Google focussed on a smarter AI for its software ecosystem at this year’s developer conference and it seems that it has already started working towards that goal within a month. Google has rolled out a new update to Gboard and it brings in a host of interesting additions to Google’s proprietary software keyboard.
One of the most notable additions to the keyboard is the ability to recognise hand-drawn emojis. The update adds an ‘emoji search icon’ on the emoji search box and opens a new panel where you can draw your desired emoji and then select the appropriate one from the suggestions. The best bit about this feature is that it keeps on predicting as you draw, which lets you avoid drawing the whole emoji to select the exact one you’re looking for.
Another addition that will be beneficial to users all the time is the improved word prediction system. Google has incorporated a new algorithm with smarter machine learning. This leads it to predict not only words but phrases, thus making it easier to type larger documents on your mobile device. The feature is only available in English as of now.
The search option on Gboard also gets improved suggestions for restaurants, movies and other places of interest. This will prevent users moving to any other browser for seeking information. There’s also a new ‘suggestions’ option to deviate to other apps from Google’s suite for more information and added functionality. That means users will be able to search for a YouTube video and tap on it to watch it on the YouTube app.
The update is being rolled out to users across the world. If you haven’t received it yet, keep an eye on the update section of the PlayStore for the availability of the latest Gboard update.
