Google finally brings Gboard features to Android

After launching in May, Google’s Gboard app for iOS quickly became one of the market’s most popular keyboard experiences. There was only one major problem: It wasn’t available for Android, something Google at the time said was being considered.

Now, seven months after it was made available on iOS, Gboard features are being brought over to Android in an update to Google’s stock keyboard app.

According to Android Police, the new features are currently only available as an APK, but the official update should be available to everyone soon. Similar to Gboard for iOS, features such as gestured typing, the ability to insert GIFs, and a box for quickly performing web searches are all available.

What makes Gboard such a joy to use is users don’t need to jump out of an app to perform a search. When talking to a friend through Hangouts, for example, users can search the web right from Gboard. It’s a convenience thing that work phenomenally well.

The update should be available soon

An official changelog hasn’t been made available by Google just yet but Android Police has a running list of the features that are available. In addition to the ability to perform quick searches and find GIFs, Glide typing is available, along with an optional number row.

For the most part, Gboard for Android should function similar to how it does for iOS devices. The design is different but that’s to be expected since Google likes to stick to its Material Design guidelines on Android.