Google fixes Gboard’s split keyboard layout, kind of

Google has kind of fixed Gboard’s split keyboard layout. Are you confused? Well, that’s not surprising, though some of you probably know what we’re talking about, if you’ve used that layout on tablets/foldables.

Google has finally fixed Gboard’s split keyboard layout… in a way

First of all, let’s just say that Google introduced the split layout on Gboard back in May. The company arrived rather late to the party, as SwiftKey was way ahead of the curve, as were some other keyboards.

It took the company a while to roll out the change to the stable version of Gboard. Everyone should have access to the split layout at this point, and we’ve been using it for a while.

Now, there was one issue with that layout, at least for me personally, and some people I know. By default, Gboard duplicates some keys on the left and right sides. That, needless to say, can cause typos.

Your fingers are used to having one specific key on the screen, and that’s it, this layout requires some getting used to. It managed to annoy me quite a bit, but thankfully, Google just fixed that.

By default, Gboard duplicates G and V keys

Now, Google, by default, duplicates the G and V keys. They’re available on both the left and right sides. Well, you now have the option to disable that. You can force Gboard to have G and V on the left side, and leave you with H and B on the right.

All you have to do is navigate to Gboard settings, go to Preferences, and then Layout. There you’ll see the following option ‘Split layout include duplicated keys’. Turn that off, and you’ll be left with a familiar layout that is a joy to type on.

I was a non-believer in split layouts at first, but once I got used to it on foldable phones, I couldn’t go back. It’s just so nice to type on a big screen and have all the letters at your fingertips, without hand gymnastics.