Gboard keyboard for iOS recently got a much-needed update. The latest version – v1.2 – has now been fully optimised for iOS 10. The most welcome change is the integration with 3D Touch. Using that, Gboard now lets you use ‘precision pointing’ to take your cursor exactly where you want it to go.
Other updates include almost a dozen new themes for the Gboard. That’s a trademark Google move — to provide its users with customization options; something Apple categorically shies away from. To use one of the new themes, launch the Gboard’s helper app and then navigate to Themes>Show All>Landscapes.
The update also features a bunch of new emoticons. Personally, this is something I will never understand — updating emoticons. No matter how much you update a smiley face, it will remain an emoticon to show a smiley face! How innovative can you get with a smiley face or a sad face or an angry face anyway?
To quote Paresh Rawal from Malaamal Weekly here, “Chamgadad ko kitna bhi ped se ulta latka do, vo mor nahi ban jayega…” #TurthHasBeenSpoken
Coming back to the Gboard…
The Gboard was one the most warmly received third-party keyboards for iOS. In an ecosystem that’s insanely rigged against any third-party software, Google has done exceptionally well with the Gboard, especially considering that Google was really late in coming to the game, with players like Microsoft already pushing for market share. That too in a market that was already dominated by Apple’s native keyboard and SwiftKey.
It’s good to see Google pushing hard in a territory that’s clearly not suited to their “open-to-all” type of work ethics. However, of late, even Apple seems to be taking a leaf out of Google’s book since it has started opening its native apps to developers to tweak and experiment. It’ll be absorbing to see where Google goes from here.