Typing accented characters on your Android phone or tablet is easier than you might think. Whether you’re texting in Spanish, writing an email in French, or posting in German, Android’s built-in keyboard features make it simple to add accent marks without installing any additional apps.
This guide covers everything you need to know about typing accents on Android devices, including quick shortcuts, keyboard settings, and tips for multiple languages.
For other devices, check out our guides for Windows and Mac, iPhone and iPad, or Chromebooks. If you frequently type in Spanish, see our Spanish accent marks guide.
Quick Method: Press and Hold
The fastest way to type accents on Android is using the press-and-hold method. This works with any Android keyboard and takes just seconds to learn.
How it works:
- Open any app where you can type (Messages, Gmail, Notes, etc.)
- Tap and hold the letter you want to accent
- Wait for the popup menu to appear (about half a second)
- Slide your finger to the accented version you need
- Release to insert the character
Example: To type é:
- Press and hold the e key
- A popup shows: è é ê ë ē ę ė ě
- Slide to é and release
This method works for all vowels and many consonants. The available accents vary by letter, but Android typically shows the most common variations for each language.
Common Accented Characters on Android
Here are the accented characters you can access by pressing and holding each letter:
Vowels with Accents
A: à á â ã ä å ā ą æ
E: è é ê ë ē ę ė ě
I: ì í î ï ī į ı
O: ò ó ô õ ö ø ō œ
U: ù ú û ü ū ų ů
Y: ý ÿ ŷ
Consonants with Accents
C: ç ć č ĉ
N: ñ ń ň
S: ś š ş ș ß
Z: ź ż ž
Other Special Characters
?: ¿ (Spanish inverted question mark)
!: ¡ (Spanish inverted exclamation mark)
$: € £ ¥ ₹ (currency symbols)
Changing Your Android Keyboard Language
If you frequently type in a specific language, adding that language keyboard gives you better predictions and autocorrect.
Steps to add a language keyboard:
- Open Settings on your Android device
- Tap System (or General Management on Samsung)
- Tap Languages & input (or Language and keyboard)
- Tap Virtual keyboard or On-screen keyboard
- Select your keyboard app (usually Gboard)
- Tap Languages
- Tap Add keyboard
- Choose your language from the list
- Select your preferred keyboard layout
Switching between languages while typing:
Once you’ve added multiple languages, you can switch between them easily:
- Look for the globe icon 🌐 on your keyboard
- Tap it to cycle through your active languages
- Or press and hold the globe to see all languages and select one
Using Gboard for Accents
Gboard is Google’s keyboard app and comes pre-installed on most Android devices. It offers the best accent typing experience with smart predictions and easy language switching.
Gboard features for typing accents:
Automatic accent suggestions:
When typing in a language that uses accents, Gboard often suggests the accented version automatically. For example, typing “cafe” in Spanish might show “café” as a suggestion above the keyboard.
Gesture typing with accents:
If you use gesture/swipe typing, Gboard can still add accents. Simply swipe the word, and if it needs an accent, select the accented version from the suggestions bar.
Voice typing:
Press the microphone icon and speak naturally. Gboard adds accents automatically based on the language you’re speaking. Say “café” and it types café, not cafe.
Language-Specific Tips
Spanish Accents on Android
Spanish uses five accented vowels plus ñ and inverted punctuation.
Quick access:
- á é í ó ú: Press and hold the vowel
- ñ: Press and hold n
- ¿: Press and hold ?
- ¡: Press and hold !
- ü: Press and hold u and find ü in the options
Spanish keyboard tip:
Add the Spanish keyboard for better autocorrect. It automatically places accents on words like “está” and “José” as you type.
French Accents on Android
French uses several types of accents including acute, grave, circumflex, and cedilla.
Common French accents:
- à è ù: Press and hold a, e, or u
- é: Press and hold e, slide to é
- â ê î ô û: Press and hold the vowel, find the circumflex version
- ç: Press and hold c
- ë ï ü: Press and hold the vowel, find the umlaut
- æ œ: Press and hold a or o
French keyboard:
The French AZERTY keyboard rearranges keys to match French typing conventions. Add it through Settings if you type French frequently.
German Accents on Android
German primarily uses umlauts and the special ß character.
