How to put a quotation mark on Android: instructions for all keyboards

Inputting quotes on a smartphone often turns into a puzzle: either the necessary symbols are hidden in the depths of the menu, or the keyboard stubbornly offers only straight quotes ("..."), ignoring Russian "herringbone" or German ones "paws". At the same time, not only the visual literacy of the text, but also the perception of your message depends on the correct formatting of quotes - be it a business email, a post on social networks or academic work. In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to insert quotes into Android, from standard solutions to little-known life hacks.

The problem is complicated by the fact that smartphone manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, Google Pixel) and keyboard developers (Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, SwiftKey) implement access to special characters in different ways. In some places, a long press on a key is enough, but in others you have to delve into the settings or install additional applications. We tested all methods on current versions Android 14–15 and collected them into a single instruction - taking into account the nuances for different devices and language layouts.

1. Standard method: long press on the quote key

The most obvious method works on most keyboards by default. The algorithm is simple:

• 📱 Open any text input field (messenger, notes, browser).
• 🔠 Switch to the Russian or English layout (depending on the type of quotes you need).
• 🖱️ Press and hold your finger on the key with straight quotes (").
• 🌐 After 1-2 seconds, a pop-up menu with alternative characters will appear.

In this menu, the following are usually available:

• "Christmas trees" - «» (Russian Quotes); appears, check your keyboard settings: sometimes the function is disabled in the section
• "paws" - „ “ (German/European quotes);
• 'single' quotes - ‘ ’ (apostrophes).

On the keyboard Gboard (from Google) the menu with quotes may look different - for example, it offers to select first ‘’ or “”, and only then open the extended list. On Samsung Keyboard Christmas trees are often hidden behind an additional swipe to the right in the pop-up window.

What to do if a long press does not work?

If the keyboard ignores a long press, try:

1. Update the keyboard application in Google Play.

2. Switch to another layout (for example, from Russian to English and back).

3. Use an alternative method from the following sections of the article.

2. Quotes through the special characters menu

If long pressing does not give the desired result, use the full list of special characters. This method is universal and works even on non-standard keyboards.

1. Open the keyboard in any application.
2. Click on the button ?123 (numbers and symbols).
3. Then tap on =< or \< —depending on the version of the keyboard.
4. Scroll the list of characters to the section with quotes (usually signed as «»„“’‘).

On some keyboards (for example, SwiftKey) the path may be different:

?123 → =\< → section "Punctuation" → quotes

The main advantage of this method is access to all types of quotes, including rare options like French (“”) or angular (““”) Minus - you have to spend more time searching for the desired character.

Press?123

Find the button =\< or \<

Scroll to the section with quotes

Select the desired symbol with a tap

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3. Using text replacements (auto-replacement)

If you often need quotes of a non-standard type, configure automatic replacement the short code to the desired character. This will save time and eliminate searching in the menu.

For example, you can make sure that when you type, == automatically insert "Christmas trees". data-i="91">Select Gboard:

1. Open Settings → System → Language and input → Virtual keyboard → Gboard.
2. Select Dictionary → Text replacement.
3. Click + and add the rule:
   • 📝 Abbreviation: == (or any other combination);
   • 🔤 Phrase: «» (or „“if German quotes are needed).

Save changes.

Now when you enter ==text== it is automatically converted in "text". A similar setting is supported by Samsung Keyboard and SwiftKey, but the path to the menu may differ.

⚠️ Attention: If you use several language layouts, text replacements may not work in all. Check the settings for each layout separately.

4. Copying quotes from the clipboard

The fastest way is to copy the necessary quotes once into your notes or document, and then paste them as needed. especially convenient if you need rare characters (for example, corner quotes).

Where to get quotes for copying:

• 🌍 From this article: "" „ “ ' ';
• 📄 From the document Google Docs (paste quotes from your PC and copy to your phone);
• 🔍 Through a search in the browser: enter the query “herringbone quote symbol” into Google the system will show the symbol to copy.

To speed up the process, create in Google Keep or Samsung Notes a separate entry with a set of frequently used quotes. For example:

«»
„ “
‘ ’
 

This approach eliminates the need to search for symbols in the keyboard menu every time. There is only one minus - you have to first find and copy the quotes. from another source.

