On Thursday, Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) released Gboard for iOS, an app that allows iPhone users to search and share information, GIFs and emoji without leaving their chat bots, notes, documents or whatever app in which they need their keyboard.
The web giant’s new app designed to make search easier than ever is only available in Apple’s App Store in English for users in the U.S., but it’s expected to come soon to Android and in more languages.
iPhone users who install Gboard will see the Google logo on the left side of the screen, right above the keyboard. Once they tap to search the Internet, they’ll see results appear as cards containing the most relevant information. By searching for a hotel, they’ll be able to see the address, phone number and ratings, plus a Share button so they can quickly send the information to a contact, for instance.
“With Gboard, you can search and send all kinds of things—restaurant info, flight times, news articles—right from your keyboard. Anything you’d search on Google, you can search with Gboard”, Principal Engineer Rajan Patel wrote in a blog post.
Everything becomes easier and quicker to boost the user experience. Gboard also supports ‘Glide Typing’, a feature that lets users slide their finger from key to key to type words. As for emojis, iPhone users in the U.S. will no longer need to scroll through all of the icons until they find the one they’re looking for, since Gboard allows them to type out “dancer” or “lol” and the right emoji will immediately appear on the screen.
Google’s privacy issues
Apple CEO Tim Cook has remarked several times that privacy is one of the most valuable promises customers appreciate form the firm’s products, since the company refuses to sell users’ personal information to advertisers.
Meanwhile, Google search on the keyboard means the web giant will know just about everything users type and do. That might sound terrifying to some people, given that Google is not known for being that concerned about privacy policies.
Ben Popper from The Verge warns that Google apps are not the most adequate for those who reject the idea that a huge company is tracking their moves. But noted that he was perfectly fine with letting Google have access to his information as long as he could be able to enjoy a suite of software that makes his life easier. The majority of Google users will most likely agree with him.
Source: Google Blog