Gboard – also known as Google Keyboard – is one of the most popular keyboard apps used by both Android and iOS users. The feature-packed virtual keyboard offers several functionalities that make it easy to type and get things done. From one-handed mode to sending custom emojis, here are five tips and tricks to enhance your typing experience on mobile and tablets. Use one-handed mode Smartphones have come to a point where you need to hold the device using both hands if you want to text. At times, you might be wondering how to make the keyboard smaller so you can easily type holding the device in one hand. To enable one-handed mode in Gboard, all you need to do is long-press the comma button, and from the floating menu that appears, swipe left and choose the one-handed mode option. Doing so will make the keyboard smaller, making it comfortable to type using one hand. In case you want to resize the one-handed mode and make the Gboard bigger or smaller, tap on the expand button or move it to the left or right of the screen by tapping the arrow button. To go back to normal mode, tap on the button with four arrows and you are good to go. Mix and match emojis Unable to find an emoji that fits your text message? Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen might come in handy. The feature combines two emojis to generate a new sticker. To use the feature, make sure the Emoji stickers toggle is turned on in the ‘Emojis, stickers and GIFs’ section in the app settings. Now, simply insert two emojis in whichever app you want to send the text in and Gboard will generate a new sticker that combines the two emojis. You can send the newly generated sticker by simply tapping on it. Use the spacebar as a cursor Editing text on a smartphone can be daunting at times, especially if you are trying to fix grammatical mistakes. However, Gboard has a pretty nifty feature that enables users to use the spacebar to move the cursor when typing. To use it, simply long press on the spacebar when typing and swipe left or right to quickly move the cursor to the spot where you want to. While this may not be useful to some, the functionality can come in handy if you are editing long messages or just want to move the cursor to a position without having to tap on the exact spot. Enable floating keyboard While split screen and normal keyboard layouts are practical, if you are using a big screen device like a tablet, the typing experience can be pretty cumbersome since you have to hold the device in your hands and press the on-screen buttons simultaneously. If you are like me, who is tired of holding a huge device just to type, make sure to give Gboard’s floating mode a try. As the name suggests, the floating keyboard can be placed anywhere on the screen and can be resized to your preferences. To use floating mode, simply tap the leftmost button from the Gboard top row and select the ‘Floating’ option. To disable it, follow the same procedure and you are good to go. Translate messages as you type Trying to send a message to someone who does not understand the language you type or talk in? Gboard’s live translation feature might be the answer to your woes. The functionality is just a click away and is one of the easiest ways to translate your text without opening the Google Translate app.
