How can I enable keybord Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-i9300 Android version 4.1.1

Question

I can't find the keyboard in my Samsung Galaxy S3. I only found "Google Voice Typing":

In Settings → Language and Input → Keyboards and Input methods I have only Google Voice Typing.

What's wrong with my device? How can I fix that?

Answer 1

While it sounds strange that there should be no keyboard present, and as trivial as it might sound: Simply installing an alternative keyboard from the playstore should fix that. Take e.g. Hacker's Keyboard, which is a very flexible one, and well rated (I'm using it myself on my tablets). Simply install it, and its settings should turn up at the place you've described. Optionally, add the dictionaries for the languages you like to have them (see the keyboard's playstore page, some are directly linked to the app).

Do it from a PC/Laptop

As you currently have no keyboard available on your device, it might be difficult/impossible to use the playstore app on the device itself to install the above. You can still install it:

1. on your laptop/pc, open a web browser and go to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.pocketworkstation.pckeyboard
2. log in with the credentials of the Google account you use on your device
3. click the "Install" button, accept the permissions for the app (they are OK)
4. the keyboard will be pushed to your device

Once the installation has finished (you can see this in your device's notification area), you can go to the described place (Settings → Language and Input → Keyboards and Input methods) and make the new keyboard the default input method. With that final step, you problem should be solved.

No Google-Account configured on the device?

In this case, installation via the web interface cannot work either, as the app-to-be-installed cannot be pushed to the device. Still, there is something you can do:

1. On your PC/Laptop:
   • Visit the Hacker's keyboard project's download page and download the .apk file to your computer
   • if you don't have any file manager on your Android device:
     1. You will need the Android SDK installed, or at least a "Mini variant" (the adb/adb.exe binary and, on Windows, its helper .dll files -- check the adb tag and its wiki for details, and see QtADB for a simple, user-friendly variant working on Windows, Mac and Linux)
     2. When on Windows: Make sure you have the drivers for your Android device installed
2. On your Android-device:
   • Enable unknown-sources to activate side-loading (Settings→Security: Check "Unknown Sources")
   • if you don't have a file-manager app on your Android device: Enable adb debugging (Settings→Development: Check USB-Debugging)
3. Connect your Android device with your PC/Laptop via USB cable
4. to install your .apk...
   • if you have a file-manager app on your Android device:
     1. simply copy the .apk to your device as you usually copy files there
     2. use your file-manager app to navigate to the .apk
     3. "tapp" the .apk file's entry. After asking your confirmation, the app will be installed. Skip all below -- you're done.
   • if you don't have a file-manager app on your device: use pm install via the ADB command-line to install the .apk on your Android device (see XDA-Developers for more details on this -- usually it should be adb pm install /path/to/download/*.apk, replace the /path/to/download part with the full directory name of where you saved the .apk to).