Long press the key

Special characters menu

Text replacements (autocorrect)

Copying from the clipboard

Other method-->

5. Third-party keyboards with enhanced character support

If the standard keyboard is not satisfactory, install an alternative one with improved support for special characters:

Keyboard	Advantages	How to insert quotes
AnySoftKeyboard	Flexible configuration of layouts, support for rare characters	Long press on " → selection from menu
Fleksy	Gestures for quick input, extended symbols	Swipe up to ?123 → section "Punctuation"
Chroom	Minimalistic design, quick access to symbols	Click =< → scroll to quotes
Multiling O Keyboard	Supports 200+ languages, custom layouts	Add quotes to the custom panel

For example, in AnySoftKeyboard you can create custom layout with quotes on convenient keys. To do this:

1. Open the keyboard settings.
2. Select Additional layouts → Create new.
3. Add quotes to free keys (for example, instead of rarely used characters).

Third-party keyboards are also useful if you need quotes for specific languages (for example, Chinese or Japanese)that are missing in standard layouts.

6. Entering quotes through Unicode (for advanced users)

If you work with technical texts or need rare characters, you can enter quotes through them Unicode codes. additional actions, but gives access to all existing quotes, including exotic ones.

List of Unicode codes for popular quotes:

• « — U+00AB (left "herringbone");
• » — U+00BB (right "herringbone");
• „ — U+201E (left "foot");
• “ — U+201C (right "foot");
• ‘ — U+2018 (left single apostrophe);
• ’ — U+2019 (right single apostrophe).

How to enter a character by code on Android:

1. Install an application for entering Unicode, for example Unicode Pad or Unicode Input.
2. Open the application and find the desired code (for example, 00AB for ").
3. Copy a character or paste it directly into the text.

An alternative way is to use HTML mnemonics (if you write in web forms or editors with HTML support):

• « — «;
• » —»;
• „ — „;
• “ — “.

⚠️ Attention: Not all applications on Android correctly display characters entered via Unicode. Before use, check whether the target application (for example WhatsApp or Telegram) supports such characters.

7. Troubleshooting: quotes are not displayed or are replaced

Sometimes entered quotes turn into other characters or disappear altogether. Let's look at typical causes and ways to eliminate them.

Problem	Cause	Solution
The quotation marks are replaced with straight ones ("")	Auto-correction keyboard	Disable auto-correction in the keyboard settings or add an exception
Characters are displayed as □	The font does not support Unicode	Change the font in the phone settings or use another messenger
Quotes disappeared after sending	Platform restrictions (for example, SMS)	Use instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) instead of SMS
No menu of alternative characters	Outdated version of the keyboard	Update the keyboard in Google Play or change it

If the problem persists, check:

• 📱 Language and region in your phone settings: some characters may be blocked when selecting certain countries.
• 🔄 Encoding in the application where you paste the text (for example, in Notepad++ on a PC).
• 🛠️ Font settings: try resetting them to standard.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about quotes on Android

🔹 Why on my Samsung there are no “Christmas trees” in the quotes menu?

On some versions Samsung Keyboard Russian quotes are hidden behind an additional swipe in the pop-up window Try:

1. Long press on ".
2. Swipe right in the pop-up menu.
3. If that doesn’t help, update your keyboard or use Gboard.

🔹 Is it possible to add quotes to the quick access toolbar?

Yes, in some keyboards (for example, Gboard or SwiftKey) you can customize a panel with frequently used symbols:

1. Open the keyboard settings.
2. Find the section Character panel or Quick access.
3. Add quotes to your favorites.

After that they will be available on the top panel of the keyboard.

🔹 How to insert quotes into Instagram or TikTokif they are replaced?

Social networks often automatically correct quotes to straight ones. Workarounds:

• Insert quotes through. clipboard (copy in advance).
• Use characters from Unicode (for example, they are replaced less often).
• Type the text in Google Docs, then copy to the social network.

🔹 Is there a difference between “Christmas trees” and “paws”?

Yes, these are different types of quotation marks with their own rules of use:

• "Christmas trees" («») - standard for the Russian language (GOST R 7.0.3-2006).
• "paws" („ “) - common in German and some European languages.
• "paws" with lower case („ “) - used for nested quotations in Russian.

In official documents it is recommended to use "herringbones".

🔹 Why did quotation marks stop inserting after an Android update?

The update could have reset the keyboard settings or changed the arrangement of characters. Try:

• Reinstall the keyboard.
• Reset its settings (Settings → Applications → Gboard → Storage → Reset).
• Check if the language has changed default.

⚠️ Interface details may differ depending on the Android version and shell (for example, One UI on Samsung or MIUI on Xiaomi).