Remastering for billions of users: Google is fundamentally changing its keyboard app

Google’s smartphone keyboard, which has been used billions of times, is receiving an update that could dramatically change users’ typing habits.

Google’s on-screen keyboard keyboard With over 5 billion downloads on Android alone, it’s a must-have feature on every smartphone. From swipe typing to handwriting input to voice input, Gboard has a robust set of features on Android and iOS.

With the latest version there is now one A fundamental change in the known layout before.

Gboard: New version with practical scrolling mode in landscape mode

In landscape mode, Google Keyboard will soon appear as a floating window by default.

Image: screenshot/chip

You know it: If you hold your smartphone sideways to type, the buttons become noticeably wider, but the keyboard takes up the entire screen content. Given today’s standard screen sizes, that’s a lot of wasted space. With the new Trial version 13.6 Therefore, Gboard has improved the user experience in the horizontal format.

If you start typing in landscape format after the update, the keyboard will open by default In a separate window, which you can move and resize freely. This means that significantly more screen content can be seen, which should be welcomed by most users.

this Hover view It’s been around for a while – and can be activated by clicking on the leftmost icon in the top bar and then selecting ‘Floating’. With the new version of Gboard, the floating view becomes the default view in landscape mode, while the keyboard remains fixed in portrait mode.

However, if you prefer more writing space, you can return to the traditional view at any time. All you have to do is drag the keyboard window to the bottom of the screen. The keyboard will then automatically dock and extend across the screen again.

You can get the trial version as an APK file directly from our download. You can also sign up for the beta program via the Play Store.

Gboard Speech Recognition: This is how the practical feature works

Speech recognition can be activated with one click.

Image: Image: chip/google

You can also find a microphone icon in the top bar of Gboard, which you can use for practical audio recording use. If you speak now, the app records that and converts what you said into text.

Google doesn’t automatically generate punctuation, so you have to read it like traditional school dictation. In our testing, the app also worked well with background noise and indistinctly spoken words and rarely made errors. Gboard also features new functionality, and is therefore ideal as a keyboard app for everyday life, even beyond voice recognition.