If 500 million downloads are any indication, Google's Gboard is a popular keyboard for Android. The app is more than just a keyboard with features like glide typing and voice typing as well as Search capability built right in, giving users the ability to make a search without having to launch the Google Search app. And one of my favorite features is support for multilingual typing. As a bilingual myself, it is very convenient to just type any word in French or English without switching languages manually. Gboard handles that for me along with autocorrect and word suggestions.
Gboard also supports hundreds of languages as listed here, and with today's update, the keyboard is getting support for 22 more. Among them is support for Seychelles Creole, which is close to Mauritius Creole. But the latter is not supported yet. Hopefully in a future update.
In the meantime, here's the list of the newly supported languages:
- Acehnese
- Adyghe
- Banjar
- Chechen
- Seselwa Creole French
- Friulian
- Khasi
- Konkani (Kannada)
- Krio
- Kituba
- Lak
- Ligurian
- Latgalian
- Marwari
- Erzya
- Livvinkarjala
- Guinea-Bissau Creole
- Swati
- Udmurt
- Tshivenda
- Kalmyk
- Mingrelian
Gboard is quickly becoming the goto keyboard on Android devices as Google keeps adding new features to it. Gboard has always been my default keyboard on my Android devices and today it has been updated, again.
The first noteworthy feature happens in the emoji search box. Users can now tap the emoji handwriting icon and start drawing an emoji. Gboard's machine learning will automatically recognize the drawing and retrieve the results from its emoji list. See the GIF below to see how it works.
Gboard has also improved suggestions when typing text. The new update will predict what you plan to type and suggest phrase. Only English is currently supported, but Google said more languages will be rolling out soon.
There's more in this update, so check out Google's blog post. Head over to Google Play Store to get the update Gboard. The update may not be available yet in your region.
Ever since my first smartphone back in the days when smartphones were not yet a thing, I have always used the default keyboards, never venturing out to try third party keyboards available on the market. It's not out of laziness or lack of curiosity, I'm simply happy with the default keyboards and never needed all the bells and whistles that come with third party keyboards. Enter Gboard, Google keyboard offering for Android and iOS. Google has updated its keyboard with a lot of features that brings the typing experience up to a new level, the kind of level where the keyboard is not restricted to being just a typing tool.
With today's numerous messaging apps available, Google is making the keyboard experience an exciting one. While some of the added features are not really new, Google did use its fire power to make its offering quite enticing. Typing a message in supported messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, Hangouts, Google Allo etc, Gboard will now suggest emojis and GIFS.
Google also built translation right into its Gboard. Tap the new Translate icon, select the languages and it will immediately translate text in the language you chose. No more launching the standalone Translate app and copy paste the translated text between apps anymore.
Gboard also supports themes. Before that update, it was possible to change the keyboard color from a color palette or add a picture to the keyboard's background. Google has added some scenic views and said they will keep adding more from now on. Support for right-to-left languages is also included in this update. Users can now make searches in Arabic, Farsi and Hebrew.
Gboard is definitely a keyboard you should look into if you haven't done so yet, specially with the integration of Google tools like Search and Translate. Gboard is available free in Google Play Store for download or update.
