Gboard for Android Reaches 10 Billion Downloads on the Play Store

Gboard, Google’s popular keyboard app for Android, has just reached a significant milestone: it has been downloaded over 10 billion times from the Play Store. This app was first introduced on June 5, 2013.

In December 2016, Gboard took the place of the old Google Keyboard on Android, primarily because of its new web search feature. However, that searching option was removed in 2020. It is worth noting that Gboard was initially launched for iOS devices a few months before its Android version.

Today, Gboard boasts several useful features. Users can type with their voice even when they are offline. The app also includes tools like Google Translate, a text scanning tool known as OCR (Optical Character Recognition), and a clipboard for copying and pasting text. You can also personalize your keyboard by changing its background with different themes, adjusting its size, and using one-handed or floating modes for easier access. Gboard allows users to express themselves through emojis, GIFs, and stickers, and it even has a feature called Emoji Kitchen that lets you mix and match emojis to create new ones.

For users of Google Pixel devices, there are added benefits, such as a typing feature that lets you dictate your text using your voice while you type, automated proofreading, and seamless integration with Pixel Screenshots.

Gboard isn’t limited to just phones and tablets; it is also available on Wear OS smartwatches and on Android TV platforms. There’s even a specific version of the keyboard app designed for automobiles.

Recently, Gboard received an update simplifying its Dynamic Theme feature to just two color options. Additionally, Google is currently beta testing new features such as a toolbar for voice typing, buttons for undoing and redoing actions, and the ability to explore combinations in Emoji Kitchen. However, it often takes time for beta features to be available to all users.

With Gboard’s latest achievement of hitting 10 billion downloads, it joins a prestigious group of other Google apps that have reached this download level, including YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, and Google Photos.