Gboard, the virtual keyboard app developed by Google, is adding new voice typing features on Pixel smartphones and select other devices. Users can now take advantage of voice commands which enable them to add emojis, edit text, turn off the microphone, or send the message. Although Gboard has provided voice typing capabilities for years now, these capabilities potentially improve the experience, making it easier to type on the device in situations where the hands are occupied.
New Voice Typing Features on Pixel
Until now, hitting the microphone icon on the Gboard enabled voice typing while the keyboard remained on the screen for editing in real-time. However, the latest change tweaks this. First spotted by 9to5Google, Pixel users can now access a new toolbar which provides more real-estate on the screen for the user to type with voice.
When voice typing is activated, the toolbar is minimised and appears pill-shaped at the bottom of the screen. There’s also a hamburger menu on the left side of the toolbar which presents tools for dictation. This includes an option dubbed Show voice commands.
This feature displays the voice commands which can be spoken by the user. For example, saying “Send” sends the message, while the “Stop” command turns off the microphone. “Delete” removes the last word or the highlighted word, “Clear” removes the last sentence, “Clear All” removes all of the text, and the “Undo” voice command does as the name suggests. Users can also speak out to emoji descriptions to add them in the text.
Lastly, “next” and “previous” voice commands enable them to move up and down the entries.
Meanwhile, it also has options like Show clipboard, Show emoji, and Show translate. Gboard also provides an option to switch to a vertically-placed toolbar through the same hamburger menu which potentially provides more space to work on by changing its orientation. Alternatively, users can also choose to bring back the full-sized keyboard with a dedicated option.
According to 9to5Google, the new voice typing features are available on Google Pixel phones and allegedly select Samsung smartphones. Gadgets 360 users were able to confirm the presence of this feature on a Pixel 9.
