A 2-Row, 16-Key QWERTY Keyboard for Phones - Useful or Nonsense?

A 2-Row, 16-Key QWERTY Keyboard for Phones - Useful or Nonsense?

I developed a 2-row, 16-key QWERTY keyboard for phones, based on the regular 3-row, 26-key layout.

The keys are bigger, so they’re easier to tap, and your thumbs don’t have to move up and down as much. Vowels have their own keys, while some less-used letters are typed with a double tap or by pressing two keys together.

Do you think this kind of keyboard could be useful? Or should I just drop the project?

u/QWERTY_mini — 1 day ago
▲ 5 r/IPhoneApps+1 crossposts

Simple 2-Row Keyboard - Wide & Standard Free

2 rows and 16 keys make tapping and thumb movement easy. It’s a local keyboard with basic typing features for now.

It supports double-tap, simultaneous input, and split landscape mode.

  • Wide: for small phones or two-handed typing
  • Standard: for one-handed typing on standard-size phones

I’d appreciate your feedback after trying it.

Google Play Store - Android

QWERTY mini – Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini – Standard - English - Free

Apple App Store - iOS

QWERTY mini - Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini - Standard - English - Free

Here is the information about QWERTY mini.

QWERTY mini – Overview & Key Links : r/QWERTYmini

u/QWERTY_mini — 6 days ago

QWERTY mini Keyboard Standard and Wide Are Now Free on Android and iOS

We sincerely thank everyone who has used QWERTY mini Standard and Wide.

Due to various circumstances, we have decided to make both versions free.

Google Play Store - Android

QWERTY mini – Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini – Wide - English - Free

Apple App Store - iOS

QWERTY mini - Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini - Wide - English - Free

Here is the information about QWERTY mini.

QWERTY mini – Overview & Key Links : r/QWERTYmini

Demo video

YouTube Shorts - QWERTY mini

u/QWERTY_mini — 9 days ago

Comparing Two Ways to Reduce the Number of Keys While Preserving the QWERTY Layout

A - In Most Cases

It reduces QWERTY to roughly 14 keys by combining adjacent letters while broadly preserving the visual appearance of the original layout. However, the actual typing flow differs significantly from standard QWERTY.

The vowels - A, E, U, I, O - are generally not kept on standalone keys. This creates frequent consonant-vowel conflicts during normal typing.

In addition, about 12 secondary letters(w, r, y, i, p, s, f, h, k, x, v, n), representing over 40% of total letter usage, require double-tapping or similar secondary actions.

So while it looks similar to QWERTY, the actual typing method is quite different, making it harder to use existing QWERTY typing habits.

This approach was used in some early BlackBerry and Nokia phones. It may work better on very narrow smartphones or with features like gesture typing and prediction, but the basic typing flow is still quite different.

B - QWERTY mini

It uses 16 keys arranged in two rows, while preserving the five vowels - A, E, U, I, O - on dedicated standalone keys. The remaining letters are placed on combined keys, with two vertically layered letters on each key, creating an overall four-layer structure.

The combined keys are organized according to letter frequency, with the more frequently used letters assigned to the easier input position. As a result, only 10 secondary letters(q, f, g, p, z, x, v, b, j, k), accounting for about 10% of total letter usage, require double-tapping.

The layout may look unusual at first, but the main goal is to preserve the familiar QWERTY typing flow rather than simply preserve its visual appearance.

QWERTY users can get used to this layout surprisingly quickly, and using tap, double-tap, and simultaneous press with the two-layer combined keys can make typing much faster. Also, the two-row layout makes vertical thumb movement simpler and more comfortable.

I also tried a three-row layout using the same approach as QWERTY mini, but it significantly disrupted the familiar QWERTY typing flow.

u/QWERTY_mini — 10 days ago
▲ 2 r/QWERTYmini+1 crossposts

QWERTY mini Keyboard Standard and Wide Are Now Free on Android and iOS

We sincerely thank everyone who has used QWERTY mini Standard and Wide.

Due to various circumstances, we have decided to make both versions free.

Google Play Store - Android

QWERTY mini – Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini – Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini Pro – English (Global) - USD 0.99

Apple App Store - iOS

QWERTY mini - Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini - Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini Pro - English (Global) - USD 0.99

Future development will focus on the Pro version, with plans to add language packs and other advanced features. However, progress has not been as smooth as we had hoped.

Here is the information about QWERTY mini.

QWERTY mini – Overview & Key Links : r/QWERTYmini

u/QWERTY_mini — 11 days ago
▲ 2 r/GalaxyS24Ultra+3 crossposts

Keyboard : QWERTY mini Pro works well - paid

  • Wide and Standard modes are now unified, and you can instantly switch between them by simply swiping left or right on the spacebar.
  • Supports most extended Roman characters, which can be selected and entered with an upward swipe.
  • The split layout available in landscape mode provides a new typing experience.

