4 New Gboard Features Coming to You Soon

By Sia. in Mobile. March 6, 2017.

Google’s Gboard, one of the handiest mobile keyboards available, is getting a new beta version. As is the case with most of the beta version of applications, this means that Gboard will be getting some cool new features. Here’s a list of five new features that are now available for the beta version of Gboard 6.1.

1. Google Translate integration

The first major feature that has been implemented to Gboards is Google Translate integration. In order to access this feature, all you need to do is tap on the Google button and look for the "Google Translate" icon.

From there, set your source language and the language you want the text to be translated to. Once that’s done, type your sentence/message/note into the provided text box. The text that is entered into the text box would then be translated and inserted into the selected text field.

While the feature is handy, do note that the Gboard version of Google Translate does not have support for all languages just yet (Japanese and Korean languages are missing as of the time of writing). In addition, as this feature uses Google Translate, do keep in mind that the translations may not be the most accurate.

2. Expanded theme selector

Gboard’s Theme feature has also been expanded upon. With the Beta, Google has introduced a brand new theme selector that separates various categories into different rows.

In addition to the new theme selector, Google has also introduced something called "Landscapes" to Gboard. These Landscapes are essentially skins that you can apply on your Gboard. There are currently 10 Landscapes available by default, but more may be added as time goes on.

3. Emoji prediction

Remember that Emoji Search ability that Google implemented in Gboard a few version ago? Well, expanding on that particular feature, Google has now given Gboard the ability to predict emojis. Now, whenever you type out a word that has a corresponding emoji, Google may give you the option to insert the emoji directly from the suggestions box.

4. Suggestions can now be downloaded

Unlike the other features mentioned above, this is a feature that is implemented "behind-the-scenes" so to speak. With the Beta update, Gboards will now download a small library of suggestions to your device. Now, whenever you tap on the Google button, Gboard will automatically give you some search suggestions that you can use.

If you’re interested in trying out the Gboard 6.1 for yourself, you can choose to opt into the Beta via this link.