German characters:
- ä ö ü: Press and hold a, o, or u
- ß: Press and hold s
- Ä Ö Ü: Long press when in caps mode, or use shift
German keyboard tip:
The German QWERTZ keyboard gives you dedicated keys for ä, ö, ü, and ß, making German typing faster.
Portuguese Accents on Android
Portuguese uses tildes, acute accents, and circumflexes.
Portuguese accents:
- á é í ó ú: Press and hold vowels
- â ê ô: Press and hold for circumflex
- ã õ: Press and hold a or o for tilde
- à: Available when holding a
- ç: Press and hold c
Alternative Android Keyboards for Accents
While Gboard works great, other keyboard apps also support accents:
SwiftKey
Microsoft’s keyboard app with excellent multilingual predictions and swipe typing with accents.
Samsung Keyboard
Pre-installed on Samsung devices, supports all major languages and accent marks.
AnySoftKeyboard
Open-source option with extensive language support and customization.
All these keyboards use the same press-and-hold method for accents, so switching between them is seamless.
Typing Accents in Specific Apps
Gmail and Email
The press-and-hold method works perfectly in all email apps. For professional emails in other languages, consider:
- Adding the language keyboard for better autocorrect
- Using voice typing for longer messages
- Enabling auto-capitalization for proper nouns
Social Media
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social apps fully support accented characters:
- Use press-and-hold on any letter
- Accents count as one character (important for Twitter’s character limit)
- Hashtags work fine with accents (#café is searchable)
Messaging Apps
WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and Messages all support the same accent typing methods:
- Press-and-hold works in all messaging apps
- Voice typing adds accents automatically
- Emoji keyboard doesn’t interfere with accent typing
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Problem: Accents not appearing when I press and hold
Solutions:
- Make sure you’re holding long enough (at least half a second)
- Check if your keyboard app is up to date
- Try restarting your device
- Switch to Gboard if your current keyboard doesn’t support accents
Problem: Wrong accents showing up
Solution:
The accents that appear depend on your active keyboard language. Add the specific language keyboard for the accents you need.
Problem: Autocorrect removes my accents
Solution:
- Add the language keyboard for that language
- Or disable autocorrect: Settings → Languages & input → Virtual keyboard → Your keyboard → Text correction → Toggle off Auto-correction
Problem: Can’t type accents in certain apps
Solution:
Some apps (especially older games or specialized apps) don’t support Unicode characters. This is rare but can happen. Try updating the app or contact the developer.
Using Physical Keyboards with Android
If you use a physical Bluetooth keyboard with your Android device:
Method 1: Use the on-screen keyboard
- Keep the on-screen keyboard enabled
- Switch to it when you need accents
- Use press-and-hold as normal
Method 2: Use keyboard shortcuts (if supported)
Some external keyboards support Alt codes or Option key combinations, but this varies by keyboard model.
Method 3: Change physical keyboard language
- Settings → Languages & input → Physical keyboard
- Select your keyboard
- Choose keyboard layout matching your language
Tips for Faster Accent Typing
Learn the patterns:
After a while, you’ll remember where each accent appears in the popup. For example, é is usually the second option when holding e.
Use autocorrect:
Add language keyboards and let autocorrect place accents for you on common words.
Try voice typing:
For longer messages, voice typing with automatic accent recognition is often faster than manual typing.
Create text shortcuts:
In Settings → Languages & input → Personal dictionary, you can create shortcuts. For example, make “cafe” automatically expand to “café.”
Typing Accents on Android Tablets
The process is identical on Android tablets:
- Press and hold letters for accents
- Add language keyboards in Settings
- Use Gboard or your preferred keyboard app
The larger screen makes it easier to see accent options and select them accurately.
Conclusion
Typing accents on Android is straightforward once you know the press-and-hold technique. Whether you’re writing in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, or any other language with accents, Android’s built-in keyboard features make it easy.
Quick recap:
- Press and hold any letter to see accent options
- Add language keyboards for better autocorrect
- Use Gboard for the best experience
- Voice typing automatically adds accents
With these techniques, you can communicate effectively in any language right from your Android device. Practice the press-and-hold method a few times, and it will quickly become second nature.