Gboard: What can Google's keyboard do?

Google has launched Gboard in the US – a new iPhone-specific smart keyboard which will place more information at the fingertips of users.

Third-party keyboards have been a possibility since 2014, 9 to 5 Google says, but the experiences so far have been "flaky", despite the likes of Microsoft pushing software onto Apple's ecosystem.

Google's effort strongly resembles the standard iOS keyboard, with its flagship feature the only real differentiator in terms of how the system looks, continues the site.

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A Google logo "G" sits above the keys. Pressing it brings up a Google search feature embedded within the keyboard, so users can simply push information from the search bar into the main keyboard, eliminating the need to switch between browsers, apps and copy or fiddling around with copy and paste function.

Once downloaded, the Gboard appears wherever the iOS's original keyboard would, so it's not just integrated into messages – it can be found on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and anywhere else you'd usually type. In this respect, Wired reckons the Gboard is more convenient than similar software found on Android devices, calling the built-in search function a "tremendous time-saver".

Two other search functions are built into the keyboard, letting users easily find and share GIFs or emojis – no more swiping through the entire catalogue to find the one you want.

It also comes with glide typing, letting users slide their fingers from key to key, rather than stabbing away at individual letters, while the keyboard predicts the words wanted. This isn't a brand new feature – Microsoft's Word Flow does the exact same thing, as does popular third-party app SwiftKey.

As good as this sounds, there is a "story behind the story", says MacWorld: Google wants your data. By introducing the iOS keyboard, the company will learn more about you with every search and could use that information to push "hyper-targeted ads in your face". The company says non-search data remains on your device, though.

Gboard is only available in the US right now and the company has yet to indicate when it will be available to download elsewhere.