In our series on open, surveillance-free apps we take a closer look at FUTO Voice Input and FUTO Keyboard - two apps that together challenge the established options for voice input and mobile keyboards. Most smartphone users are used to entering text with Google or using standard keyboards like Gboard or SwiftKey.
Few realise, however, that these popular tools often collect what you say and type in private, to send it to the tech giants. The FUTO team themselves emphasise that their solution eliminates this problem completely - everything runs locally on the device without any data leaving the phone (offline with no connection requirements).
This is what the FUTO apps offer:
- Integrity focus: FUTO apps run completely offline - no data is sent to the cloud.
- Full functionality: Swiping, text suggestions, autocorrect and voice-to-text with punctuation - all work without an internet connection (all keyboard functions even offline).
- High precision: Offline dictation with advanced AI model (OpenAI Whisper) provides fast and accurate transcription (local voice recognition with high accuracy).
- Multilingual support: Support for many languages (including Swedish) and continuous improvements via the open source community (Swedish model trained on > 2000 hours of speech and openly developed by the community).
FUTO Keyboard
On the keyboard front, it impresses FUTO Keyboard by delivering modern convenience without compromising privacy. Unlike standard keyboards, which constantly send user data away, FUTO doesn't require network access or cloud services - yet it offers features on par with the best.
You can swipe words with your finger across the screen, get relevant text suggestions and automatic spelling correction, and customise the theme to your liking - all while the app consistently refuses to send a single keystroke to any external server (all data stays with you). FUTO Keyboard also integrates FUTO Voice Input through a built-in microphone button, so that 'speech to text' can be activated from the same interface.
FUTO Voice Input
For voice input we have FUTO Voice Input which allows you to dictate text directly into apps like Messages or Notes - all without an internet connection. All processing is done locally using a compact language model, meaning no audio needs to be sent off to become text. According to users who compared it to Google's cloud-based solution, FUTO can keep up and even outperform it in both speed and accurate grammar.
One new tester enthusiastically reported that FUTO provided a completely new experience - no delays or weird autocorrections that he previously suffered from with Gboard. This means you can speak freely and see the text appear almost instantly, without worrying that someone unauthorised is 'listening' at the other end.
Ongoing developments and options
Although the FUTO Keyboard is still young, it is already surprisingly capable. The interface feels polished and user-friendly, and the amount of features means it can almost measure up with established alternatives. Currently, text input works well in English, while support for smaller languages like Swedish is still being finalised. However, the pace of development is fast, and the FUTO team has announced improvements to autocorrect and an expanded range of languages in future updates. In addition, global collaboration is encouraged: as the source code is open, dedicated developers and users can contribute improvements and new language data to the project.
Free options include Sayboard, an open source keyboard that uses Vosk for speech recognition. For pure keyboards there are, among others AnySoftKeyboard and FlorisBoard, which are excellent from a privacy point of view but lack some of the advanced features that FUTO offers in a package (in particular inbuilt voice input).
A natural part of the Matrix mobile ecosystem
The FUTO Voice Input and Keyboard demonstrates that you can combine the best of both worlds: the convenience of smart text and voice capabilities, and the security of keeping your data private. For users of Teuton Systems The Matrix phones (GrapheneOS phone), these apps come pre-installed as part of the privacy-secure ecosystem, pre-configured with Swedish language support. But they are available to everyone - via Google Play or F-Droid - and is highly recommended for those who care about their privacy in everyday life.
As one technology writer recently put it: you no longer have to choose between functionality and security - with FUTO you get both without compromise.
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