8 Common Galaxy Note 8 Keyboard Problems & Fixes

In this guide we’ll detail some of the most common Galaxy Note 8 keyboard problems and offer tips to fix them. Samsung’s Galaxy keyboard has a lot to offer and plenty to like, but it’s not perfect. Here’s what to know about these issues.

While there are dozens of replacement keyboards for Android, most Galaxy Note 8 users stick with the keyboard that comes pre-installed. And while it has lots of neat customization options, it’s frustrating when words don’t capitalize or you get extra spaces in sentences.

Read: How to Reset a Frozen Galaxy Note 8

If you’re experiencing issues while typing on the Galaxy Note 8, you’re not alone. We’re seeing complaints about the Note 8 keyboard freezing, lag, capitalization issues, and problems with autocorrect.

Other complaints suggest punctuation doesn’t always work or the keyboard simply won’t show up at all. We’ll help you fix these problems or explain settings you can change to avoid them.

Galaxy Note 8 Keyboard Not Capitalizing

The biggest issue we’re seeing is the Galaxy Note 8 keyboard doesn’t always capitalize words or names, especially at the beginning of a sentence. Furthermore, some state it auto-corrects letters to lowercase, which is frustrating.

Read: How to Fix Galaxy Note 8 AutoCorrect Problems

By default, the keyboard should automatically capitalize the first word of any sentence. The first potential solution is making sure you didn’t turn off the auto capitalization feature. Here’s where to look. Head to Settings > General Management > Language & input > On-screen keyboard > Samsung Keyboard and look through the list of options. The 3rd option is what you’re looking for, as shown below.

Enable auto capitalization if it’s not already on. If it is, something else is wrong. If so, you’ll want to clear the cache for the keyboard, which we’ll explain in our next category. We’ve also heard downloading a secondary keyboard from Google Play, switching to it, and back to Samsung’s fixes a lot of little problems.

Galaxy Note 8 Keyboard Not Showing Up at All

Apparently, the Galaxy Note 8 keyboard simply won’t show up at all sometimes, which is a problem Galaxy S8 users are experiencing too. There’s no way to fix this in settings either, as it should just work. It’s basically a software glitch, and we have two steps that should fix it.

For almost any keyboard problem your first step is a quick reboot of the phone. Press and hold the power button and hit Restart. When the phone reboots the keyboard should go back to full working order.

Next, if the keyboard is still missing try clearing the cache for the keyboard application. Head to Settings > Apps > All Apps > Samsung Keyboard and tap Force Stop. You can also click on Storage, then clear the keyboard data and cache. This might delete your saved dictionary, but you’ll get the keyboard back. We’re also hearing this fixes a lot of other problems when you can’t change something in settings.

And finally, there’s a similar glitch where instead of not showing up some will see the keyboard, but it’s completely frozen. Nothing works. Again, try rebooting your phone or clearing the cache.

Galaxy Note 8 AutoCorrect Fails

Your Galaxy Note 8 should learn from your typing habits over time, and gradually get more accurate when it comes to autocorrect or word predictions. For some, it’s not learning at all, or if it is, autocorrect ruins perfectly normal words. With my Galaxy Note 8, when I type “to/too”, “home” and “come”, occasionally I’ll get “top”, “hone”, and “cone” instead. That’s an autocorrect fail if I’ve ever seen one. Here’s how to fix it.

Follow the steps we mentioned earlier and head back to the Samsung Keyboard settings menu. Scroll down and tap on Predictive text. Don’t turn it on or off with the switch, tap the option instead. Now, uncheck “Auto Replace”. This way the phone will still predict words for you, and show them above the keyboard, but it won’t replace them automatically.

This way you won’t get the aggressive autocorrect, but the suggestions still populate above the keyboard.

Keyboard Predictions Not Appearing

However, sometimes those predictions and autocorrections don’t even show up. Irritating, we know. When the keyboard knows what you want while you type, it makes life easier. Here’s how to fix it if you’re not seeing those helpful predictions. This will also fix the problem where after a prediction you get a weird double-space in your sentence.

Head to the same Settings > General Management > Language & input > On-screen Keyboard > Samsung and look through the settings list. Make sure “Predictive Text” is enabled, and try toggling it off and back on. Sometimes it just gets stuck. Also, try tapping on Predictive Text and making sure you didn’t uncheck the “auto-replace” options.

And finally, you’ll also see “Auto spacing” in this menu, which inserts a space automatically after you add a word using predictive text. When you choose a predicted word or hit spacebar to use the highlighted word, the software adds a space for you. Then, you added a space yourself out of habit. That’s where the double-space is coming from.

Disable auto spacing or turn off predictive text completely. Some love it, while others feel it only slows them down.

Galaxy Note 8 Keyboard Lag

Another common problem is lag while you’re tying. Basically, the keyboard lags behind and struggles to keep up. It’s not freezing, but it’s getting close. This usually fixes itself, but if not, try this.

We know Samsung is working on a big bug fixing update for December, and hopefully keyboard lag is part of it. That said, there is another one trick that should fix it, and potentially any other problem you’re experiencing.

Go into Settings > General Management > Language & Input > On-screen Keyboard > Samsung Keyboard and scroll to the very bottom. Now, select “Reset to Default Settings” and then tap the “Reset keyboard settings” option too. This will revert any and all changes you’ve made to the keyboard. So while it might ruin some of the settings we explained above, it will fix the frustrating lag. If not, you’re stuck waiting for Samsung to issue an update.

Furthermore, there’s an option in here to clear all personalized data too. Which might fix some of those other pesky problems we’re hearing about.

Missing Keyboard Sounds

Keyboard sounds are a nice little confirmation that you’ve hit the button you want, and most owners like them. However, a lot of people disable this option in settings too. Or, you did by accident and now don’t know why your keyboard isn’t making noises while you type.

To change this you need to head to your phone’s settings, not the keyboard settings we mentioned earlier. So, go to Settings > Sounds & Vibrations > and scroll down the Keyboard sound. Make sure this isn’t turned off. Flip the switch on, and your keyboard sounds should come back. If not, try a reboot or wiping all the data as we mentioned in our last category.

Another potential reason for this is your phone is in silent mode. Yes, this affects the keyboard sounds too. Press the volume up button and make sure your Note 8 isn’t in silent mode. Or vibrate only mode.

Galaxy Note 8 Swipe & Typing Problems

If you’re experiencing random problems in general, or are having a hard time swiping to type on the Galaxy Note 8, there are a few different potential reasons. First, make sure swipe or gesture typing is turned on in your keyboard settings.

However, the number one problem with typing on the Galaxy Note 8 is because of your screen protector. Do you have a screen protector on the Note 8? With a curved screen, some of these accessories don’t fit perfectly and leave little gaps on the screen. As a result, some swipes or taps don’t register. You think it’s the keyboard, but it’s actually just your screen protector. Obviously, this isn’t ideal, but take it off and try again. Or, try one of these 10 Best Note 8 Screen Protectors.

Replace the Galaxy Note 8 Keyboard

Did you know there are dozens of replacement keyboards for Android? If you’re not able to fix your problems or want to try something else, download a replacement keyboard from the Google Play Store. First, we recommend you download and install Gboard, from Google. Previously know as the Google Keyboard. It’s extremely fast, user-friendly, and has the power of Google search built-in.