Previously unavailable on tablets, Gboard now has an Android-optimized layout, thanks to
Google’s I/O 2022 marked the beginning of the company’s rollout of first-party apps with UIs tailored to larger displays. A tablet-optimized version of Gboard is now being released in beta, and it looks promising right out of the gate.
With version 12.3, Gboard for Android tablets now includes a new design that helps typing seem more natural and less like using a stretched-out phone keyboard. Board’s backdrop and keys have been made taller by default so that they are easier to tap than before. The touch targets, however, become more constricted when the device is in portrait mode.
There are now Tab and Caps Lock keys in the first two rows on the left. The pill-shaped Enter (or Search) key on the right is now more noticeable, and the option to hide the keyboard has been moved to the bottom right corner. The comma and period have been moved up a row, and the space bar has been relocated to the left. The left and right arrow keys are also present, and they are quite helpful when altering the text.
Visually, Google has adjusted the recommendations strip to include one additional shortcut and shifted the position of the microphone button to the left.
When compared to previous versions, Gboard’s new tablet layout is significantly more suited to large screens. At present, it is only accessible through the beta channel, but that should change in the next several weeks. This follows recent work for the Pixel Tablet and a recent update to Google’s keyboard app for foldable.