Latest news with #Gboard
Phone Arena
6 days ago
- Phone Arena
Update to Gboard brings back an important button that users had been missing
The beta version of Gboard that upset several Android users is on the way out. Some freaked out because in the beta Emoji and GIF picker, the small circles used to navigate the UI found near the bottom of the display were changed to wider rectangular buttons. This forced Google to make a change that users didn't like. That change reduced the number of buttons on the bottom to accommodate the larger size of the new ones. Having no choice, Google eliminated the backspace button. Users didn't like this even though the buttons were wider, perhaps making it easier for fat-fingered users to press the correct button. More importantly, users mourned the absence of the backspace button. While not everyone received the beta version of Gboard with the broader buttons and the missing backspace button, everyone seems to be receiving the newest version of Gboard as it is being sent through the stable channel. This new version of Gboard reduces the sizes of the wider buttons turning them into smaller squircles that are still a decent size, even for users with fat fingers. With the new, updated look, the backspace button is returned, and that seems to be what users were hoping would occur . At left, the old UI. The middle shows the changes made in the Gboard beta, and on the right is the latest updated version. | Image credit-Android Authority The new look Gboard has individual buttons for Emojis, GIFs, and stickers. Those using a Pixel 9 series phone also have an individual button for AI-generated stickers, a feature that is sure to be continued with the upcoming Pixel 10 series. While this might not seem like a big deal, users prefer having a backspace button, especially when it is in the same place. After all, the muscle memory of every user got accustomed to having the backspace button at the end of the last row of the Emoji and GIF picker. Some reports say that the new Gboard UI appears left-aligned on some devices, which makes it appear off-center. But on other devices, the UI looks centered. There is also a horizontal carousel to view bitmoji. Google is pushing out the new UI using server-side updates, so if you haven't received the new look yet, it's just a matter of waiting for Google to flick the switch. Knowing Google, you can assume that this won't be the last change made to Gboard and the emoji picker, even if it turns out that the majority of users would prefer that the game of musical chairs for Gboard comes to an end with the latest changes. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Android Authority
16-07-2025
- Android Authority
Google brings yet another change to Gboard's emoji picker
Tushar Mehta / Android Authority TL;DR Gboard is getting a subtly redesigned emoji picker interface. With this refresh, Google reverts the recent design change in beta that introduced broader buttons. This time, the update is rolling out in the stable channel, which means it will be available to a broader range of users. Google is constantly testing new UI tweaks or behavioral changes in its apps. Some of these changes don't stick, especially when they are limited to beta versions of the apps. Precisely this is happening with Gboard and the minor design change that Google implemented a few months ago. With a recent Gboard update, Google is rolling back the interface it previously introduced to the keyboard's emoji picker. It is reverting the broader buttons for emojis, GIFs, and stickers that were added to Gboard beta in May, and replacing them with more compact ones. This appears to be a server-side switch instead of being tied to a version update. The biggest benefit of this reversal, as 9to5Google notes, is that the backspace button has been restored to its original position. Although the design change originally appeared in Gboard beta, the current redesign is also arriving in the stable channel, suggesting these changes may be final, at least for now. Compared to the older design in the stable version, the buttons now assume a squircle shape and have less space between them. 9to5Google also notes that the buttons may appear aligned to the left instead of being centered on some devices, lending them a slightly awkward appearance. On my devices, however, the buttons appear centered, as in the image above, and have a carousel to accessing the hidden Bitmoji button. Old design Previously refreshed design in beta New design Along with separate buttons for emojis, stickers, and GIFs, Gboard on specific devices now also features a dedicated button for AI-generated stickers. Gboard's new sticker generator is powered by Gemini but is limited to the Pixel 9 series and may only be expanded to the Pixel 10 series following its anticipated launch next month. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Phone Arena
13-07-2025
- Phone Arena
Why I like the Pixel's default QWERTY over the iPhone's keyboard
I always set up Gboard on my Pixel handsets the same way every time. I go to Settings > System > Keyboard > On-screen-keyboard > Gboard > Preferences and toggle on the following options: Number row-this leaves a dedicated 1-0 number row at the top of the keyboard, helping me access numbers faster. Emoji switch key-leaves a dedicated key to access emoji. Long press for symbols-this allows me to long-press on a letter key to type symbols and characters without having to switch to a second keyboard. Popup on keypress-typing on a key will result in a popup appearing with that letter character, number, or symbol to confirm that you pressed the key you wanted. Show app icon-allows an app icon for Gboard to show up in the launcher. Sound on keypress, Volume on keypress-I would have the first one toggled on and the second one set to 100%. I always like to hear that clicking sound when I type. I find it easy and fast to find characters, symbols, and numbers with this setup. With iOS, I don't like having to tap the numbers key on the bottom left to open a separate keyboard with number keys and some other keys for characters and symbols. There are also a few symbols that require a second tap to open yet another dedicated keyboard for the plus sign, the "pound" sign, and the equal sign. It seems that there are some who think the iPhone keyboard allows them to type with fewer errors than the Gboard QWERTY on Pixel. Take Reddit user RaistlinQ5 who wrote, "So I've always thought the Google keyboard isn't all that great. I always seem to hit the wrong key when typing. But if I use an iPhone keyboard, it seems like when using that keyboard, I don't have as many typing errors." How i like to set up Gboard on my Pixel phone. | Image credit-PhoneArena Others do not agree. One Redditor wrote, "Disagree. Coming from iOS, Google Keyboard on Pixel is