If there’s one app you depend on greater than some other in your telephone, it is in all probability the app that controls your on-screen keyboard.It’s a humorous kind of realization, I notice — ‘trigger a keyboard is not usually one thing you even take into consideration opening in any conventional sense. I imply, heck, keyboard apps do not even often have icons within the Android app drawer! They’re virtually invisible, at the least when it comes to the way in which we have a tendency to consider apps.But each time you faucet out textual content into your machine, you’d higher imagine it is the keyboard app you are utilizing. And you’d higher imagine there’s extra to your telephone’s keyboard than what you see on the floor.Especially in terms of Google’s Gboard — the default “stock” keyboard for Android, as a platform — there are tons of helpful and attention-grabbing shortcuts that may prevent time and make your textual content inputting simpler, extra environment friendly, and more practical. And odds are, you’ve got by no means realized most of ’em exist.So let’s change that, we could? Here are some excellent out-of-sight choices that’ll deliver a turbo increase to your Gboard typing expertise and show you how to keep further productive when working out of your telephone.Gboard shortcut #1: Careful cursor controlEver end up within the midst of typing an e mail or a chat message after which notice you must add or change one thing a number of characters again? We’ve all been there — and making an attempt to get that tiny on-screen cursor precisely the place you need it may drive even essentially the most affected person particular person positively batty.Well, Gboard has a hidden reply: Just contact your finger to the area bar, and — with out lifting it up — slide it to the left or proper. That’ll transfer your cursor accordingly and allow you to place it wherever it is wanted.JRIf sliding on the area bar does not do something for you, do not panic: Just faucet the gear-shaped icon inside Gboard’s higher row (or in the event you do not see that icon within the keyboard’s high row, faucet the three-dot menu icon inside that very same space after which discover the gear icon within the bigger menu that comes up). Within the keyboard’s settings, choose “Glide typing” and ensure the toggle subsequent to “Enable gesture cursor control” is activated and within the on place.And a bonus tip: If you need much more exact cursor management, search for an icon that appears like an “I” with arrows on both facet of it in that very same top-bar menu of the keyboard (and in the event you do not see an “I” there, faucet the three-dot menu icon in that very same space, discover the merchandise labeled “Text Editing,” after which drag it up into the menu bar — sensing a sample right here but?). That’ll offer you a sequence of arrows for positioning the cursor and likewise choosing, copying, and pasting textual content with precision.Gboard shortcut #2: Fast character accessOn the floor, Gboard appears to make it barely tough to get to particular characters just like the underscore or the asterisk — however there’s really a super-simple option to discover and entry virtually each quantity or image your language-lovin’ coronary heart might ever want.All you’ve got gotta do is contact your finger to the “?123” key after which slide it upward throughout the keyboard. You’ll see a display screen stuffed with numbers and particular characters immediately seem, and you’ll then simply swipe your finger (with out lifting) to the one you need. Once you let go, that character will probably be inserted into your textual content, and the keyboard will return to its common QWERTY panel.JR Some of the symbols — just like the parentheses, as an example — have much more particular characters embedded inside them. You’ll see an ellipsis (…) on the backside of their keys if you slide over them, and in the event you maintain your finger in place for a second or so, you will see a collection of further associated characters pop up to your sliding-selection pleasure.JR Another bonus tip: You could make Gboard show all the fundamental particular characters inside its principal keyboard interface, too — within the nook of every letter, similar to you see in my screenshots — so you will know precisely the place to swipe earlier than you start. That’ll additionally provide the choice of long-pressing any letter to tug up the related image.To allow that function, head again into Gboard’s settings. Select “Preferences,” then scroll all the way in which down and activate the toggle subsequent to “Long-press for symbols.”Now all these loopy characters are proper at your fingertips, each time and nonetheless you need ’em.Gboard shortcut #3: Quick capitalizationWhether you are typing out an acronym or simply feeling particularly shouty, there are certain to be instances if you wish to capitalize a letter past the primary character of a sentence.And positive sufficient, Gboard has a hidden shortcut that makes that straightforward to do: Touch your finger to the Shift key (the up-facing arrow to the left of the “z”) — and as a substitute of letting go, maintain your finger down and swipe over to no matter letter you need. That letter will come by way of capitalized, and the keyboard will then mechanically change again to lowercase if you let go.JR HANDY, EH?!Gboard shortcut #4: Quick cap after the factCapitalizing as you kind is ok and dandy, however typically, you do not notice you must change a phrase’s case till after you’ve got entered it into an e mail, a