10 Cool Gboard Settings For Android That You Must Know

The customization options in an app are a great measure of its awesomeness. Imagine using an app where you can’t change anything to suit your preferences. Fortunately, most apps, like Google’s Gboard, offer a range of customization features. We have simplified ten of these settings for you. But first, let’s learn how to access the Gboard settings.

Access Gboard Settings

There are two ways to open Gboard settings on your device.

Method 1: From the Google Icon

Step 1: Tap the Google (G) icon in the bar above the open keyboard.

Step 2: Tap on the settings icon or, if not visible, tap on the three-dot menu to access the settings.

Method 2: From Comma Key

To access Gboard settings, long press the comma key and tap the setting icon.

Now, let’s move on to the settings.

1. Change Keyboard Layout

Gboard supports multiple languages and layouts, which can be changed from the settings. You can use QWERTY, QWERTZ, or AZERTY layouts, and even the handwriting mode. To change the layout, follow these steps: Open the Gboard settings and tap on Languages.

Step 2: Under Languages, add or tap on a keyboard. Then, select the desired layout on the Language screen.

2. One-handed Mode

In addition to the above layouts, if you own a large screen device, you can use Gboard’s one-handed mode. This feature shifts the keys to either the right or left, making it easier to type with one hand.

To enable this feature, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Gboard settings and go to Preferences.

Step 2: Tap on “Layout” and select “One-handed mode.”

Alternatively, tap the G icon and select One-handed mode. You can change the position of the keyboard with the ‘move’ key.

3. Quickly Access Emojis

No conversation is complete without emojis. By default, you have to tap twice to view the emoji panel because the emoji key is below the comma key.

If you are an emoji lover, you can replace the language key on your keyboard with the emoji key. This will not affect anything as you can still change the language by long-pressing the space bar.

To make the Gboard emoji switch key visible, open the Gboard settings and go to Preferences. Then turn on the Show emoji-switch key toggle.

4. Draw Emoji

Gboard offers a unique feature of searching for emojis, unlike other keyboard apps. Additionally, it allows users to draw emojis. To access this feature, simply tap on the emoji key and then tap on the draw emoji icon.

DRAW EMOJIS

5. Quickly Access Symbols

Apart from emojis, symbols are also important on a keyboard. Normally, you tap the ?123 key to access symbols. To simplify symbol insertion, you can long-press alphabet keys to add them.

This setting is found in Preferences in the Gboard setting. Enable the Long-press for symbols and adjust the delay time for long-press according to your preference.

6. Add Your Own Picture to Gboard

Gboard offers various themes and color options. You can also add your own picture as a background. To do this, open Gboard settings and go to Themes. Under Themes, tap on the theme with the plus icon. You will then choose a photo to add as a background.

7. Quick Text Corrections

The auto-correct feature in keyboards is standard, but the quality of a keyboard is determined by its additional settings. Gboard offers useful settings such as auto-capitalization and automatic period insertion with a double tap on the space bar. To activate these features, go to Gboard settings, select Text Correction, and enable Auto-capitalisation and Double-space full stop.

8. Enable Gestures

Gestures enhance our lives, and fortunately, Gboard also has gesture support. Instead of typing individual letters, you can input words by sliding. But that’s not all. You can also move the cursor by sliding on the space bar and delete a word by sliding left on the delete key.

To enable gestures, go to Gboard settings and tap on Glide typing. Then, enable the desired gesture on the next screen.

9. Add Shortcuts to Dictionary

Gboard doesn’t have a text-replacement feature, but you can add sentences and their shortcuts. When you type the shortcut, the sentence will appear in the top bar and you can tap it to enter it manually.

To add new words in Gboard, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Gboard settings and tap Dictionary.

Step 2: hit Personal dictionary and select the language for which you want to add a shortcut. You can also choose For all languages.

Step 3: Add a new word.

To add a new word, tap the plus icon in the top-right corner.

10. Remove Word Suggestions

Over time, Gboard learns our writing habits. However, some mistakenly typed words start appearing in suggestions. No need to worry, as you can remove them by holding the word in the suggestions and dragging it to the Delete icon.

Set the Setting

While Gboard offers many useful settings, these are some of the best. You can enable or disable them as you wish. For more tips and tricks, check out these Gboard tips.