Punjnud: Dedicated Urdu Keyboard for Android Devices

 

bay-bakri

Being an Urdu blogger and promoter of Unicode Urdu, I have to write lots of Urdu everyday. While doing so on a PC/Laptop there are many software and keyboard layouts available that let you write Urdu fonts but for smartphones and tablets you don’t have much options.

I had been using Multiling keyboard on all of my Android devices for last few months. It has support for more than 130 languages including Urdu, but today I found another great dedicated Urdu Keyboard called Punjnud Keyboard available on the Play Store for free.

The good thing about Punjnud Keyboard is that you don’t have to install any additional plugin or anything. Its just like any other keyboard (such as Swift) that you just download and ready to type in Urdu.

The app developer claims that it is the first keyboard to introduce Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto and Sindhi layouts on Android — which of course isn’t true, but its always good to have more choices.

How to use Punjnud keyboard:

punjund

After installing the Punjund keyboard application from the Play Store — here’s the link — go to your phone settings.

Select Languages & Input and then enable the Urdu Keyboard option, after that make it default keyboard and that’s it.

Please note that the system might warn you that the keyboard can collect your personal data and passwords, but don’t worry this app doesn’t have access to the network so even if it tries to store your data it can never transmit it.

keyboard
Punjund keyboard has 5 language layouts, including Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and English.

You can easily change them by clicking on the language button on the bottom left.

key

Unlike other keyboards it has a very basic and user friendly layout. However it misses some fancy stuff like themes, emoji and dictionary/word prediction. There are some minor bugs there too, such as key pop up doesn’t show the letter etc, but I hope developer will fix them in the coming updates.

According to the developer this keyboards is optimized for Jelly Bean users, so if you are using earlier versions of Android or if your phone doesn’t have Arabic support you will find some issues in typing Urdu as characters will not join together to make a word.

Just in case if you missed the URL above, here is the the download Link again.


  • It still doesn’t support Nastaleeq. We need that character set, because the main reason why people write Roman, or don’t prefer Urdu keyboards while texting is due to the fact that the font and script isn’t the same as the one we read on TV, in newspapers, on billboards, etc, which is Nastaleeq. The script being utilized is Naqsh, which is ok for Arabic, but looses its attraction when writing Persian or Urdu.

    • It is android which doesn’t. It has nothing to do with keyboard. And Not just android, all systems that support urdu display it in in naskh.

    • Yess, baat to sahi hai…It would be great if all smartphones support and display nastaleeq font.

      • Why Nastalique is stuck in our heads we are not willing to get away from it? Our govts will not going to invest money in it or force companies to add its support in their Operating systems so we have no other option. Both Arabs and Persians use Nasqkh in computers without any problem so we should follow the same principle.

  • You cannot compare the words you type with
    the words you write in English language. All languages follow the same
    principle. Even Arabic and Persian (source of Urdu alphabets) are also typed in
    Naskh. Please stop vying about Nastalique font in computers. Nastalique
    ligature is too complex for computers to type. Only Inpage type softwares can
    type it which instead of typing alphabets just join their pictures.

    • yeah instead of giving a solution your suggestion is to keep using naqsh. Apna dimagh to istamaal krna he nahi bus bna banaya mil gya hai Naqsh unicode to aap khush, Classic Pakistani thinking.

      • Lad I am the developer of this keyboard. Such standards are made at state level not by individual developers like myself. When you write English and when you type both are different. All other languages follow the same principle e.g. Arabic, Persian even Hindi as well. Its our habit to criticize people than to help support improve things. I do not have a solution nor I can see anybody else coming up with a solution. Nastalique font has very grim future in computer sciences as its ligature is very complex.

        • Thanks for clarifying But Nastalique is prefered, Can`t it be done please. Inpage can`t be installed in any phone at least.
          Abdul Rasheed

  • I like Ukeyboard on playstore which transliterates the roman urdu text into urdu font. However it requires internet as every roman word queries the google transliterate server.

  • Previously i was using swift keyboard urdu it was very good and auto correct and suggestion was also impressive.

  • Now unicode supoorts Nastalique too, like you can type Urdu in “Urdu Nigar Unicode” software which is free but has less features than Inpage. Please note that these are for Windows only.

    • Well this type of manul support is only feasible for hardcore computer users and will never help common people and also have limited or zero success on other operating systems. I am sick of Inpage as well as its not a text editor either and leading us to blackout of our language on the Internet.

  • best keyboard app is swiftkey keyboard its Urdu prediction is awesome , just try i am using this app for a year


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