Google has been working on a mobile keyboard for iPhone and iPad behind the scenes “for months”, a report from The Verge claims.
According to the technology site, Google’s third-party keyboard for iOS has been used by employees internally, with the software offering up gesture-based typing commands amongst other features.
The mystery keyboard is yet to be mentioned by Google in any official capacity, and it’s still unclear whether or not the group will go on to release the tool in full. Just how similar to Google’s stock keyboard on Android (seen below) the new release will be also remains to be seen.
The Verge’s Casey Newton mentions that Google’s keyboard flaunts a number of tricks that set it apart from the stock iOS keyboard. Apparently, the keyboard has buttons specifically dealing with pictures and GIF searches, which is something that Apple’s own keyboard can’t offer. Admittedly, having quick access to GIFs has proven mighty popular in the past, particularly over on Facebook’s Messenger mobile app.
Google is hoping that it’s keyboard project will encourage iOS users to perform Google searches on their phones and tablets. There’s certainly a void to fill, considering many iOS fans aren’t too happy with the limited selection of third-party keyboards available at the moment.
We’ll be interested to see whether or not Google decides to push on with the keyboard and release it publicly.
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