Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR The latest Gboard beta includes references to features such as “flick keys to enter symbols,” which could mimic the iPad’s quick symbol access method.
The “Password number row” feature could allow for dynamically displaying the number key, restricting it to only during password entry to preserve space on compact devices.
Google could also be upgrading the upcoming Writing Tools feature to let users generate text within the keyboard app itself.
Update: September 19, 2025 (3:00 PM ET): We have spotted the flick keys to enter symbols feature rolling out in version 16.0.2.804347959-beta-arm64-v8a.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
In the same app version, we spotted a few additional changes, this time coming to the Emoji, Stickers & Gifs and Glide typing settings. When enabled, the strings of text in these settings are changed.
Current New Current New
Original article: April 22, 2025 (8:08 AM ET): Google offers an excellent keyboard app in the form of Gboard, available to all Android devices. It’s an app that does the job, so most users don’t think much about it, even though they may use it daily. Thankfully, Google does think about Gboard and what improvements it could make to the keyboard app. We’ve spotted references to several new features in the latest Gboard beta, like optional rounded keys, flicking keys to enter symbols, and more.
Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
... continue reading