doc, or a Very Important Business-Related Message.Well, guess what? Gboard’s received a secret shortcut for that state of affairs, too: When you are working with any method of textual content in your telephone, double-tap the phrase you wish to modify to pick and spotlight it. Then hit the Shift button — the identical up-facing arrow on to the left of the “z” key we have been simply speaking a couple of second in the past. The first time you faucet it, the phrase you highlighted will turn into Sentence Case. Tap it once more, and it will go into ALL CAPS. And faucet it yet another time, and your phrase will shift again into all lowercase letters.JRCase closed.Gboard shortcut #5: Speedy deletingLook, all of us make errors (sure, even yours turly). With Gboard, you may erase an error — or possibly simply one thing your higher judgment tells you to not say — with the swipe of a finger.First, head again into Gboard’s settings, look underneath “Glide typing,” and ensure “Enable gesture delete” is activated. Now, if you wish to erase a phrase or a number of phrases, contact your finger to the Backspace key (the important thing to the suitable of “m”) and instantly slide it towards the left. The farther you slide it, the extra phrases that’ll be highlighted and chosen. If you choose an excessive amount of, no worries: Just slide that improbable little fingie of yours again towards the suitable a nib.When you are all set, merely elevate up your finger — and say “hocus pocus” for good measure, in the event you’re feeling merry — and whoosh: Your undesirable phrases will probably be gone just like the wind.JRThe key right here, by the way in which, is to do a long-slide gesture — sliding and holding your finger down, in different phrases, as you may see within the picture above. For ages, I could not get this one to work persistently as a result of my intestine intuition was to flick my finger to the left. And take my phrase for it: Doing that will not accomplish something apart from making you’re feeling like a nit.Gboard shortcut #6: The instant-erase fail-safeBeing capable of erase a lot of phrases without delay is an superior energy to wield — and like all superior energy, it is all too straightforward to misuse once in a while. If you ever erase a big chunk of textual content (utilizing the shortcut we simply mentioned) after which notice you deleted greater than you wished, don’t fret: There’s a easy option to get your phrases again.After you’ve got obliterated a sequence of letters utilizing Gboard’s slide-to-erase shortcut, look within the suggestion bar instantly above the keyboard. Everything you erased will seem there — however solely briefly, till you begin to kind one thing else.JR In reality, I actually have a enjoyable little mnemonic machine you need to use to be sure you always remember this chance. Just memorize this essential phrase: If I erase one thing by mistake, like a dim-witted chucklehead, I’ll look above the keyboard shortly after which faucet the textual content to revive it.Catchy, no?Gboard shortcut #7: The flawed phrase removerSwipe-based typing could be a actual time-saver — however regardless of how good a keyboard is at decoding your swipes, it is often gonna get a phrase flawed. The subsequent time that occurs, keep in mind this: Gboard has a hidden command for shortly eradicating inaccurately interpreted phrases in its gesture typing system.When you are swiping and a phrase seems that is not what you really wished, faucet Gboard’s Backspace key as soon as. That’ll erase your complete phrase in a single fell swoop, after which you may swipe it out once more (or possibly simply manually peck it in) to get it proper.If that does not work the primary time you attempt it, march your manner again into Gboard’s settings. Open up the “Text correction” part, then make sure that the toggle subsequent to “Undo auto-correct on backspace” is within the on place.And talking of that part of Gboard’s settings…Gboard shortcut #8: Smarter spacingThis one’s really a double-whammy. First, take notice: By default, Gboard will usually insert a interval adopted by an area anytime you press the area bar twice. Good to know, proper?But you realize what Gboard does not do by default? It does not mechanically insert an area if you put in your personal punctuation. That means in the event you kind a interval, a query mark, or some other beautiful sentence-ending image, you then should hit the area bar your self in an effort to have that correct formatting seem. Pshaw, I say! Such wasted effort. If there’s one spectacular option to save your self time, it is by plucking cumbersome little steps like that out of the equation.And worry not, my finger-tapping teammate, for Gboard has simply the plucking option to do it: Within the “Text correction” space of the app’s settings, search for an unassuming choice known as “Autospace after punctuation.” It’s been listed as being in beta for so long as I can keep in mind, oddly sufficient, but it surely works persistently effectively in my expertise. Tap it to activate it, then save your self the hassle of getting to manually hit that area bar each time you kind a punctuation mark.Hey, all these saved seconds add up quick.Gboard shortcut #9: Suggestion managementGboard’s next-word predictions — y’know, these phrases that present up within the suggestion bar atop the keyboard and attempt to guess what you wanna say subsequent — aren’t infallible. In reality, they’re often off the mark. Sometimes outrageously so.If Gboard predicts one thing you’d by no means say and do not wish