Gboard, the keyboard made by Google that I put on every phone I use immediately, is seeing a really nice update that changes the keyboard toolbar to give you a customized experience.
The update, which can only be rolled out to Gboard beta users right now as version (v12.6.06.491625702), introduces a new launcher button at the top left of the toolbar along with opening the keyboard. That new launcher button opens an options/shortcuts/features menu with a top bar you can customize. This new launcher lets you hold and drag to customize the buttons that appear at the top of the keyboard as you use it
You can see the examples below, where I modified my Gboard to show emoji, GIF, clipboard and settings shortcuts next to the launcher. I left the microphone button on the right, but you can move it (or remove it) if you want. It may sound a bit unbelievable, but you can actually remove the voice-to-text microphone and then leave the space blank.
Speaking of spaces, if you don’t need shortcuts on the Gboard toolbar and you accidentally hit them too often while typing, you can remove everything. Well, you can delete everything except the launcher, because that button lets you access those other options if needed. Want to go nuts? By my count, you can have up to 6 shortcuts on the toolbar.
Again, this update appears to be rolling out now through the Gboard beta program. If you’re not on it yet, click that Gboard link below to open its listing on the Play Store on your phone. Then you should see an option to join the beta program. Once you join, you will receive an update to the latest available version within minutes.
Pretty cool update, right?
Google Play link: gboard