Google has finally released a keyboard for the iPhone or rather more broadly for iOS. Officially, it is called Gboard and it has been rumored for quite some time, though it made its launch this morning. Since then it has climbed it ways up the top charts and is currently sitting in at number 4. Google’s vision here is to put everything you could possibly need into a keyboard and it works well. You have access to search, GIF’s, Emojis, and more right from your fingers.
Ironically enough, some of these features are not even available for Android. But hopefully they will be added in soon, as it makes for a great experience. Having access to search right from within the keyboard comes in handy. For instance, you are texting a friend and want to send them the address of a restaurant you are going too. This can be done by quickly searching for it and then sending the address to them.
Even better, GIFs are built-in and you get access to a whole load of them. GIFs are here to stay and they make it easy to share an emotion or just a glimpse into what you favorite TV show is. Just after a little bit of time with it, the GIFs here seem to be a larger choice then with some of the GIF keyboards out there. You also can use the built-in Emojis with out switching to a different keyboard.
Glide or Swype typing is on board as well, making it show that you can type with one hand. This Glide feature can be more simple called word tracing in which you just glide you finger over the letters to spell something out.
Overall, Gboard or Google’s iOS keyboard is a very nice addition to the iPhone or iPad experience. I do have to say that having GIFs, Emojis, Search, and more all available in one package is pretty nice. Gboard is available on the App Store today, check it out here.
