Google to redesign Gboard toolbar with new customization options: report

Google, in a bid to unify its design language, may soon bring updates to the standard Android keyboard. Google has reportedly started redesigning the look of Gboard while giving consumers more customization options, as seen in beta 12.6.06.491625702. Previously, to customize which buttons appeared in Gboard’s Quick Access Toolbar, users had to tap a three-dot menu icon near the top-right corner of the keyboard. This option has now been moved to the left edge of the menu bar and replaced with a button depicting four squares with rounded corners.

An Android Police report said the new Google-designed Gborad features can be accessed by pressing the revamped menu button. He added that users will now notice an emoji option and a language switcher that weren’t available before. They can also rearrange the icons in this overflow menu by dragging them, and can always drag items to and from the quick access toolbar to change the options that appear when they open the keyboard for the first time.

The report adds that instead of being limited to four shortcuts, users can add as many as they want to the quick access toolbar. The voice search button, however, got the most significant change – users can now drag any item into this slot to replace the microphone icon with a custom entry, according to the report.

Additionally, this update adds a new Privacy menu to Gboard’s settings, the report adds. This menu contains no new options – in fact, it’s mostly filled with settings accessible in the now-defunct Advanced menu – but a separate entry to deal with Google’s data collection is effective.

These features were discovered in the latest Gboard beta update, version 12.6.06.491625702, but there appears to be a server-side component limiting access. Users can get the update on the beta channel by tapping on the Join button on the Gboard Play Store page or can download the latest edition from APKMirror.