FINALLY deleted google keyboard and installed the one without constant surveillance (and also disabled spellcheck which I wasn't using anyway), and let me tell you. My phone hasn't worked this fast in AGES.
Had to fight it a little to customize it for my own preferences (as all free and open source projects require you to do to some extent) & of course gboard refused to go out without kicking and screaming, but we made it.
DELETE THAT SHIT NOW. Degoogling is hard and I am personally just starting, but deinstalling its keyboard may be the single most powerful thing you, as a regular user, can do to prove your point. And have a smoother user experience and improved battery life as a bonus.











