Google Makes Gboard App Official, Up for Download in the Play Store

We reported a few days ago that Google plans to release a major update for Google Keyboard app for Android devices, which was supposed to change its name and bring lots of new features and improvements.

Well, it appears that the search giant released the new Gboard application in the Google Play store for everyone to try it out. Don't look for Google Keyboard, though, since the app's name has been changed to Gboard, as mentioned earlier.

Gboard brings improvements to Google's keyboard application for Android devices, such as Glide Typing and voice typing, as well as built-in Google Search functionality.

With Gboard, users can search and send information, GIFs, emojis, and more directly from the keyboard. Moreover, Google confirmed it added multilingual typing, so users can switch between languages faster and more easily.

The search feature allows Gboard users to search and share the results directly from the keyboard. Aside from usual info like flights, weather or news, you can search and share emoji and GIFs.

So, instead of scrolling up and down to find a certain emoji, you can simply search for the word that describes it better.

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The same goes for GIFs. Also, you only share GIFs in supported apps like Google Messenger, Allo and Hangouts, but the search giant promised more apps would be added in the coming weeks.

It's also worth mentioning the application features some learning algorithms under the hood, which allow it to predict possible searches that may be relevant to the user.

"Text a friend 'Let’s meet if the weather looks good' and see a prediction for 'Weather.' With one tap, you can share today’s weather with your friend and meet up for your next adventure," explains Google in a blog post.

According to Google, the Gboard is assisted by machine learning in order to improve response time. With Glide Typing, predictions and autocorrections, Gboard wants to be the fastest and easier to type keyboard for Android devices.

Lastly, Gboard has been released with support for more than 100 languages, but more languages will be included in the coming months.