Google adds emoji & GIF suggestions, translations & more to GBoard for Android

The latest updates give Android users access to emoji and GIF suggestions as they type and the ability to share GIFs in supported apps.

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Google Gboard2 1920

Google has rolled a number of new features for GBoard for Android — the keyboard app it originally launched on iOS devices.

Android users now will see emoji and GIF suggestions as they type, and they’ll be able to share GIFs in supported apps, including Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Hangouts and Allo. The latest updates also include improved voice-typing, more keyboard themes and search features for right-to-left languages.

“Now for the first time in right-to-left languages (think Arabic, Hebrew and Farsi), you can tap on the arrow or the G in the suggestion strip and get access to new search features, including web, GIF and emoji,” writes Reena Lee, a Google product manager, on the Google Search Blog.

There is also a new Google Translate option — showcased in the GIF here — that lets users click a Translate icon from the features menu to translate instantly whatever they are typing.

Gboard Translate GIF2

Google says the updates are available now, as long as users have the latest version of the app.


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Amy Gesenhues
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Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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