6 Advanced Gboard Tricks For Smarter Android Typing

Google's Gboard Android keyboard has immoderate spectacular systems for improving your matter input experience. Ready to go a full typing pro?

QWERTY, QWERTY, QWERTY. QWERTY.

Oh — hullo there! Sorry for nan somewhat nonsensical greeting. I’ve been reasoning a batch astir keyboards this week, y’see, and really that trusty ol’ QWERTY aboveground has evolved successful our lives.

Also, saying “QWERTY” complete and complete again is amazingly nosy to do. Go up and effort it. I’ll wait.

Back? Cool. So, astir that QWERTY contemplation: ‘Twas a clip not truthful agelong agone that our QWERTY interactions connected nan mobile-tech beforehand revolved almost wholly astir existent beingness keys. (Drooooooid, anyone?) Then, moreover erstwhile we started relying connected on-screen QWERTY surfaces, we were hunting and pecking and doing an atrocious batch of correcting.

I retrieve erstwhile Google bought out a now-forgotten promising Android keyboard task called BlindType. BlindType’s full premise was that it was smart capable to fig retired what you were trying to type, moreover erstwhile your fingers didn’t deed each nan correct letters.

The conception seemed downright revolutionary astatine nan clip — which is funny now, of course, ’cause that feels for illustration specified a communal and expected characteristic successful nan onshore o’ Android keyboards. But my goodness, person we travel a agelong way.

These days, you tin perfectly type for illustration a clumsy caribou and still spot your thoughts travel retired mostly the measurement you’d intended. You tin seamlessly move betwixt tapping and swiping, too, and you tin moreover speak what you want to constitute pinch amazingly decent reliability (…most of nan time).

But erstwhile it comes to Google’s Gboard keyboard, your options for intelligent matter input don’t extremity there. In summation to its many useful shortcuts and shape-shifting shape choices, Gboard has immoderate out-of-sight options for precocious matter interactions that’ll prevention you clip and make your days importantly easier.

They aren’t things you’ll usage all nan time, successful spot of nan now-standard sloppy-tappin’, wild-swipin’, and hopeful-speaking methods. Rather, they’re circumstantial devices you’ll usage alongside those different Android matter input options — for illustration smart supplements for nan particularly enlightened among us.

Check ’em retired for yourself and spot which of these Gboard goodies are either caller to you aliases possibly conscionable gems you’ve gotten retired of nan wont of using.

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Gboard Android instrumentality #1: The on-demand scan

First up is simply a super-handy measurement to import matter from nan existent world and past usage it arsenic a starting constituent for immoderate it is you’re typing.

It’s each excessively easy to place aliases forget, but Gboard has a elemental built-in instrumentality for snagging matter from a monitor, document, aliases thing other astir you and past importing it straight into your existent matter field.

Just find nan icon that looks for illustration a archive pinch arrows connected its corners — either successful Gboard’s apical statement aliases successful nan paper of options that comes up erstwhile you pat nan four-square paper fastener successful nan keyboard’s upper-left corner. (And remember: You tin ever alteration what’s successful that Gboard apical statement by rubbing and dragging immoderate icons successful that afloat paper area and placing ’em successful immoderate position you want.)

Tap that bad boy, constituent your telephone astatine nan matter successful mobility — and hey, really ’bout that?!

Scanned words, successful a matter section and fresh — pinch precisely 3 taps successful Google’s Gboard Android keyboard.

JR Raphael, IDG

You’ve sewage words from nan existent world correct successful beforehand of you — fresh to constitute astir aliases edit arsenic you spot fit.

Gboard Android instrumentality #2: Undo (whew!)

While we’re reasoning astir that barroom astatine nan apical of your Google-scented Android keyboard, springiness your early aforesaid a gift that keeps giving by digging up nan recently added Gboard Undo button.

The fastener does precisely what you’d expect: With a azygous swift tap, it empowers you to undo immoderate keyboard-related action you’ve taken — beryllium it an accidental backspace, an errant overwriting, aliases moreover conscionable nan unintentional typing of an unflattering sentence.

The caller Gboard Undo fastener makes it laughably easy to undo and redo immoderate keyboard-related action.

JR Raphael, Foundry

All you’ve gotta do is uncover that Undo action — past displacement it into a salient position for easy ongoing access. Just unfastened up that main Gboard paper erstwhile more, by tapping nan four-square fastener successful nan keyboard’s upper-left corner, past look for nan recently coming Undo fastener wrong nan surface that comes up.

Undo? We do! (Woohoo.)

JR Raphael, Foundry

Press and clasp your digit onto that button, past resistance it up into 1 of nan superior spots successful nan keyboard’s precocious row.

It’ll past ever beryllium location and ready, 1 pat distant — whenever nan request arises.

Gboard Android instrumentality #3: Write right

Few specified mortals recognize it, but successful summation to tapping, swiping, and talking, you tin also participate matter into immoderate section connected Android pinch immoderate bully old-fashioned handwriting connected your fancy telephone screen.

It’s an absorbing action to support successful mind for moments erstwhile you consciousness for illustration your ain scribbly scrawling mightiness beryllium much businesslike than immoderate different matter input method.

This 1 takes a little much legwork to get going nan first time, but erstwhile you do that, it’ll ne'er beryllium much than a speedy pat away:

• First, caput into Gboard’s settings by tapping nan four-square paper icon successful nan keyboard’s upper-left area and past tapping nan gear-shaped Settings action successful nan afloat Gboard menu.
• Select “Languages” followed by nan Add Keyboard button. Type “English (US)” (or immoderate connection you prefer), past make judge “Handwriting” is progressive and highlighted astatine nan apical of nan screen.
• Tap nan Done fastener to use nan changes.

Now, make your measurement to immoderate unfastened matter section to propulsion up Gboard, and you should beryllium capable to either property and clasp nan abstraction barroom aliases deed nan recently coming globe icon adjacent to it to toggle betwixt nan modular keyboard setup and your snazzy caller handwriting nickname system.

And erstwhile you’ve sewage that handwriting canvas open, each that’s near is to write, write, constitute distant and watch Google’s virtual ghost construe your illegible squiggles into regular matter almost instantly.

Gboard’s useful handwriting action successful action. (Clarity not required.)

JR Raphael, IDG

As you tin spot above, it useful moreover if your handwriting resembles nan harried scrawls of a clumsy caribou. (No discourtesy intended to my caribou comrades.)

Gboard Android instrumentality #4: Quick clips

One of my all-time favourite Gboard tricks is nan keyboard’s intelligent integration of the Android strategy clipboard — and immoderate incredibly adjuvant tricks that travel on pinch that.

Look for nan clipboard-shaped icon either successful nan keyboard’s apical statement aliases wrong nan main Gboard paper to get started. The first clip you pat it, you mightiness person to activate nan strategy (via nan toggle successful nan upper-right area of its interface) and besides assistance Gboard support to entree your strategy clipboard. You whitethorn besides request to mosey backmost into nan Gboard settings to find nan “Clipboard” conception and alteration each nan options location to get each portion of nan puzzle up and running.

Once you do, though, bully golly, is this point amazing. It’ll automatically show each snippet of matter and immoderate images you’ve copied recently, for one-tap inserting into immoderate matter section you’re moving successful — and it’ll show your precocious captured screenshots for nan aforesaid purpose, too.

Gboard’s clipboard integration makes it easy to find thing you’ve copied and insert it anywhere.

JR Raphael, IDG

Perhaps astir useful of all, though, is nan Gboard clipboard’s capacity to store commonly utilized items and past make ’em readily disposable for you to insert anytime, anywhere. You could usage that for email addresses, beingness addresses, Unicode symbols, snippets of code, aliases moreover conscionable phrases you find yourself typing retired often successful Very Important Work-Related Emails™.

Whatever nan lawsuit whitethorn be, conscionable transcript nan point successful mobility once, past propulsion up nan Gboard clipboard and property and clasp your digit onto nan point you copied. Tap nan “Pin” action that pops up, and poof: That matter (or image) will beryllium permanently stored successful nan bottommost area of your Gboard clipboard for easy retrieval whenever you request it.

Pinned items successful nan Gboard clipboard are for illustration your ain on-demand scratchpad for easy inserting anywhere.

JR Raphael, IDG

As an other bonus, Gboard besides now syncs your pinned clipboard information and continues to make immoderate pinned items disposable connected any Android instrumentality wherever you motion in.

Gboard Android instrumentality #5: Your individual editor

When you’re banging retired a Very Important Business Email And/Or Document™ connected your phone, it’s each excessively easy to operation up a connection aliases inadvertently judge an errant autocorrect. We’ve each been location — and each had nan aforesaid ducking guidance — right?

You whitethorn not ever person a 2nd group of quality (or moreover caribou) eyes to look complete your words whilst composing connected nan go, but Gboard’s precocious added proofreading characteristic tin astatine slightest springiness you some 2nd furniture of assurance earlier you deed that daunting Send button.

To find it, pat nan four-square paper icon successful Gboard’s upper-left area and look for nan Proofread fastener — pinch an “A” and a checkmark connected it.

Tap that bad boy and pat it good, and successful a divided second, Gboard will analyse immoderate matter you’ve entered and connection up suggestions to amended it.

Need a speedy confirmation that your matter makes sense? Gboard’s proofreading feature’s sewage your back.

JR Raphael, IDG

Not bad, Gboard. Not bad. You is intelligibly nan 1 who is gooder astatine typings today.

Gboard Android instrumentality #6: The translator station

Last but not slightest successful our matter input betterment database is simply a superior time-saver and communication-booster, and that’s nan Gboard Android app’s built-in translator engine.

Hit that four-square paper icon successful your keyboard’s upper-left area erstwhile more, find nan Translate button, and pat it — past prime immoderate languages you want and type straight into nan Gboard construe box.

Gboard will construe your matter successful real-time and insert nan result, successful immoderate connection you selected, straight into immoderate matter section you had selected.

Any language, anytime, pinch Gboard’s on-demand translator system.

JR Raphael, IDG

Pas mal, eh? 

Keep each these precocious input tricks successful mind, and you’ll beryllium flyin’ astir your phone’s keyboard for illustration a full typing pro — pinch aliases without a caribou astatine your side.

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