SnippetDeck

A fast, local-first text expander for Android.

Type a trigger such as !review, press Space, and SnippetDeck replaces it immediately before the cursor. Text after the cursor stays in place, and the app never submits the target field.

See it in action

White · Build your library Keep triggers, aliases, and expansions easy to scan.

Sepia · Create flexible snippets Add plain aliases and dynamic values such as {{date}}.

Black · Stay in control Manage the service, appearance, and portable backups.

Create a snippet  →  type !today + Space  →  SnippetDeck inserts the expansion

Highlights

• Cursor-aware expansion that preserves surrounding text.
• One primary trigger and any number of aliases per snippet.
• Immediate Backspace undo after an expansion.
• Dynamic !help generated from enabled snippets.
• Date and time placeholders such as {{date}}, {{time}}, {{year_short}}, and {{week_num}}.
• A compact, searchable snippet library with enabled state and White, Black, or Sepia themes.
• Portable JSON files and compact text backups for moving a library between devices.
• Fully local snippet storage with no account, backend, analytics, advertising, or data sync.
• Quiet GitHub release checks and verified in-app APK updates.

Install

SnippetDeck requires Android 13 or newer.

1. Download the APK from the latest GitHub release.
2. Install the APK. Android may ask you to allow installation from your browser or file manager.
3. If Android blocks the accessibility service for a sideloaded app, open App info → menu → Allow restricted settings.
4. Open SnippetDeck and enable its accessibility service.

Updates

On a normal app launch, SnippetDeck makes one quiet request to the public GitHub Releases API when Android reports a validated internet connection. Nothing is shown when the installed version is current, the device is offline, or the automatic check fails.

You can also open Settings → About → Check for updates at any time. Downloading and installation always require an explicit tap. Before Android opens its package installer, SnippetDeck verifies:

• The exact versioned APK asset and GitHub-provided SHA-256 digest.
• The application ID, version name, and increasing version code.
• The official SnippetDeck signing certificate.

There is no background polling or automatic installation. Contextual PROCESS_TEXT launches never trigger an update check.

Use

1. Create a snippet with a trigger and expansion.
2. Optionally add aliases separated by commas, semicolons, or new lines. Aliases are used exactly as entered and do not require !.
3. Type the trigger in an editable field and press Space.
4. Press Backspace immediately after an expansion to restore the trigger where supported by the target app.

Typing !help followed by Space produces a compact list of enabled snippets.

Appearance

SnippetDeck includes three stable palettes that do not inherit wallpaper colors:

• White — a clean neutral canvas with restrained green actions.
• Black — Textory's deep low-light palette with high-contrast text.
• Sepia Paper — a warm book-like canvas with a brown accent.

Existing Light and Dark preferences migrate to White and Black. A legacy System preference resolves once to White or Black using the device mode active during migration.

Backup and transfer

Open Settings → Backup & transfer:

• Export backup file creates readable, versioned JSON suitable for long-term storage.
• Import backup file previews the snippet count before replacing the local library.
• Copy backup text creates a compact SNIPPETDECK_BACKUP_V2 payload for a note or message to yourself.
• Paste backup text accepts that payload or a supported JSON backup.

Both formats preserve triggers, aliases, expansions, enabled state, and timestamps. Import is transactional and replaces the complete library so deletions transfer correctly. Legacy raw-array, v1.0 JSON, and text V1 backups remain importable.

Caution

Backups may contain sensitive text. Store and share them accordingly.

Privacy and security

SnippetDeck uses Android's accessibility API only to detect triggers and replace text in editable fields. Observed field content is not stored or transmitted.

• Snippets and settings stay in the app's local Room database.
• Snippet content leaves the app only when you explicitly export or copy a backup.
• Network access is limited to GitHub release metadata and an APK download you explicitly approve. Snippets, observed text, settings, and backups are never included in those requests.
• There is no account system, analytics, advertising, remote-control component, background updater, or data-sync service.
• Official updates must keep the same Android signing identity so they can be installed over an existing version without clearing local data.

Build from source

Requirements:

• Android Studio or Android SDK 36
• JDK 17 or newer
• An Android 13+ device or emulator

Clone the repository, configure your Android SDK in an ignored local.properties, and run:

./gradlew testDebugUnitTest lintDebug assembleDebug --no-daemon --max-workers=2

The debug APK is written under app/build/outputs/apk/debug/ and uses a separate application ID, so it can be installed alongside an official release.

See Contributing for development expectations and Operations for signed builds and releases.

Architecture

Compose editor ──► Room database ──► AccessibilityService ──► editable field
       │
       ├─────────► file/text backup codec
       └─────────► GitHub release updater ──► Android installer

See Architecture for component boundaries, data formats, and compatibility contracts.

Lineage and license

SnippetDeck is based on Expander by Rajath Radhakrishnan and contributors. It is distributed under the MIT License.