TT9 is a Nokia-style T9 keyboard for Android. It provides predictive text input in 40+ languages, configurable hotkeys, clipboard, undo/redo, and extensive customization. It works on touchscreens, physical keypads, and TV remote controls. And best of all, it doesn't spy on you!
This is a modernized version of the original project by Clam-.
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If your phone does not have Google Play and does not allow installing custom APKs, please consult the Installation Guide.
- Full version: Android 7.0 or higher
- Lite version: Android 8.0 or higher
- Storage space depends on the Android version. The lite version requires at least 6-8 Mb and the full version requires at least 220 Mb.
- Extra storage space is necessary for language dictionaries in Predictive Mode.
- Languages with character predictions only (Korean): ~1 Mb per language
- Tiny languages (< 100k words; Kiswahili, Indonesian, Vietnamese): 5-6 Mb per language.
- Small languages (100k-400k words; e.g. English, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, French): 15-30 Mb per language.
- Medium languages (400k-800k words; e.g. Chinese, Danish, Greek, Italian, Portuguese): 40-75 Mb per language
- Large languages (800k-1.6M words; e.g. Arabic, Bulgarian, Hebrew, Japanese, Romanian, Spanish): 100-170 Mb per language
Storage usage for the dictionaries depends on the word root count and the average word length in each language. Some languages will require more space, even if they have fewer words than others.
- Android 8.0+ → Install latest version (Play Store, F-Droid, or GitHub)
- Android 7.x → Install latest full version from GitHub (manual)
- Android 5–6 → Install full v60.0
- Android 4.4 → Install full v44.0
- Android ≤4.3 → Install legacy Traditional T9 Keypad IME from 2016
On devices without Internet access, always use the full version from GitHub.
On heavily customized phones (e.g. TCL Flip 2, Kyocera phones, especially if running Android 10+), you may experience issues:
- empty gaps/misaligned items on the screen
- unexpected text/numbers appearing when you try to type
- incomplete integration with the native apps (e.g. "send" button not working, missing hotkey functions, etc.)
Use one of the tested phones:
- Motorola g05 (Android 15)
- CAT S22 Flip (Android 11)
- Unihertz Atom L (Android 11)
- Qin F21 Pro+ (Android 11)
- Energizer H620SEU (Android 10)
- Sonim XP3800 (Android 8.1)
Before using Traditional T9 for the first time you need to configure it and load a dictionary. After that, you can start typing right away in one of the three modes: Predictive, ABC, or Numeric (123). And even if you have mastered the keypad back in the day, you will still find the Predictive mode now offers more powerful and smart new ways of typing with even fewer key presses.
So make sure to read the initial setup and the hotkey tips in the user manual. Also, don't miss the convenient compatibility options aimed to improve the experience in some applications.
The user manual is also available in: Brazilian Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian.
As with many other open-source projects, this one is also maintained by its author in his free time. Any help in making Traditional T9 better will be highly appreciated. Here is how:
- Add a new language, new UI translations or simply fix a spelling mistake. The process is very simple and even with minimum technical knowledge, your skills as a native speaker will be of great use. Or, if you are not tech-savvy, just open a new issue and put the correct translations or words there. Correcting misspelled words or adding new ones is the best you can do to help. Processing millions of words in multiple languages is a very difficult task for a single person.
- Share your list of added words. Use the Export function in Settings → Languages → Added Words and upload the generated CSV file in a new issue. You are also welcome to open a PR if you have good technical knowledge and can split them by language.
- Report bugs or other unusual behavior on different phones. It is only possible to verify correct operation and compatibility on a handful of phones, but Android behavior and appearance vary a lot across the millions of devices available out there.
- Experienced developers, who are willing to get your hands dirty with the code, see the Contribution Guide.
Your PRs are welcome!
The best way to support the project is to give it five stars on Google Play. While it may sound trivial, good reviews really motivate me to keep working on it. They also encourage the Play Store to promote TT9 to more people and ultimately help spread the word.
You can also give the project a star on GitHub. Higher-ranked projects can access development tools for free and apply for funding more easily.
And if you truly enjoy using TT9, buy me a beer on Ko-Fi or buy Premium on Google Play.
- No spying, tracking, telemetry, reports, or data collection of any sort.
- No ads or unnecessary bells and whistles. It only does its job, typing.
- No unnecessary network connections. The Full version operates entirely offline, and the Lite version connects only to download dictionaries from GitHub. Voice Input may require Internet access, depending on the available voice services.
- Open-source, permitting you to verify all the above yourself.
- Created with help from the entire community.
- Things it will (probably) never have: QWERTY layout, swipe-typing, GIFs, and stickers.
- Not intended as a clone of TouchPal, Sony Ericsson, KaiOS, Samsung, etc. While it captures the feel of the classics, TT9 offers its own experience and won’t replicate any device or app exactly.
Note: the Google Play version is almost identical to the lite version, except that it includes extra "premium" features that are closed-source. Nevertheless, none of the extra components compromises the principles outlined above.
- The source code, the logo image, and the icons are licensed under the conditions described in LICENSE.txt.
- The dictionaries are licensed under the licenses provided in the respective readme files, where applicable. Detailed information about the dictionaries is also available there.
