How to enter special characters on the Android keyboard: 5 working methods

Special characters are an integral part of modern correspondence. Whether it's currency symbols (€, $, ¥), copyright symbols (©, ®), emoji (♥, ☺), or mathematical symbols (√, ≈), they help you express ideas more accurately and add professionalism to your text. However, not all users Android know how to quickly find the desired character on the virtual keyboard. This is especially true for those who switched from iOS or use non-standard layouts.

In this article we will examine all possible ways inputting special characters - from standard functions Gboard and Samsung Keyboard to hidden combinations and third-party applications. You'll learn how to insert characters that aren't on the main layout, how to set up quick access to frequently used characters, and what to do if the keyboard doesn't show the options you want. And also - how to avoid common mistakes when working with Unicode characters.

Interesting fact: there are more Android more available 143,000 Unicode characters, but most keyboards show only a small part of them by default. The rest are hidden in additional menus or require manual entry through codes.

1. Standard method: long press on the keys

The simplest method is to hold the button with a similar symbol with your finger. For example, if you press and hold a letter E, a menu with options will appear È, É, Ê, Ë. This principle works for almost all keys with diacritics or alternatives.

What can be found this way:

• 🔤 Accented letters: A → À, Á, Â, U → Ù, Ú, Ü
• 💰 Currency signs: hold $ for €, ¥, £, ₽
• 📝 Punctuation: long press on ? will open ¿, ¡ (inverted characters for Spanish)
• 🔢 Numbers with indexes: hold 1 for ¹, ₂, ³

⚠️ Attention: On some keyboards (for example, SwiftKey), a menu with alternative characters appears only after double tap a key, and not after a long press. If the hold does not work for you, check the gesture settings in the keyboard settings.

2. Switching to a layout with symbols

All popular keyboards for Android have a separate panel with special characters. To open it:

1. Click on the button ?123 (numbers/symbols) in the lower left corner.
2. Then tap on =< or \{} —depending on the keyboard, the second/third page will open with with rare signs.
3. Scroll left to see additional categories: mathematics (√, ∞), currencies (₿, ₸), arrows (↑, ↔).

On Samsung Keyboard a little way other:

?123 → =\< → scroll left to the "Symbols" tab

Make sure the keyboard is in "ABC" mode (not numbers)

Press ?123 to go to numbers

Tap =\< or \{ } for additional symbols

Scroll left if you don't see the symbol you need -->

💡 Tip: On Gboard you can add frequently used symbols to "Clipboard" (button with a pin next to the suggested ones words). To do this, hold down the character and select Copy, then paste it into the clipboard via the keyboard toolbar.

3. Input via Unicode codes (for advanced)

If a character is not on the keyboard, you can enter it via Unicode. To do this:

1. Hold 0 on the numeric keypad until the degree sign appears °.
2. Without releasing your finger, drag it to Unicode (appears in some keyboards, for example, Microsoft SwiftKey).
3. Enter the symbol code (for example, U+00A9 for ©) and press spacebar.

📌 Popular Unicode codes:

Symbol	Code	Description
©	U+00A9	Copyright
®	U+00AE	Registered trademark
€	U+20AC	Euro
♥	U+2665	Heart (shaded)
≈	U+2248	About equal

⚠️ Attention: Not all keyboards support manual input Unicode. If squares or question marks appear after entering the code, try another application (for example, AnySoftKeyboard).

Why are some characters displayed as squares?

This means that the font of your device or application (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram) does not support this Unicode character. Solution: update the application or use another one messenger (for example, Signal usually displays rare characters correctly).

4. Using the clipboard and text templates

If you often need the same symbols (for example, ™ for trademarks or → for arrows), save them in Clipboard or create Text templates. Here's how to do it:

📋 Method 1: Gboard Clipboard

• 📌 Copy a symbol from the Internet (for example, from the site unicode-table.com).
• 🖇️ Paste it into any input field, hold and select Copy to clipboard.
• 🔄 Now the symbol will be available in the buffer panel (the button with a pin next to space).

⚙️ Method 2: Text replacements (Android 10+)

1. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Advanced settings → Text replacements.
2. Add a new replacement, for example, enter tm in the "Abbreviation" field and ™ in the "Full text" field.
3. Now when you enter tm and press the space bar, the character will be automatically substituted.

5. Third-party applications for symbols

If built-in methods are not enough, install specialized applications. They offer extended libraries of symbols with search and categories.

