Auto punctuation on Android: the keyboard that adds commas and periods for you

Why no keyboard adds commas while you type

Your keyboard can fix a typo because a word ends quickly: type it up to the space, and it's clear which word you meant. A comma doesn't work that way. It depends on the meaning of the whole sentence, as anyone who sat through a grammar lesson remembers.

Same three words, opposite meanings, and one comma makes the difference. The keyboard gets your letters one at a time: at "eat" it has no idea who's coming to dinner. Not even an English teacher could place that comma halfway through your sentence.

On a phone keyboard, "auto punctuation" means something smaller: tap the space bar twice and you get a period and a space. That's all "Auto punctuate" on the Samsung keyboard, "Double-space period" in Gboard and the "." Shortcut on iPhone do. Where to turn it on or off is in our guide to keyboard symbols.

So "a keyboard that adds commas" really means one of two things. Either the marks go in once the message is finished, with one tap on the whole text. Or you don't type the message at all: you say it, and the punctuation arrives with your voice.

How to add commas to a message you already typed, in one tap

Once a message is finished, its meaning is there in the whole text, and in everyday texting it's clear. That's why the commas in a finished message can be placed for you. The newest phones have this built into the keyboard:

• Pixel 9 and newer, and a handful of other recent flagships with Gboard: tap the writing tools button above the keyboard, then "Proofread".
• Galaxy S22 and newer, and the foldables: tap Writing assist on the keyboard toolbar, then "Spelling and grammar".
• iPhone 15 Pro and newer: select the text, tap Writing Tools, then "Proofread".

On other phones, Aqua Voice does the same by voice: select the message, tap Edit and say "fix the punctuation". Setup takes a minute, on Android and on iPhone.

And the quickest way to a message with every comma in place is to skip the typing: say it, and the commas come with your voice. The whole-message fixes are covered in detail in our guide to autocorrect.

Why speaking gets your commas right more reliably than typing

Some sentences stay ambiguous even when they're finished. Typed without a comma, "let's eat grandma" leaves the reader to guess who's on the menu, and only the person who wrote it knows. Out loud, nobody gets it wrong. You know what you mean, and your voice shows where the comma goes. The punctuation is already in how you speak, and speech recognition that hears it gets the marks together with the words.

Built-in auto punctuation listens for something simpler: your pauses. On a Pixel and on iPhone, a mark lands wherever you stopped for breath or to find a word. One Apple Community user describes dictation that "inserts random comma punctuations into my sentences even if I did not state for a comma to be inserted."

Aqua Voice places the marks by what you mean. You talk the way you'd talk to a friend, and the message arrives punctuated, with the grammar fixed and the "um"s gone.

Stop to find a word, then carry on: the pause doesn't turn into a comma, and you finish with a tap when you're done. Want the message shorter or friendlier? Select it, tap Edit and say so, and it changes in place.

On iPhone, Aqua is a keyboard you switch to with the globe key. On Android, it's a small button next to the keyboard you already use, so nothing about your typing changes. Setup takes a minute: on Android and on iPhone.

What to do when Gboard or Samsung voice typing won't add punctuation

Does punctuation have to be added manually when you use voice typing? On most Android phones, yes: you say each mark out loud as a word. On a Pixel 6 or newer and on iPhone, no: they add commas, periods and question marks by themselves.

That's what automatic punctuation in speech to text means: the phone adds the marks while you talk, so you don't have to say them. On Android it's a Pixel feature. Find your phone in the table:

Punctuation works the same in every app, WhatsApp and Messages included: it's the keyboard that adds it, not the app.

Pixel 6 and newer: where the auto punctuation switch is

1. In any app, tap where you type, then tap Settings at the top of the keyboard.
2. Open "Voice typing".
3. Turn on "Advanced voice typing features". "Auto punctuation" is a switch in the same menu.

If there's no "Auto punctuation" switch, your phone doesn't have the feature, and you say the marks instead. To stop the automatic marks, turn the same switch off.

Other Android phones: the six words Gboard understands

Colons and quotation marks aren't on Google's list. To see what your phone understands, open the voice typing bar, tap the menu or the language abbreviation, and choose "Show voice commands".

Galaxy: switching Samsung voice input to Google voice typing

The microphone on the Samsung keyboard can run on two engines, and marks typed out as words usually come from Samsung voice input. Switch to Google's:

1. Open "Settings", then "General management", then "Samsung Keyboard settings".
2. Tap "Voice input" and choose Google voice typing.
3. Tap the microphone and say the marks from the table above.

When your phone types "comma" as a word

• Check the voice typing language, not the keyboard language. Google says "punctuation might not be available in all languages", and support follows the language you dictate in. In Gboard it's under Settings, Voice typing, Languages.
• Leave a short pause before the mark. Said in the flow of the sentence, "comma" is just another word, and the phone types it.
• If the mic switches off mid-sentence, tap it and carry on. Gboard ends the recording when you go quiet for a moment.
• Capitals have their own switch: Auto-capitalization in Gboard (Settings, Text correction) and Auto capitalize on the Samsung keyboard.

You don't have to change keyboards to get your commas. Aqua Voice adds a small button next to Gboard or the Samsung keyboard: keep typing as usual, and for anything longer, tap the button and just talk: there's no "comma" to say, and you finish with the checkmark when you're done.

If the microphone is missing or silent altogether, that's a different problem, with its own guides: how to turn voice typing on and what to do when voice typing isn't working.

How to get commas on iPhone without fixing them by hand

When you type, the commas are on you. When you dictate in English, iPhone adds them itself, but by your pauses: a comma where you took a breath, none where the sentence needed one. The commands and the Auto-Punctuation switch are in our guide to iPhone dictation punctuation.

With Aqua Voice the message arrives with every comma where it belongs. Talk in your own words: the keyboard places the marks by meaning, fixes the grammar and drops the "um"s.

A message you've already typed can be fixed by voice too. Select the text, tap Edit and say "fix the punctuation". If a reply sounds too blunt, say "make it friendlier": no retyping.

Aqua Voice goes on your iPhone as one more keyboard. Apple's keyboard stays for typing, and the globe key brings up Aqua whenever you'd rather talk.

1. Install Aqua Voice from the App Store and open it.
2. Follow its prompt to "Settings": turn on the Aqua keyboard and "Allow Full Access", then allow the microphone.
3. In any text field, tap the globe key to switch to Aqua, tap the mic and talk. To start a session, Aqua opens its app for a moment; then you dictate right from the keyboard.

How to add auto punctuation next to your Android keyboard in a minute

Aqua Voice doesn't replace your keyboard. Gboard or the Samsung keyboard stays exactly as you know it, with your layout and your suggestions, and a small Aqua button sits beside it for whenever you'd rather talk. You need Android 10 or newer.

1. Install Aqua Voice from Google Play and open it.
2. Sign in and allow the microphone.
3. Turn on Aqua in the accessibility settings the app opens for you: that's how it places your words in the text box.
4. Tap any text box. The Aqua button slides out next to the keyboard: tap it, talk, and tap the checkmark.

Need the same on a Mac or Windows PC?

Wispr Flow does it at your desk. Hold one key, say what you want to write, and finished text with every comma lands in whatever window you're in: email, Slack, a document.