What you could know
- Google’s Gboard lately achieved a serious milestone because it crossed 10 billion downloads on the Play Retailer.
- The corporate additionally reportedly pushed a small server-side replace to Gboard, altering its Shortcut UI on Android.
- A serious Gboard replace arrived final summer season with “Emoji Sticker Mixtures” by the Emoji Kitchen.
Gboard sometimes slips below the radar; nevertheless, it might not achieve this following a momentous achievement.
As noticed by 9to5Google, Google’s Gboard app has lately crossed 10 billion downloads on the Play Retailer. It is a staggering quantity, contemplating it is 2x the variety of lively smartphones globally. The app’s particulars on the shop say it launched in June 2013, however the publication resurfaces its rebrand. Formally, the app was often called the “Google Keyboard.” The corporate quickly renamed it “Gboard” just a few years later in 2016, having undergone a number of minor tweaks and updates over the previous 9 years.
The put up additionally highlights Gboard’s accomplishment alongside different Google apps to succeed in 10 billion downloads like YouTube, Pictures, Gmail, and Maps.
In the meantime, the publication noticed Google rolling out a small UI change for Gboard that mixes up its earlier design language. Found in model 14.9, Gboard’s shortcut button, which opens up its full shortcut menu, falls in step with the choices customers function within the row above the keyboard.
It was famous that at present (if the replace hasn’t arrived), the shortcut button gives a coloured background that adheres to your Android machine’s shade scheme. With v14.9, that shade disappears, leaving the crammed in containers to fall right into a black or white shade. The latter’s shade shift will depend upon whether or not you are in gentle or darkish mode.
Whereas the shortcut is not contained inside a round housing just like the mic icon, the button does mix in with the remainder of your “favorited” shortcuts above the keyboard.
The put up states this can be a server-side replace, which means it may take time earlier than everybody sees it. Android Central has noticed this replace at present, so it should not take lengthy earlier than it is widespread.
One of many standout updates for Gboard arrived final summer season when Google dropped its June function drop. Particularly, the replace hit the Emoji Kitchen, letting customers mix emojis into an all new creation. These aren’t for use as typical emojis in texts, however quite as massive stickers. The “Emoji Sticker Mixtures” will fuse two chosen emojis, displayed within the advisable area when choosing.
The corporate additionally solved a typing difficulty on bigger display screen units like foldables with Gboard. The app’s replace lets customers break up it into two halves, making it simpler in your thumbs to succeed in the keys you could with out discomfort.
There are often delicate updates to apps reminiscent of Gboard all through an OS’ lifespan and Google is already pushing for Android 16. The subsequent main OS entered Beta 2 lately, protecting it on schedule for its meant Q2 2025 launch. Maybe there might be extra for Gboard down the street with Google.
