Avro Keyboard
Avro Keyboard is a free, open-source input method for typing in Bengali and other South Asian languages using English phonetic transliteration. Users type using standard English QWERTY characters — for example, typing "ami banglay gan gai" automatically converts to Bengali script আমি বাংলায় গান গাই. The app supports smart word suggestions from a comprehensive dictionary, auto-correction, custom keyboard layouts, and works across Safari, Chrome, VS Code, TextEdit, Spotlight and other macOS applications. It is widely used by Bengali speakers, students, writers and professionals who need to compose content in their native language while working on English-based computers.
AI Recommendation
1 suggestionAvro Keyboard for macOS is currently distributed as an Intel-only app (iAvro) running under Rosetta 2 emulation. However, a fully native Apple Silicon replacement called Lekho has been actively developed and released as a free, open-source successor. Lekho uses the exact same Avro Phonetic transliteration rules you are accustomed to, includes a 150k-word Bangla dictionary with smart suggestions, and is built natively for M1 through M5 Macs with no Rosetta dependency. Since Apple is removing Rosetta 2 support in macOS 28 (September 2028), switching to Lekho now ensures you will continue to have a working phonetic Bengali input method after that date. Installation is straightforward: if you have Homebrew, run 'brew install --cask arahim3/lekho/lekho', otherwise download the installer from GitHub Releases. After installing, add Lekho as an input source in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, and you can begin typing immediately. All your typing habits and muscle memory transfer directly — no learning curve.
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