📱 Top 3 applications for symbols:

• 🔍 Symbol Keyboard — adds a separate keyboard with thousands of characters, supports search by name (for example, “heart”, “arrow”).
• 📚 Unicode Pad — catalog of symbols with one copy tap, there is history and favorites.
• 🎨 FancyKey — allows you to create stylized text (for example, ⓒⓞⓞⓛ instead of "COOL") and non-standard characters.

⚠️ Attention: When you install third-party keyboards, they gain access to everything you type. Use only trusted applications from Google Play with a high rating. (4.5+) and a large number of reviews (100K+).

6. different keyboards

Smartphone manufacturers often modify standard keyboards. Here is what is available on popular devices:

📱 Samsung Keyboard (Galaxy)

• 🎵 Music symbols: hold # for ♪, ♫, ♬.
• 📊 Graphic elements: in character mode, scroll to the "Drawing" tab (there are lines, figures, playing cards).

📱 Xiaomi (Mi Keyboard)

• 🈳 Japanese symbols: long press on ~ will open ㍿, ㈱, ㊗️.
• 🔣 Emoji by category: swiping left on the emoji panel will show rare emojis (for example, 🧑🦼 or 🪩).

📱 Huawei (SwiftKey)

• 🔤 Alternative layouts: add the "Symbols" keyboard in settings language.
• 📏 Units of measurement: hold 0 for ⁰ (superscript), ‰ (ppm), ‱ (base point).

How to return the standard keyboard if a third-party one does not work correctly?

Go to Settings → Applications → Manage applications, find the current keyboard and disable it Then in Settings → System → Language and input enable the standard one (Gboard or manufacturer).

7. Solving problems with displaying characters

Sometimes the entered character is replaced by ? or a square. Here's why this happens and how to fix it:

🔧 Causes and solutions:

Problem	Cause	Solution
The symbol is displayed as □	The font does not support Unicode	Update the application or use another messenger (for example, Telegram)
The keyboard does not show the required characters	Outdated version of the keyboard	Update Gboard/Samsung Keyboard on Google Play
Characters are replaced with question marks	Incorrect SMS/chat encoding	Switch encoding to UTF-8 in message settings
Does not work Unicode codes	The keyboard does not support manual input	Install AnySoftKeyboard or use the clipboard

⚠️ Attention: In some instant messengers (for example, Viber old versions), Unicode characters may be displayed incorrectly even when entered correctly. Before sending an important message, check how the symbol looks in the preview.

Frequently asked questions

How to enter the heart symbol (♥) on Android?

There are 3 ways:

1. Go to the numeric keypad (?123), then press =< and find ♥ on the first page of symbols.
2. Hold < (the less than sign) - in some keyboards it is hidden there ♥.
3. Copy it from here: ♥ and paste it into the clipboard.

Why is there no ruble sign (₽) on my keyboard?

If you use Gboard, the ruble sign appears with a long press on $. On Samsung Keyboard it can be hidden behind the ¥ (yen) button. If the symbol is missing:

• Update the keyboard in Google Play.
• Check the device region: go to Settings → System → Language and input → Region and select Russia.
• Copy ₽ from here and save to the clipboard.

Is it possible to create your own symbols?

Yes, but not directly. Options:

• Use apps like FancyKeyto combine letters into stylized characters (e.g. ⓐ, ⓑ, ⓒ).
• Create text replacements in Android settings (see section 4).
• For install mathematical formulas Math Keyboard —there is a symbol constructor.

💡 Example: To make a “crossed out letter” (for example, A), enter the letter, then find in the symbols ̶ (U+0336) and combine them (in some editors this will work).

How to enter symbols on the keyboard in landscape mode?

In landscape orientation, the arrangement of symbols changes:

• On Gboard currency signs and mathematical symbols move to the second page (=<).
• On Samsung Keyboard an additional panel with emoji appears on the right.
• To return the vertical view, rotate the device or lock the orientation in the notification shade.

⚠️ Attention: In horizontal mode, some keyboards hide rare characters. If not find the desired symbol, turn the screen back.

Where can I find the symbols for chess (♔, ♕, ♖)?

There are chess pieces in Unicode, but not all keyboards show them. Input methods:

1. Install Unicode Pad and find the pieces through the search ("chess").
2. Copy them from here:
   • White king: ♔
   • Black queen: ♛
   • White knight: ♘
   • Black pawn: ♟️

Enter Unicode codes (for example U+2654 for ♔) in supported keyboards.