It has come to our notice that the Gboard software keyboard that Google has been developing for Android and iOS systems is finally getting a significant upgrade to improve the typing experience on foldable devices. There is also a news of Google Pixel Fold finally getting closer to launch.
According to a few credible platforms such as Reddit and Android Central, the new interface mode will shift one half of the keys over to the left of the screen and the other half will be moved to the right.
It basically means that the keys are in more natural position in relation to your thumbs as you get a bigger and foldable device in your two hands. Right now, you can only use the beta version of Gboard for Android to use this feature at the moment. Also, you will have to wait before Google flips the switch and allows the split keyboard option on your particular device.
Doing the splits:
Once the feature is activated fully, you will see that a split keyboard icon above the row of numbers appears on the Gboard interface. It will appear just to the right of the settings cog icon. In order to switch between the two, you will have to tap on it and the result will separate the normal layout and the split layout.
We thought it would be important to let you that the default Samsung keyboard on foldables such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is already offering this layout option. However, we understand that some of the users of Google prefer the original Gboard as their keyboard in Android phones.
Right now, we cannot tell that how long will it take for the feature to actually progress from the beta version of Gboard into the standard application. It hasn’t been included in the iOS version yet because there is no foldable iPhone released as of now.
Hardware & software Analysis:
There are some very certain signs that the Google Pixel Fold might get released soon. However, so far, we don’t have any official confirmation regarding it. This Gboard update is the latest and it indicates that Google’s own Android keyboard is going to be ready when the folding smartphone is finally revealed.
Google has been continuously making improvements for devices with bigger screens such as the Android 12L and Android 13. It also includes foldable phones. As far as we understand, there are lots of upgrades that involve the software interface such as the look of the applications and functions on a screen that can be split in two.
It also involves the elements such as the status bar adaptation. If we put it simply, Google is basically setting the right software foundations in place before it launches its own foldable hardware. This is perhaps the right way to go about this business. There is no use of a folding pixel phone if the software is not updated properly according to the standards of smartphones in 2022. If the software is not properly changed to support the different form factors, then there is basically no use of it. We have also heard rumors that the Pixel Fold is going to be released later this year, around the October time.
Therefore, it is understandable that Google might be setting up the software nicely and it might take some extra time to be honest. Some prominent platforms are anticipating the launch around 2023.