Test, please ignore.
"FrostKeys"
"https://github.com/AshwinSoni-01/FrostKeys"

A very very belated release note for v2.5.7. NOT A NEW UPDATE

This should've been posted with the release ideally but between some family travel and getting sick right in the middle of it, I've been completely away from my desk and haven't been able to properly work on the app since the release.

I'm back at work again so i'm posting this now. Better late than never, right?
Here are the key changes in FrostKeys v2.5.7 :

v2.5.7 update brings a Material Design 3 Expressive UI overhaul across multiple panels, a new key style, a redesigned long-press popup experience, and clipboard panel improvements.

MD3 Expressive UI
- Upgraded the suggestion strip pinned buttons with MD3E's 'Standard ButtonGroup' look, smooth bouncy press animations, and drag-and-drop reordering.
- Migrated AI writing tools and Klipy GIF/Sticker tabs to MD3E 'Connected ButtonGroups' with dynamic shape morphing.

New Key Style & Appearance
- Added a new 'Default' key style matching the modern Gboard layout with adjusted padding defaults. (suggested by @icecreammmtasty)
- Added descriptions for each key style option in the appearance settings picker.
- Renamed 'Style' to 'Key style' and 'Colors' to 'Color theme' for clarity, and reordered day/night theme options.

Long-Press Popup redesign
- Added backdrop blur effect behind long-press key popups with circle/pill selection highlights and proper padding alignment. (design & idea by @Syntrop2k2)
- Removed per-key backgrounds in long-press popup and replaced with clean circle/pill highlight on selection and a plain background. (suggested by @jovalstom)
- Removed popup key dividers across all key styles for a cleaner look.

Clipboard & Toolbar
- Redesigned the clipboard panel toolbar as a fixed header with back and clear buttons, And Removed the separate clipboard toolbar keys setting. PR #1 by @tokenflood

Fixes & Improvements
- Fixed pinned button icons not following light/dark theme correctly. (reported by @Th3name)
- Fixed emoji rendering validation to detect unsupported multi-codepoint sequences that render as tofu. (reported by @jeremy)
- Fixed Frosted Glass dynamic themes not respecting the 'Auto day/night' toggle.
- Fixed haptic feedback not firing on pinned toolbar button taps.
- Fixed 5th pinned button being hidden when all 5 slots are used.
- Fixed pinned button icon vanishing after drag-and-drop.
- Corrected layout switch key shapes on the numpad.
- Fixed key hint letter positioning for non-rounded styles.
- Removed the Frosted Glass Edge Contrast setting (Redundant).

Misc
- Updated branding from KBoard to FrostKeys across the entire codebase (Except the app package name to avoid reinstallations from scratch).

⬇️ Download

Thanks for sticking with me while I took care of things offline. Back to work!

Damm what an impressive changelog

300 subs😃 🤩
hoping for 500 soon 🤞🏻

#sneakpeak blur effects 👀

🚀 Closed Beta Testing is LIVE!

Hey everyone! It is finally time, the closed testing build for the app is starting. The release is already setup and has been reviewed by Google!
So now it's your 🫵🏻 turn to participate.
I'm looking for active testers to, try out the latest features, and help me spot any bugs or rough edges.

Important:
Google requires atleast 12 testers to stay opted in and use the app continuously for 14 days.
So please stay opt in and use the app daily

Currently I'm keeping the max testers cap to 30, so there will be plenty of room in case anyone decides to leave.
The 30 people will get the spot on a first come first serve basis so I can effectively review initial feedback.

What’s in it for you?
- Full early access to the app before anyone else.
- Direct say in reporting bugs and shaping upcoming updates.

How to join:

1. Join the Google Group:
https://groups.google.com/g/frostkeys-beta-testers

2. Then opt in here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.orion.frostkeys

Or through web here: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.orion.frostkeys

Note: Please make sure you sign up with the Google account email associated with your Play Store.

Thanks for all the support.  So excited to hear your thoughts! 🙌

Okay i think everyone is getting this screen.
I guess something is still processing form Google's side.
It shows published for me on the dashboard.
Please wait for a while and try again :)

Guys, If you see a price on the Play Store link, DO NOT BUY IT!
That's just cause how the store listing is setup.

I'm enabling free license testing for everyone in the group right now it'll reflect in a few minutes!

Ngl i gave myself a jumpscare there😭

Damn, the spots got filled up way faster than I expected. Huge thank you to everyone who joined 🙌🏻

​I’ve paused new joins for now since we hit the 30 tester cap.

​For everyone who got in:
Please make sure to download the build from the Play Store, set it as your default keyboard, and keep using it daily so the 14 days time frame doesnt get reset.

Since this is a first release and cause I've made lots of changes, bugs are expected.

So please report any bugs or weird behavior in the Bugs and Feedback Topic

Appreciate you all!

Since the first 30 spots filled up really fast and there were a lot of pending requests, I went ahead and approved some of them to bump the total count to 50 testers!

For testers who just got added:
Please make sure to opt in using the play store link/web link, download and set it as your daily keyboard so Google counts the active test period.

If you find any new bugs, please report in the feedback channel.

Thank you all so much for the support :)

Pushed a small update containing few bug fixes.
It should be available for all testers in some time.

Fixes:

• Fixed crashes on older Android versions when opening the keyboard or settings, which happened due to blur effects being unsupported.
Reported by @Sekiro2149

• Fixed instant crash when choosing the Holo key style.
Reported by Anon 27

• Space bar default text updated to "FrostKeys".

Finally 😭

Reported by @Syntrop2k2 and @eepyWolly

• General stability and background image fixes.

Thank you all so much for the bug reports.

Please test the update and confirm if these bugs are fixed. If not or if you face any new bug then please share fresh logs.

Important

I've been noticing a lot of new people asking where the apk is and why it's gone from GitHub.

The app is moving to the Play Store officially, which is why the apks were removed. I've decided to keep one official way for downloads.

--------------------------------------------------------


Apart from this, regarding any lose apk shared personally or via 3rd party.

Builds from the Play Store will be verified and cryptographically signed by me to ensure authenticity and integrity.

When you extract and share apks, you expose yourself to potential tampering and keylogging from untrusted third parties.

This is NOT saying that github is not secure or less secure than playstore.
This one is not about github it's about extracted apks.

Please don't share apks like this since it's risky.

Don't forget that this is a keyboard app, not a normal app. A keyboard handles sensitive info like your credentials and messages, and you shouldn't put those at risk.

The closed beta is currently full. Please refrain from spamming requests to join, asking for and sharing apks, otherwise I'll need to moderate the chat more strictly.

I'd appreciate your patience while waiting for the official release.

Google mandates the closed testing before full public release, it's not something i can control.

To be completely transparent about why there are no APKs on GitHub right now, it's purely workload decision.
Google play policies have nothing to do with apk removal in github. Google isn't forcing me to remove them.

As a solo developer, I'm already spending a lot of time and effort maintaining this app, often even working till late nights.
Maintaining builds on multiple distribution channels means keeping track of releases, updates, bug reports, and feedback coming from different builds and sources.

I simply don't have the capacity and time to do that right now. I'm already busy with a lot of things.

So I've decided to keep things easy for my self and have one official way for downloads.

This is ultimately just my decision, because at the end of the day it's me sitting till 4 am trying to figure out why something isn't working.

The app is and will remain fully open source. Anyone is more than welcome to clone the repository and build the apk for themselves if they prefer compiling from source.

There are no malicious intentions here. I'm just trying to do things in a way that feel comfortable to me and trying to avoid burning myself out.

I hope that clears up where I'm coming from, and I appreciate everyone sharing their perspective 🙏