Google’s iOS Keyboard Updated with Voice Typing, More

If you use an iPhone, you know that the built-in virtual keyboard is lackluster at best. Fortunately, you have plenty of options. And one of the better choices, Google Gboard, just got a big update.

Note: I actually use Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard on the iPhone, if you’re curious.

“Today we’re upgrading your Gboard experience on iPhone by adding access to 15 additional languages, Google Doodles, new emoji, and—by popular demand—voice typing,” Google’s Alan Ni announced via the Google Search blog.

As a backgrounder, Gboard is essentially the keyboard that Google now provides on Android, but for the iPhone. What’s odd, however, is that Gboard debuted on iPhone first, in May 2016. And was then brought to Android last December, when it replaced the previous Google keyboard.

Anyway, this week’s update on iPhone includes the following improvements.

Voice typing. Now, you can dictate directly to Gboard instead of typing. Just long press on the mic button to speak.

New languages. Gboard now supports Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, Catalan, Hungarian, Malay, Russian, Latin American Spanish and Turkish. And you can enable as many languages as you wish, so you can search, type, and share in multiple languages.

New emoji. Gboard now natively supports all of the emoji that Apple provides in iOS 10.

Google Doodles. Now, you can paste Google Doodles—those Google.com drawings that appear each day—right into whatever you’re typing and find out more about the day’s Doodle when available

Gboard is available for free from the Apple App Store. It works with both iPhone and iPad.