Massive Gboard update will let you handwrite in any text field, fixes your grammar with AI, more

This past week, we saw Gboard, the keyboard that killed Swype for myself and probably all of you, get the ability to be resized for tablets and foldables. Now, according to a new 9to5Google APK Insights post, Google’s keyboard is getting a serious makeover in version 13.3. This update is packed with a bunch of great features and there’s even some AI injected!

The new “Write in text fields” feature is the star of the show for anyone using a stylus. Unlike the previous version, you can handwrite directly in any text field now and it will be converted to text. You can also scratch out a letter, word, or phrase to delete it. They’ve thrown in editing gestures like drawing circles to select stuff, drawing lines to join or separate words, and moving text to a new line. It’s like having a pen and paper on your screen!

Anyone familiar with ChromeOS will already be familiar with this kind of editing, and even Windows 11 offers this, but the new features make this more intuitive, in all honesty. Along with this, Gboard’s bringing in a new toolbar for voice typing. You can see more of your screen, move it around, or quickly switch back to the keyboard. Just tap, and you’re good to go.

Next, Google is taking grammar checking in Search a step further with “Proofread with Gboard.” This feature will correct your spelling, grammar, and punctuation with a simple tap. You can also give feedback on each fix if you want to, but be wary – your grammar fixes are stored on Google’s server for two months! If you’re feeling creative, you can generate emoji-style stickers with AI using the new “Emogen” feature.

Lastly, Gboard might be adding a feature that helps you select the style or tone you’d like to write with. It’s kind of like the “Help me write” feature in Google Docs and Gmail where it suggests a more professional or casual tone for whatever you input, but now, it’s baked right into the keyboard. In fact, the UI looks nearly identical to the proofreading you see above.

Anyway, while I’m stoked for all of these features and I keep talking about them like they’re already available, they’re not – the APK Insights is usually a glimpse into a potential future, not a guaranteed one. None of these are guaranteed, and may not make it past the cutting room floor, though I’m sure they will. Still, keep an eye out for an update in the near future and let me know below if you end up using any of these new tools.