change the font and more – 1,200+ different emoji, new sticker packs and a fresh new interface this has a lot to offer. Kika supports 60+ different languages and it’s one of the few to support GIF files there and then in the keyboard, making it easy to search for and find a GIF to send to friends and family in a chat. Emoji is a focus of Kika Keyboard, and with all the new different emoji from WhatsApp as well as fun Unicode styles, Kika Keyboard now has more emoji than most other keyboards out there and its fresh new interface makes customizing things to your liking a lot easier. So, let’s take a look, shall we?
As with all other keyboards on Android, users will need to download Kika Keyboard from the Play Store, and then get it set up to use it. Thankfully, this process is super-easy and any Android user will be able to do this without issue.
The app does a good job of introducing people to what the keyboard has to offer at the same time, and once users have everything setup, they’ll be able to take a look at the new user interface, which is neatly laid out and fairly easy to understand.
Here we can see some of the more popular themes, and if we move from one screen to another, we can see further options, such as the ability to choose from different fonts to further the customize the look of the keyboard.
Of course, one of the major draws of an app like Kika Keyboard is its focus on emoji, and from the main interface, users can choose from a number different emoji to download and install. Of course, the only problem with this is that you will see a different emoji to what your users intended to see, but it does give you more power to customize things your end.
Speaking of the keyboard itself, the different themes that are available for Kika Keyboard make it super-simple to find something pretty different, or something that nicely blends in with the rest of your look. I went for something offbeat and retro, with an 8-bit looking theme.
I was impressed with just how good the themes in Kika keyboard looked, but one thing bugged me was the fact that these themes are separate installs from the Play Store. Going through the Play Store is of course more secure and paid themes will be handled securely through Google, but these often lead to even more app icons in your app drawer or home screen, and it can be a little disjointed going from one app to the Play Store.
Despite the vast array of themes available from the Play Store, users are able to choose and customize their own look from within the app, too.
Emoji are a big part of Kika Keyboard, and not only are these easy to get to, but Kika even offers some less standard emoji to send to people, such as Unicode and mosaic emoji, both of which I thought was a nice touch.
Even cooler than this however, is the fact that Kika Keyboard offers the ability to choose and send different GIF images there and then from within the keyboard, something WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger users will find particularly useful.
Kika allows users to search for the sort of GIFs that they need by using hashtag filters and such and in practice, this works really quite well.
One new feature included in Kika Keyboard is the sticker selection, which can be customized from the main menu.
Users can then choose these stickers from the keyboard view, and inputted just like standard emoji.
Having spent some time with Kika Keyboard, I can see why a lot of users will find a lot to like about this sort of app. After all, it’s not only a great typing experience, but it’s loaded with extra features. The 1,200+ emoji might only come in a handful of different overall themes, but there’s a lot of other ways to express yourself, including the new sticker packs as well as the other style of emoji that other keyboards just don’t offer. While there are a few hiccups here and there, such as the individual listings for each custom theme in the Play Store and my inability to download a different font theme, Kika is a stable and solid app for the most part. As Android keyboards go, Kika Keyboard strikes the right sort of balance between speedy and accurate and having extra features. This is the sort of keyboard that may well appeal more to the younger users out there, but it has a lot of value on offer, and it can be used by everyone.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Kika Keyboard ran just fine on my test devices, and I was up to a quick typing pace in no time.
- Theme (5/5) – There are so many different elements to change, so many different options and so many emoji that it would be difficult to find something that you didn’t like the look of in Kika Keyboard.
- Features (5/5) – Again, Kika Keyboard has so much on offer – ranging from the emoji, the themes, GIF support, new stickers and more – that it should please even the most demanding users out there. Some users might find this approach a little too much, but very few will complain that there isn’t enough on offer.
- Overall (5/5) – With such a wide variety of themes and different looks combined with all the emoji, stickers and GIFs that people could want, Kika Keyboard ticks all of the right boxes with big, colorful ticks.
Pros
- Free to download and install, with many of the different keyboard themes being free as well.
- Simple and easy to choose from hundreds of different emoji from the keyboard as well as GIFs and more.
- New stickers give the keyboard features that many will have experienced in apps like Hangouts and LINE.
- Still manages to offer a great typing experience overall.
Cons
- Despite being free, there are a lot of ads that take up the whole screen when navigating through menus.
- Individual downloads from the Play Store might be safer, but they can also lead to more clutter in app drawers and home screens.
Kika Keyboard is easily one of the best keyboards out there that offers a great balance between a solid and speedy typing experience and all the extra features that people have come to expect. Kika Keyboard has over 1,200 different emoji to choose from, a myriad of different custom themes as well as further tweaks and settings to explore. With a new interface and new stickers to choose from, Kika Keyboard offers what a lot of other keyboards on Android simply don’t.
