Hi everyone,
I’ve been using my Fairphone 6 for about three weeks now and I really like it. However, I’ve noticed that quite a few things aren’t running entirely smoothly on Android 16. Aside from a Wi-Fi issue, I’m having trouble with the Google Keyboard (Gboard).
It’s not a major problem, but it is somewhat annoying for my workflow with the device.
For example, when I’m typing a message in WhatsApp and press the emoji key, it usually shows me the emojis I used most recently. Sometimes, however, they don’t appear, and the keyboard behaves as if it were freshly set up and never used before. There is a search bar for emojis on the keyboard; when I tap that search bar while the error is occurring, the keyboard crashes and immediately restarts. Then, when I tap the emoji key again, my emojis show up.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Naturally, I tried the obvious steps: clearing the cache, deleting user data, and “resetting” it by uninstalling the app (even though it can’t be fully uninstalled). I then updated it again via the Play Store and set it up from scratch. Unfortunately, nothing helps, no matter what I do.
I know it’s not a huge deal, but it’s just annoying in day-to-day use.
Thank you all <3
Hey Spongebob!
Out of curiosity - what is the language of your device and your keyboard’s primary language? Do you have any additional languages for the keyboard set up?
I’ve been using Gboard on Android 15 and 16 and never experienced any issues with Gboard to be honest, and I (sad, I know) have entire conversations in emojis. Do you have any additional keyboards installed? Try uninstalling them. Also try, if you haven’t already, slightly adjusting the Display and Font Size UP in the settings. It seems the default setting sometimes may cause issues for some unknown reason. I am pretty sure fairphone support would suggest a factory reset but I don’t think that is necessary yet.
Hi, and thanks for your reply.
I don’t have any other keyboards or different layouts installed. I use the “German QWERTZ” language setting. I have a “Zero Touch” device—meaning it includes a work profile—so I actually have GBoard installed twice: once for personal use and once for work. The strange thing is that I haven’t encountered this error with MS Teams on the work profile side. A factory reset isn’t exactly a simple option, and it’s not something I want to do, either. After all, the device is only three weeks old, and I’ve basically just finished getting it fully set up with everything configured. Maybe the upcoming update will help. 
I am WONDERING (I don’t know) if the double installation of Gboard may be causing the problem. It is usually ONE HUNDRED % necessary when the device has anoter default keyboard (read: Samsung), but if Gboard is the default keyboard anyway it should just be able to use one instance. Not saying you should just uninstall it, but maybe something worth asking your IT department about?
A Zero-Touch device works a bit differently. Android maintains a virtual separation between work and personal data. Due to the policies, for instance, you cannot access work storage from the personal side, though you can access personal storage from the work side—just as an example. Apps can be installed on both sides, as they are subject to different policies. I had this setup on my old FP4, and we use it with many other devices, such as the Google Pixel, too. That shouldn’t be the cause of the issue.