Last week Microsoft released its Word Flow keyboard for iOS devices, and besides the ability to change the background of the mobile keyboard, it has a rather nifty one-handed mode. It turns the keyboard into a half-moon, making typing easier.
It seems that Google had the same idea a while back, and with the latest update to its default keyboard on Android devices, it can do that now as well.
These are the changes you’ll see in version 5 of the keyboard:
- Option to show key borders, no more holo themes
- One-handed mode
- Long-press for hinted symbols can be toggled
- Adjustable keyboard height in settings
- New first-run experience
- Opt-in and a setting for sharing snippets with Google to improve the keyboard for everyone
- Long-press and drag to remove suggestions from suggestion bar
Gesture Typing:
- Dynamic floating preview removed (preview in suggestion bar now)
- Delete whole words by sliding left from delete key
- Gesture cursor control by sliding left/right on space bar
- Faster access to number pad and it has a dedicated emoji button
Instead of turning the keyboard into a half-moon on either side of the screen, it allows you to change its height so that you can adjust how far your finger needs to travel in order to reach it. You can also change the handedness of the keyboard (right or left) by pressing the arrows.
According to Android Police, “The other big change is in the gesture typing menu. By default, you’ll now see dynamic suggestions in the suggestion bar instead of floating along with your finger. I feel like this makes a lot more sense as it doesn’t get in the way as much.”
Keyboard are often a (somewhat) neglected part of mobile phones, so it is great news to see that some people are at least paying it some attention. A word of caution though: read the fine print before using third-party keyboards, as some of them track your input.
[Source – Android Police]