Google Play Store - Android

QWERTY mini Pro – English (Global) - USD 0.99

The free version and Shorts

QWERTY mini – Overview & Key Links : r/QWERTYmini

u/QWERTY_mini — 13 days ago
▲ 7 r/QWERTYmini+2 crossposts

QWERTY mini Keyboard - Pro works well

  • Wide and Standard modes are now unified, and you can instantly switch between them by simply swiping left or right on the spacebar.
  • Supports most extended Roman characters, which can be selected and entered with an upward swipe.
  • The split layout available in landscape mode provides a new typing experience.

Google Play Store - Android

QWERTY mini Pro – English (Global) - USD 0.99

Apple App Store - iOS

QWERTY mini Pro - English (Global) - USD 0.99

Here is the information about QWERTY mini.

QWERTY mini – Overview & Key Links : r/QWERTYmini

u/QWERTY_mini — 15 days ago

QWERTY Mini: 2-Row 15-Key and 3-Row 16-Key Layouts Are Possible, But...

A

The QWERTY typing flow is preserved, and the A key becomes easier to tap. However, input for L, PP, PL, LP and LL is delayed, and the symmetry 8 : 8 of the 16-key layout is lost.

B

The QWERTY arrangement becomes distorted, making it difficult to preserve the original typing flow. but...

u/QWERTY_mini — 18 days ago
▲ 3 r/iPhone11Pro+2 crossposts

A Simple Anti-Slip Tip for Your Smartphone

  • Buy fabric stickers in several different colors. I change the color whenever I want. It’s very cheap.
  • First, attach one layer of small pieces to the top and bottom of the phone - This also helps protect the camera lenses. Then just cut and stick them on. That’s it.
  • Of course, a proper phone case offers better protection, but it makes an already large phone even bigger.
u/QWERTY_mini — 22 days ago
▲ 3 r/gboard+2 crossposts

Comparing Two Ways to Reduce the Number of Keys While Preserving the QWERTY Layout

Layout A

This approach was used in some early BlackBerry and Nokia phones. It combined adjacent letters into roughly 15 keys while broadly preserving the visual appearance of QWERTY.

However, the actual typing flow differs significantly from the familiar touch patterns of a QWERTY keyboard, so it does not appear to make full use of users' existing typing experience. Advanced features such as gesture typing and predictive text may improve the experience, but...

Layout B - QWERTY mini

QWERTY mini uses 16 keys arranged in two rows. Vowels remain on dedicated keys, while each combined key contains two vertically layered letters, creating an overall four-layer structure.

The layout may look unusual at first, but it preserves the familiar QWERTY typing flow remarkably well and builds on users' existing experience. Although about 10% of letters require a double tap or simultaneous press, the two-row layout with 16 large keys is a major advantage.

The combined keys are organized by letter frequency, and single taps, double taps, and simultaneous presses work together as one consistent input system. This makes the keyboard efficient.

I also tested a 3-row version using the same approach, but it could not preserve the QWERTY layout.

u/QWERTY_mini — 14 days ago

Comparing Two Ways to Widen Keys While Preserving the QWERTY Layout

Layout A

Layout A uses double taps for two less common letters, reducing the widest row from 10 keys to 8. It is simple, but it may work well on narrow smartphones.

Layout B - QWERTY mini.

Layout B uses 16 keys in two rows. Each combined key has two letter layers, with single taps, double taps, and simultaneous presses linked through a consistent system based on letter frequency.

I also tested 15- and 16-key layouts in two and three rows, but a 3-row layout could not preserve the QWERTY arrangement well. I therefore chose to develop the 2-row, 16-key design because it keeps the QWERTY typing flow, preserves dedicated vowel keys, supports left-right symmetry, and provides better overall usability.

u/QWERTY_mini — 24 days ago

QWERTY mini Keyboard Standard and Wide Are Now Free on Android and iOS

We sincerely thank everyone who has used QWERTY mini Standard and Wide.

Due to various circumstances, we have decided to make both versions free.

Google Play Store - Android

QWERTY mini – Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini – Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini Pro – English (Global) - USD 0.99

Apple App Store - iOS

QWERTY mini - Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini - Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini Pro - English (Global) - USD 0.99

Future development will focus on the Pro version, with plans to add language packs and other advanced features. However, progress has not been as smooth as we had hoped.

We apologize for the delayed updates and appreciate your understanding.

u/QWERTY_mini — 28 days ago

QWERTY mini Standard and Wide Are Now Free on Android and iOS

We sincerely thank everyone who has used QWERTY mini Standard and Wide. Unfortunately, platform policies do not allow us to automatically upgrade the existing paid versions to Pro.

To ensure more stable and focused development, we have decided to make both versions free and focus our efforts on QWERTY mini Pro.

Google Play Store - Android

QWERTY mini – Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini – Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini Pro – English (Global) - USD 0.99

Apple App Store - iOS

QWERTY mini - Standard - English - Free

QWERTY mini - Wide - English - Free

QWERTY mini Pro - English (Global) - USD 0.99

We apologize for the delayed updates and appreciate your understanding.

u/QWERTY_mini — 28 days ago
▲ 29 r/smallphones+5 crossposts

This is the QWERTY mini - NEW layout.

We need to update it soon. Which U, Y, and P position is better? Please pick one. 2 or 1.

u/QWERTY_mini — 30 days ago