Avro Keyboard icon

Avro Keyboard for macOS

A native Bangla phonetic input method for your Mac. Type the way words sound in Latin letters and get Bengali script as you go.

Download for Mac View on GitHub

macOS 12 or later · Universal (Apple Silicon and Intel) · Free and open source

ami banglay gan gai
আমি বাংলায় গান গাই

Features

The Avro phonetic layout you know from Windows and Linux, as a proper macOS input source.

Avro phonetic layout

The same transliteration rules as the original Avro Keyboard, so your muscle memory carries over.

Candidate window

Alternate spellings appear as you type; pick one with the arrow keys. Horizontal or vertical panel.

Dictionary suggestions

Optional dictionary lookups show real words alongside the phonetic candidates.

Auto-correct and auto-dictionary

Corrections for common slips, plus a personal dictionary that remembers what you pick.

Native Swift

Rewritten on Apple's Input Method Kit. No CocoaPods, no bundled libraries; SQLite comes from the system.

Universal builds

CI produces Apple Silicon, Intel and universal binaries for every release, signed and notarized when certificates are configured.

Install

About two minutes, one log-out.

  1. Download the DMGGet Avro-Keyboard-universal.dmg from the latest release. There are also apple-silicon and intel builds if you prefer a smaller one.
  2. Drag it into Input MethodsOpen the DMG and drag Avro Keyboard onto the Input Methods folder. That installs it for all users. To install only for yourself, drop it in ~/Library/Input Methods instead.
  3. Log out and back inmacOS picks up new input methods at login.
  4. Add the input sourceOpen System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit… → +, choose Bangla → Avro Keyboard, and click Add.
  5. Start typingSwitch to it from the input menu in the menu bar, or with ⌃ Space.

Upgrading? Replace the app in Input Methods with the new one and log out and back in. Preferences and your personal dictionary are kept.

Build from source

Requires Xcode 16 or later. No external dependencies.

Open AvroKeyboard.xcodeproj in Xcode and build the Avro Keyboard scheme, or use the command line. The built app is at build/Build/Products/Release/Avro Keyboard.app.

Bundle identifier: app.aminul.inputmethod.AvroKeyboard

git clone https://github.com/AminulBD/iAvro.git
cd iAvro

xcodebuild -project AvroKeyboard.xcodeproj \
  -scheme "Avro Keyboard" \
  -configuration Release \
  -derivedDataPath build

Documentation

Everything lives in the repository. These are the useful entry points.

  • READMEInstallation, building, and the full CI and release guide.
  • ReleasesDMG installers and zipped apps for every tagged version, with release notes.
  • Signing & notarizationWhich repository secrets make CI produce Developer ID-signed, notarized builds.
  • CI buildsRun the Build workflow by hand to get artifacts for any commit.
  • IssuesBugs, wrong transliterations, feature requests.
  • Upstream projectThe original iAvro repository by Rifat Nabi that this fork builds on.

Credits

Avro Keyboard on the Mac exists because of a lot of people. This fork stands on their work.

Original author

Rifat Nabi

Created iAvro in 2012, the original Avro Keyboard port for OS X, and maintained it for years across Yosemite, Sierra and beyond.

github.com/torifattorifat/iAvro
Fork maintainer

Aminul Islam

Rewrote the app in Swift, dropped CocoaPods, added universal Apple Silicon and Intel builds with DMG packaging, and set up signed and notarized releases via GitHub Actions.

github.com/AminulBDAminulBD/iAvro

Also thanks to

  • OmicronLab and Mehdi Hasan Khan, creators of the Avro phonetic layout and engine.
  • Sarim Khan and Muhammad Mominul Huque, iAvro contributors.
  • Everyone who filed issues and tested builds over the years.