Since the launch of third-party keyboard support on iOS, we’ve already seen big names like SwiftKey and Swype make keyboards for Apple’s platform. And according to a new report, an even bigger company could soon launch an iOS keyboard of its own.
Google is said to be prepping a third-party keyboard for iOS devices. The focus of the keyboard will be search, reports The Verge, which isn’t a shock since that’s Google’s bread and butter. There will reportedly be a Google button for web searches as well as a dedicated picture and GIF buttons that may be powered by Google image search, as well.
When it comes to regular ol’ typing, it’s said that Google’s iOS keyboard will support gesture typing that’ll let you slide your finger from one letter to the next to write out words.
The Google keyboard for iOS has allegedly been in testing with Google HQ employees for months now, but it’s unclear when Google might make its iOS keyboard available to us regular folk.
An iOS keyboard with so many search-related features could help give Google a boost when it comes to mobile searches, and so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Google launch a third-party iOS keyboard like the one described in today’s rumor. Plus, Google has already released several other iOS apps, so it’s not like Google is a stranger when it comes to iOS. Now we just have to wait for this keyboard to launch and see how it stacks up to Apple’s keyboard and the other third-party options on iOS.