far FAR superior." Another said, "I agree. I just moved to an iPhone and the keyboard is awful. Forever making errors and the keyboard always suggests the wrong words. It also loves to override any words I type that are not in its dictionary." And yet another comment was left in favor of the Pixel's virtual QWERTY. That comment said, "Strongly agree! The iOS keyboard was driving me insane!!! It honestly was one of my main reasons why I switched. Google's keyboard is light years better." At left, the settings to duplicate my QWERTY. At right, toggle switches for autoaspace after punctuation and auto-capitalization, | Image credit-PhoneArena If neither the iPhone or Pixel QWERTY is your cup of tea, the one third-party typing app that received some positive feedback by both iOS and Android users was Swiftkey. I've used the Android version of the app before and always returned to Gboard. Still, your experience could be different than mine. You can install Swiftkey for iOS by tapping on this link and the Android version of the keyboard can be installed by tapping here. The problem is that many Pixel users don't know what features their default virtual QWERTY has. Some on Reddit were complaining about features available on Swiftkey that they thought weren't found on the Pixel's Gboard QWERTY such as autospace after punctuation and auto-capitalization. However, those features are certainly found on the Pixel's Gboard keyboard. You have to enable them first. To toggle them on, open the QWERTY keyboard on your Pixel. You can do this by pretending to send a text. Once the keyboard appears on the screen, look for the gear icon and tap it. Once you've pressed the gear icon, tap on Text correction. You'll find toggles for both Autospace after punctuation, and Auto-capitalization. So before you decide that you need a new QWERTY for your Pixel, you should find out what it can do first before you complain what it can't do. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Android Authority
11-07-2025
- Android Authority
Gboard could make it much easier to type and edit even without touching your phone (APK Teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google reveals more clues about its improved voice typing feature in Gboard. While Gboard already allows using basic voice commands for editing text, the improved feature could use AI for smarter edits. This feature could be powered by Gemini Nano, allowing for quick, on-device editing with voice. As Google readies the upcoming Pixel 10 series of phones, we're witnessing increasingly more signs hinting at contextual uses of AI across many of its apps with Magic Cues. For Gboard specifically, we saw Google's half-baked Writing Tools that use AI to help you compose or improve text in any app. Now, we're seeing more details about improved voice typing features in the Gboard app that utilize generative AI for editing. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. We spotted more mentions of a Gboard feature, currently labelled 'SmartEdit,' which would allow editing text using voice. Gboard already lets you edit text using voice commands, such as 'edit' or 'delete,' followed by a portion of the text. However, the improved feature could rely on AI to understand more diverse commands and implement them more intelligently. We found references to SmartEdit in the Gboard app for Android (version 15.6.2 beta). The feature is currently unavailable, but Google has added several examples of voice commands that can be used to edit text. The images above show several different examples of the ways you will be able to use Gboard's voice typing to find and edit specific bits in the text. Google appears to label complex commands as 'detailed edits,' which will require more processing abilities than simple edits like deleting a particular word. Based on what we have seen, Gboard should be able to insert or edit specific words mid-text and also perform actions such as sending a message. Since these detailed commands require sifting through the text extensively, the use of AI is vital here. Although we could activate the examples, we couldn't activate and use the feature ourselves, making it challenging to assess how much we can modify these commands. Since AI powers the feature — and most likely, Gemini Nano models, the accuracy with which Gboard will be able to interpret such requests remains to be tested. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
11-07-2025
- Android Authority
Gboard could return to basics with a numpad-inspired layout for certain languages (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google is working on a compact keyboard layout as part of Gboard for typing in Hindi. This new layout places characters from the Hindi alphabet across a grid of ten buttons. Each button can hold up to five characters, which can be inserted by swiping in their respective directions. Google has been working to bring several new changes to the Gboard app on Android, empowering it with more AI chops. More recently, we've learned about a new, more concise keyboard layout in Gboard for typing in the Hindi language. The new design places characters of the Hindi alphabet in a grid across ten buttons, with multiple adjacent vowels or consonants placed on a single button. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. We found the new layout in the Gboard app for Android, version 15.6.2 beta. However, the feature is not currently available to users. Each button in the new layout accommodates up to five characters. To type on this, you need to tap the button and swipe in the direction of the character you want to insert without lifting your finger. This way of typing can be compared to typing on a feature phone with a numpad keyboard. While we don't immediately see Gboard automatically matching characters to form words (as on a T9 keyboard), suggestions appear at the top of the keyboard. Notably, the ending consonants of the Hindi alphabet are currently missing from the ten-button layout and might be placed on a separate page. One reason to believe that is the right-pointing triangle button (▶) on the keyboard, which might reveal the remaining characters. Unfortunately, it doesn't work at the moment, and we, therefore, can't confirm the functionality just yet. Finally, the new layout adds to the previous four ways to type in Hindi on Gboard and does not replace them, which would be a relief for anyone who doesn't like it. Curiously, Gboard doesn't offer a T9-style keyboard layout for English. You can type in English using popular layouts like QWERTY, DVORAK, and even handwriting, but the simpler T9-style keyboard is missing from Gboard for English. The demand for this layout is likely very small for English, but some users would have appreciated the choice. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
