How to type symbols on Android

Gboard: the two symbol pages

Gboard is Google’s keyboard and the default on Pixel and most other Android phones. Tap ?123 for digits and everyday punctuation. Then tap =\< for the second page, which is where most people find the symbols they were looking for:

~ ` | • √ π ÷ × ¶ ∆ £ ¢ € ¥ ^ ° = { } \ % © ® ™ ✓ [ ] < >

Note that ∆ on this page is the increment sign (U+2206), a close relative of the Greek capital delta Δ. It is fine in casual text, but use the Greek delta in maths and science.

Long-press for accents and variants

Touch and hold a key to see its alternatives. On the letter page, holding e offers è é ê ë and more, and n offers ñ. On the ?123 page, holding the hyphen gives – and —, holding $ gives other currency signs such as ₹, and holding the quote keys gives curly quotes and « ». Holding the digits 1 to 3 offers superscripts and fractions such as ¹ ½ ¼.

If long-press shows only numbers, check Gboard settings → Preferences → Long press for symbols. With it on, holding a letter key shows the symbol printed in its corner.

Samsung Keyboard

Samsung phones ship with their own keyboard. Tap !#1 for symbols, then 1/2 to page through. The second page includes © ® ™ ° • ¶ and currency symbols, and long-pressing letters gives accents as on Gboard. Samsung also has its own shortcut list under Keyboard settings → Text shortcuts.

Make shortcuts in the personal dictionary

For symbols that are not on any page, such as →, ★ or ∞, create a shortcut:

1. Copy the symbol, for example from our star symbols.
2. Open Gboard settings (the gear on the keyboard, or Settings → System → Keyboard) → Dictionary → Personal dictionary → your language.
3. Tap +, paste the symbol as the word, and type a shortcut such as zstar.
4. Now type “zstar” and the symbol appears as a suggestion. Tap it.

Shortcuts appear in the suggestion strip, not automatically, so pick shortcuts you would never type by accident.

Emoji and emoji search

Tap the smiley key, or hold the comma key, to open emoji. The magnifier searches by name: “arrow”, “check” or “heart”. The emoji panel also has a tab for emoticons, such as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, and for stickers. Emoji appear in colour. For plain text symbols that match your font, copy from our symbol collections.

Add a language for its letters

In Gboard settings → Languages → Add keyboard, choose a language such as Spanish or German. You get its letters (ñ, ä, ß) directly on the keys and can switch with the globe key or by swiping the space bar. Gboard can also show two languages at once without switching.

If a symbol shows as a box

Older Android versions lack fonts for newer characters, and some show them as empty boxes. Updating Android usually fixes it. Our guide to symbols showing as boxes explains the cause and the workarounds.

Use Gboard’s clipboard for repeat symbols

Gboard keeps a clipboard history. Tap the clipboard icon in the toolbar above the keys (turn it on the first time) and your recently copied items appear as chips. Long-press an item and choose Pin to keep it permanently. Pinning a line such as “✓ ✗ → ★ ♥” gives you a personal symbol palette that is one tap away in every app, which is often quicker than a dictionary shortcut.

With a physical keyboard

If you connect a Bluetooth keyboard to an Android phone or tablet, most keyboard layouts support Unicode entry only through the on-screen keyboard. The practical options are to choose a layout with a symbol level (such as English US International in Settings → System → Languages & input → Physical keyboard) or to keep using Gboard’s clipboard and shortcuts. On Chromebooks, which run Android apps, Ctrl + Shift + U works system-wide.

Symbols in specific apps

WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok accept any Unicode symbol in messages, captions and bios, so copying from this site works everywhere. Usernames are stricter: most platforms allow only letters, numbers, dots and underscores there. Games vary by title, so test a symbol in a name before you pay for a rename.