Originally posted by stevens888 at 17-1-2016 00:40
I'm looking for an option with a more friendly / interactive interface that you can just press a button and the key pad will turn in Chinese characters. ...
The keyboard is a simple setting on your phone.
You need to enable or download a Chinese input method / keyboard. There are a couple, including character entry, pinyin and a couple of others. Whether you use iOS or Android, it's in the settings. Seek and you will find.
On Android you can download additional keyboard systems, I use TouchPal - it's called Swype on iOS.
Once it's installed you can switch to and from the Chinese input system by tapping the relevant key.
For translation, see above ... google translate and wechat are good ...
I myself use a chinese dictionary, which doesn't require either internet or google access ... but that's only possible if you know a few phrases and are searching for a single word you got stuck on.