Secure Startup and Gboard Keyboard

[sachertorte]

I have Gboard keyboard selected as my default keyboard. When I have secure startup selected, the keyboard that appears during startup where I need to input my password is the Samsung Keyboard, not the Gboard keyboard. Is this normal or correct?

Thanks,

Danny

 

[marctronixx]

How long have you had the phone, and how long has this been happening?

Are you on oreo?

What carrier?

Did you try another keyboard?

I use swiftkey and whenever i need keyboard input on the device, that keyboard shows up.

Does the google keyboard show up normally on other apps (i.e. texting? Whatsapp, Facebook, etc)?

 

[hakkim]

ok resantly kkkkkkkkkk

 

[sachertorte]

How long have you had the phone, and how long has this been happening?

Are you on oreo?

What carrier?

Did you try another keyboard?

I use swiftkey and whenever i need keyboard input on the device, that keyboard shows up.

Does the google keyboard show up normally on other apps (i.e. texting? Whatsapp, Facebook, etc)?

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I will tell you whatI know. I have had the phone about a week and a half, but to be honest, I can't tell you how long it has been happening. I only noticed it yesterday. I have not started the phone enough times as I left it running and charging at home due to not having a phone case. When I did start it the few times prior to noticing the issue, I was not paying attention to what keyboard was showing up during bootup when secure startup is selected, and part of the time, I didn't have the Google keyboard installed and selected.

I do not know if I am on Oreo. Right now, today, the phone has been telling me that there is a software update available for the device, which I have postponed till tonight when it is quiet.

I am on AT&T. I have not tried a keyboard other than Gboard and the default keyboard.

The Gboard keyboard performs perfectly in all situations that I have tried, all of the time, EXCEPT for when I select secure startup in settings. When I select secure startup, it asks me for my password for secure startup with the Samsung keyboard. Once the phone is booted up, all apps use the Gboard keyboard as wanted.

To be honest, I am wondering if this is normal operation when an alternate keyboard is selected along with secure setup. What I think could be happening in this situation is that the phone, when secure start password input has been prompted, the phone has not booted up far enough to load the Gboard keyboard and maybe other things as well, but I do not know. I was hoping someone had run their phone this way and could confirm if it was normal operation or not

Thanks,

Danny

 

[marctronixx]

get all you updates on your device then re check things.

 

[sachertorte]

get all you updates on your device then re check things.

I just talked with Samsung technical help, and unless they are wrong, they claim that this is to be expected. From what their tech help says, and what I thought, the phone is not booted up far enough at the secure start point to see apps and other things, but yes, I need to and will do the updates.

Thanks,
Danny

 

[mikedt]

I'm sure there's a security aspect to this as well, in that the Android system can't be sure that a user installed third-party keyboard isn't concealing a keylogger in it, that could capture and record passwords and PINs. I've found pretty much any app or site that requires a PIN or password to be entered then it will always go to the stock system "secure keyboard", and not user-installed SwiftKey or Gboard, etc.

Android always shows a security warning when installing and enabling third-party keyboards anyway.

 

[sachertorte]

I'm sure there's a security aspect to this as well, in that the Android system can't be sure that a user installed third-party keyboard isn't concealing a keylogger in it, that could capture and record passwords and PINs. I've found pretty much any app or site that requires a PIN or password to be entered then it will always go to the stock system "secure keyboard", and not user-installed SwiftKey or Gboard, etc.

Android always shows a security warning when installing and enabling third-party keyboards anyway.

Oh yeah, thanks mikedt. This is sounding more certainly like Samsung tech support and I are correct. I remember that warning on every Android device that I installed Gboard/Google keyboard on, something about "recording keystrokes", or something like that.

Danny

PS, my Note 8 installed the latest updates 1/2 hour ago and it is still the same, so I figure this to be correct operation.

 

[chanchan05]

Yes it's more of, this keyboard didn't come preinstalled so it can't be read on secure startup because secure startup encrypts the storage. Since Gboard is within the encrypted section, it cannot be read without providing the key, which you input using Samsung keyboard.