Gboard, Google’s custom keyboard for iPhone and other iOS devices, offers a range of features including integrated Google Search and glide typing. Configuring its settings is crucial for maximizing typing efficiency and personal comfort.
Before diving into the configuration process, it’s essential to have an iPhone or iPad running iOS, a stable internet connection to download the app, and access to the App Store to install Gboard. To start, users need to download and install Gboard from the App Store by searching for “Gboard” and pressing “Get” to install. Upon launching the app, follow the explicit instructions displayed to get set up.
To access Gboard’s keyboard settings, launch the Gboard app and tap “Keyboard Settings.” A list of keyboard settings will appear, allowing users to customize their typing preferences. The settings include toggling “Glide Typing,” which enables typing words by sliding fingers from key to key without lifting them, a feature unique to Google’s keyboard. Other settings include “Emoji Suggestions,” which recommends emojis alongside word suggestions, “Auto-correction,” which automatically changes misspelled words, and “Auto-capitalization,” which capitalizes words at the beginning of sentences and recognized proper nouns.
Users can also toggle “Block offensive words,” which omits profane words from glide typing and suggestions, “Character preview,” which displays a small popup of the key pressed while typing, “Enable caps lock,” which allows locking the keyboard into uppercase letters by tapping and holding the Shift key, “Show lower case letters,” which controls whether the keyboard display switches to lowercase letters when uppercase is not set, and “Period shortcut,” which allows adding a period by double-tapping the space key.
While Gboard’s settings override general iOS keyboard settings while in use, some system-level preferences like keyboard order and text replacement still carry over. To change the keyboard order, open the iPhone or iPad “Settings,” go to “General” > “Keyboard,” and access the keyboard options. Tap “Keyboards” to display a list of all usable keyboards. To set Gboard as the main keyboard, tap “Edit,” drag Gboard to the top of the list, release, and press “Done” to save.
Additionally, users can edit text replacements by going back to keyboard settings, tapping “Text Replacement,” and tapping the “+” button to enter a phrase and its shortcut. Changes made here also apply to Gboard. A useful tip is to disable the emoji key entirely within the Gboard settings menu under the “Emoji” section to declutter the keyboard layout.
Customizing keyboard settings is vital for maximizing typing efficiency and personal comfort. By toggling features like Glide Typing and Auto-capitalization, users can significantly speed up their workflow and reduce the number of keystrokes required for daily communication. A personalized keyboard adapts to specific habits, whether preferring rapid sliding, precise tapping, or specific text shortcuts.
Understanding the distinction between system-level settings and app-specific overrides also enables users to troubleshoot issues more effectively. Since Gboard ignores certain iOS preferences in favor of its own, knowing where to find the correct toggle prevents frustration. Properly configuring Gboard ensures that users get the full benefit of Google’s technology without sacrificing the stability and integration of their device’s operating system.
