Gboard: What can Google's keyboard do?
New feature lets users easily search for information – while gathering information about you
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
Google's new AI Mode feature hints at the next era of search
In the Spotlight The search giant is going all in on AI, much to the chagrin of the rest of the web
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?
Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.
-
Google ruled a monopoly over ad tech dominance
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the ruling as a 'landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolizing the digital public square'
-
Why won't Apple make iPhones in America?
Today's Big Question Trump offers a reprieve on tariffs, for now
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AI
Feature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
-
Space-age living: The race for robot servants
Feature Meta and Apple compete to bring humanoid robots to market
-
Apple pledges $500B in US spending over 4 years
Speed Read This is a win for Trump, who has pushed to move manufacturing back to the US
-
TikTok alternatives surge in popularity as app ban looms
The Explainer TikTok might be prohibited from app stores in the United States