10 Awesome Gboard Features and How to Use Them
Gboard, the Google Keyboard with its fancy new name and exciting features, just made its way to Android. Guess what? Your Android phone now comes with this cool default keyboard. If you were fed up with the limited features of the old Google Keyboard and switched to a third-party Android keyboard, Gboard is here to change your mind.
Guess what? Gboard is just as speedy and light as the good ol’ Google Keyboard, but it brings along some amazing new features. Check out these 10 fantastic Gboard features that will totally blow your mind.
Contents
1. Supercharged Google search
The most talked-about feature! Gboard now has a built-in G button that lets you quickly search for anything on Google Search. And you know what’s even more awesome? This search option is exclusively designed for Gboard, and it’s nothing like what you’ve seen before.
The G button is more than just a shortcut to Google Search, it’s an instant access point to finding answers and sharing information with others. When you use the G button, you won’t be redirected to a separate app or webpage – instead, you’ll get immediate answers and suggestions right within your keyboard.
This powerful search tool is designed to make your life easier by providing you with quick access to important information. Whether you need to find a specific location, stay up to date on the latest news, check the weather, or learn about a recent event, the G button has you covered. Plus, sharing that information with others is a breeze.
With the Gboard, you can easily share what you find without the hassle of copying and pasting. Simply tap the special “Share” button, and all the relevant content will be automatically inserted into the text field you’re typing in. It’s that simple!
Ready to start using the Google Search inside Gboard? Just follow these steps:
When you tap on the big “G button” in the top left corner of the keyboard, you’ll find the search field. All you have to do is type your question or topic and hit enter, and you’ll see the results. If you need some suggestions, they’ll appear at the top for you to choose from.
If there are multiple results, like website articles, just tap on one and its link will automatically be entered into the text field. But if there’s only one result, such as a location or definition of a word, you can press the “Share” button below to enter it into the text field.
And that’s not all! When you tap on the “G button,” you’ll also see three quick access buttons. These buttons allow you to quickly change themes, access keyboard settings, and switch to “One Hand” mode (which I’ll explain later).
We’ve all been there, struggling to position that pesky little cursor exactly where we want it while typing. It can be a real pain, am I right? Well, fear not, because Gboard has come to the rescue with a nifty solution. Now, you can control the cursor using the spacebar. How cool is that? All you have to do is swipe your finger left or right on the spacebar, and voila! The cursor moves in the direction you want. Pretty neat, huh?
The only downside is that you can’t swipe up or down to move the cursor between lines. But don’t fret, my friend, because you can still use the good ol’ method of tapping to quickly place the cursor wherever you please. It may not be as fancy as swiping, but it gets the job done.
Now, let’s move on to the next cool feature of Gboard.
When I need to delete a letter, the keyboard’s delete button is perfect. But if I want to delete a whole sentence, it takes forever for the delete button to do its job. Luckily, with Gboard, I can swipe away multiple words in one go.
Here’s how it works:
– Swipe left from the delete key (tap and swipe) and watch as all the words are highlighted.
– Once I’ve highlighted the words I want to delete, I just lift my finger from the screen and they vanish.
– In portrait mode, a single swipe usually gets rid of 5-8 words. But if I want to delete even more, I can swipe multiple times.
And that’s how I quickly delete multiple words with Gboard.
Oh, and did you know that Gboard also lets you search for emojis and GIFs? It’s super fun and easy!
Hey there! How cool is this? Now you can use this awesome search bar to find the perfect emojis and GIFs to express your feelings. It’s super easy! Just type in an emotion like “happy” or “sad” and voila! You’ll see a bunch of emojis or GIFs that match your mood. It’s like magic!
Did you know that you can search for emojis and GIFs based on their names or contents? It’s pretty cool, right?
Let me explain. You can type in a keyword like “water,” and Gboard will show you emojis and GIFs that have water in them. How awesome is that?!
5. Typing in multiple languages made easy
Gboard makes it super convenient for you to type in multiple languages without having to switch between keyboards. All you have to do is tell Gboard the languages you want to use, and it will automatically detect them and give you predictions accordingly.
Let’s say you like typing in both English and Spanish. Whenever you type in English and start entering a Spanish word, Gboard will start suggesting Spanish words. It’s like having a personal language assistant right at your fingertips!
However, if your secondary language is very different from your primary language, such as English and Arabic, you will have to manually switch between keyboards. But don’t worry, it’s still a breeze!
- To access Gboard settings, tap on the “G button” and then tap on the “Gear” icon.
- Here, you will find the “Languages” option where you can see over 120 supported languages.
- To enable a language, simply tap the button next to it.
- Once enabled, the language will be automatically downloaded and available in Gboard.
6. Glide Typing
Glide Typing is not something completely new, but rather an enhanced feature. While swipe typing has always been available in Google Keyboard, Gboard brings significant improvements. The animations are now much smoother and more accurate than before.
I’ve got some exciting news! The glide typing feature in Gboard has gotten even faster than before. Now, it can keep up with your super speedy swipe-typing. If you haven’t tried swipe-typing yet, I highly recommend giving Gboard another shot. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
7. A Handy Number Row
Guess what? Google has listened to our prayers and added a permanent number row to their stock Android keyboard. No more switching between letters and numbers – now you can have a convenient number row at the top of your keyboard, making it quick and easy to enter numbers.
Here’s how you enable it:
Hey there! Let me show you how to make your typing experience on Android phones even better. Here’s what you need to do:
- First, go to Settings by tapping on the “G button” and select “Preferences”.
- Next, look for the option labeled “Number Row”, and make sure it’s enabled. By doing this, you’ll see a convenient number row at the top of your keyboard.
8. Want to Type with One Hand?
Do you find it difficult to type with one hand on your large Android display? No worries! If you have a phone like the LG V20 or simply prefer typing with one hand, you can take advantage of Gboard’s One Hand mode. This nifty feature will keep the keyboard pinned to one corner of your screen, making it easy for you to reach all the keys.
To enable One Hand mode, follow these simple steps:
- First, tap the “G button” and then select the “One Hand” mode icon in the middle.
- Once One Hand mode is on, you can easily switch back to normal mode by simply tapping the expand button on the side of it.
9. Make words capital easily
Normally, you have to tap the “Shift” key and then tap the letter to make it capital. But with Gboard, you can just tap and swipe the “Shift” key to the letter you want to capitalize, and it will automatically be typed in its capital form.
10. Swipe to Enter Symbols
Just like capitalization, you can easily enter symbols by swiping from the “?123” key.
- Simply tap on the “?123” button and swipe up. The page will instantly switch to the symbols page.
- Now release your finger over the symbol you want to use. It will be entered, and you will automatically return to the main keyboard.
This technique is definitely much faster.
My last words on Gboard
There’s no doubt that Gboard is a major upgrade from the standard Google Keyboard. It’s so great, it might just convince you to switch back to the default Android keyboard. Personally, I made the switch from Swiftkey to Gboard because it’s lighter and the Google Search feature is absolutely a must-have. I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you plan on switching to Gboard or not, and which Gboard features you’re digging.