to see steered once more — possibly even one thing you typed by mistake previously and inadvertently saved into the app’s robot-brain data — you may maintain the keyboard from ever providing it up once more with a easy hidden shortcut: Press and maintain the steered phrase if you see it in Gboard’s high bar. That’ll trigger a trash can icon to seem above the keyboard, and all you’ve got gotta do from there’s drag your finger as much as that trash can and let go to ship the phrase away endlessly.JR Good riddance.Gboard shortcut #10: Substitution smartsWe’ve all received these inventory phrases we use again and again and again and again. And over. (For me, the phrase in query is clearly “and over.”) Well, would not ya comprehend it, Gboard can prevent time by storing your favourite phrases after which pulling ’em up on demand everytime you enter a predefined shortcode.For occasion, you would possibly set it in order that typing zgot pulls up the phrase “Got it. Thanks. Will look at this soon.” — or in order that typing zad pulls up your full mailing handle. You might even set two hyphens (–) to tug up the properly formatted em sprint (—) or set the letters tm to tug up the superscript ™. Nifty, no?For ages, this function did not work correctly on Gboard — however sooner or later, the great ol’ gang from Google received round to fixin’ it. So go give it a whirl: First, open up Gboard’s settings, faucet “Dictionary,” then faucet “Personal dictionary” adopted by your language of alternative (e.g. “English (United States),” “English (Canada),” “Parseltongue (Hogwarts),” and so forth).Next, faucet the plus signal within the upper-right nook. Then, within the first subject that seems, kind within the phrase or phrase you need Gboard to recollect. In the second subject, kind within the shortcode you wish to use to tug the phrase up. Be positive to give you one thing that is comparatively brief, straightforward to recollect, and never extremely frequent in day-to-day use (so you do not set off it inadvertently, while typing strange issues).JR And that is it: Whenever you kind within the shortcode you created, your saved phrase or phrase will seem because the centermost suggestion in Gboard’s high bar. All you’ve got gotta do is faucet it, then take a second to marvel on the step-saving magic you carried out.JR Just do not marvel for too lengthy, you foolish gibbon, otherwise you’ll lose out on all that picked-up time.A bonus: You can even pin generally used phrases into Gboard’s built-in clipboard, in order for you a extra visible option to maintain your favourite expressions a number of finger faucets away. Look for the clipboard-shaped icon within the keyboard’s higher row (or faucet that three-dot icon throughout the high row to seek out it after which drag it up into that space, if it is not already there) to get began.Gboard shortcut #11: Custom keyboard floatingGot a giant ol’ telephone? With plus-sized gadgets specifically, shifting your on-screen keyboard right into a floating one-handed mode could make textual content enter infinitely simpler at instances. But you won’t all the time wish to have your keyboard sized down and docked to at least one facet of the display screen.So do this: If you need your Gboard keyboard to shift over to the left facet of the display screen, press and maintain the comma key after which slide your finger barely to the suitable to pick the icon that appears like a hand on a field. Let go, and bam: Your keyboard will probably be shrunken down and docked on the left.JR If you need it to go to the suitable facet, press and maintain the Enter key for a second (whereas the keyboard is in its regular, full-width place) after which let go. And by golly, wouldya have a look at that?JR Either manner you do it, you will get the keyboard again to its regular measurement and customary place by tapping the highest icon within the sidebar space — the one which reveals 4 arrows pointing towards the corners of the display screen. You can even shortly flip the keyboard from one facet of the display screen to the opposite by hitting the left- or right-facing arrow in that very same space, and if you wish to transfer Gboard to a selected a part of your show — barely extra to the left or proper and even increased up on the display screen — faucet the icon that reveals an arrow inside a pair of bins. That’ll allow you to manually modify the keyboard and place it wherever you need.Gboard shortcut #12: Fraction motionHey! You! Wanna speak fractions with out losing your time? Of course you do! Well, have I ever received excellent news for you: Finding fancily formatted fractions on Gboard is definitely fairly straightforward, supplied you realize the key.Here it’s: Simply long-press any quantity in Gboard. That’ll trigger a pop-up to seem with a listing of frequent fractions involving the determine.JRAnd yet another bonus: This shortcut will work by first tapping the “?123” key after which long-pressing a quantity — or through the use of the swipe-to-get-a-number trick defined in shortcut #2, above. In the latter case, simply contact and maintain the “?123” key and slide your finger to no matter quantity you need. Let your finger relaxation on that quantity for a second or so, and any obtainable fractions will mechanically seem.Lemme inform ya: With shortcuts like these, it is by no means been simpler to see the glass ½ full.Want much more Googley data? Sign up for my weekly publication to get next-level ideas and perception delivered on to your inbox.
Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc.