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Pastiera

Getting Started

Last reviewed: 2026-03-07

What Pastiera is

Pastiera is an Android input method designed for phones with a physical keyboard. The app focuses on faster hardware typing through:

  • long-press mappings and modifier control
  • navigation shortcuts and Nav Mode
  • configurable layouts and language mappings
  • SYM pages, emoji tools, variations, and clipboard history
  • suggestions, auto substitutions, and user dictionaries
  • backup and restore for your setup

Requirements

  • Android 10 or newer
  • a device with a physical keyboard
  • Pastiera installed from a stable or nightly build

First setup

  1. Install Pastiera.
  2. Open Android keyboard settings.
  3. Enable the Pastiera input method.
  4. Switch to Pastiera from the system input-method picker.
  5. Decide whether you want the full IME bar or the smaller “Pastierina” mode.

Where the main settings live

Most day-to-day configuration is grouped into these sections inside the app:

  • Settings > Keyboard & Timing
  • Settings > Smart Features
  • Settings > Accessibility
  • Settings > Languages and Maps
  • Settings > Auto-correction
  • Settings > Customization
  • Settings > Advanced

After activation, these are usually the first things worth adjusting:

  1. Choose your preferred layout in Languages and Maps.
  2. Set long-press behavior and timing in Keyboard & Timing.
  3. Decide whether Double Space to Period, Auto-Capitalize, and Clear Alt on Space should be on.
  4. Open Customization if you want to change SYM pages, variations, or Nav Mode mappings.
  5. Open Advanced if you want clipboard retention, shortcuts, backup, or trackpad features.

SCREENSHOT_TODO: getting-started-enable-and-select-ime