Google's iOS Gboard keyboard makes making plans easier

The keyboard, exclusive to iOS devices, keeps track of what's being typed and allows users to search through the keyboard itself.

iPhone man typing — A man types on his Apple iPhone as he walks past an Apple logo hanging in a glass enclosure above the 5th Ave Apple Store in New York.Reuters

The ones who accuse Google of being partial to the Android ecosystem [read iPhone users] have reason to rejoice: Google has launched a keyboard that's iOS exclusive, for now. The keyboard is called the Gboard and has the power of search built into it.

The search-engine giant unveiled the keyboard infused with the power of Google Search on its official blog and demonstrated its use by giving the example of giving someone directions to a location.

While normally sharing the address of a location via an app, one would have to close the app, search for the location, copy the address and paste it into the messaging app and then sending it.

Gboard apparently saves users the hassle of having to search for stuff separately. Users will simply need to tap on the Google logo at the top left of the keyboard to pull up the Google Search bar, from where they can look up stuff and share with a swipe.

Much like the Tap to Translate feature Google added to the Translate app for Android devices, the feature works anywhere the keyboard can be pulled up.

Google also revealed that the Gboard can be used to search for emoji. To find the right emoji, users will simply need to describe the emoji after tapping on the search button and the emoji that match the description will automatically pop up. Users can even search for GIFs.

The keyboard also supports Glide Typing or gesture typing, with which users can drag their fingers across the keyboard to type instead of having to tap individual letters.