There are other keyboards on Android, but Gboard remains the king. Not only because it comes pre-installed on many Android phones, but also because it works very well and has enough options for you to do it. customize as you wish. And that’s exactly what I do whenever I set up a mobile.
Gboard’s default settings are great to start with, but there are two things I always change: turning off autocorrect and activate the number row. In this last section, I am more the exception than the rule, although I think there are good reasons for you to consider doing so as well.
Row of numbers, better than round 123
The virtual keyboard is, in a way, a necessary evil. It has the advantage over physical keyboards like the QWERTY of yesteryear of being able to be adapted in its shape, size and position (and different languages), but in exchange it has the disadvantage of being able to covers part of the screen while we writeThe exact amount covered depends on your mobile screen and, mainly, on the configuration of Gboard.
Gboard lets us resize the keys so they take up less space, although ironically the first thing I do on all my phones is enlarge Gboard with an extra row of buttons: the row of numbers. It is disabled by default, but it can be added from Gboard settings, in Preferences, by checking row of numbers.
By default, Gboard includes four rows of buttons: QWERTY, ASDF, ZXCV, and auxiliary buttons such as ?123. If you have to write a number
- Long press one of the letters in the top row (Q, W, E…)
- Press ?123 to change number and symbol mode
- Hold ?123 while you type numbers, so when you release it goes back to normal mode
The last shortcut is very popular lately because it allows you to keep Gboard compact with relative ease for typing numbers, but I still prefer the number row for one simple reason: it is impossible to use shortcut 123 with one hand. Yes, it is possible to type letters and numbers without any problems with the number row, with one or two hands.
Other ways to enter numbers, such as long-pressing a letter, they get tired very quickly until you have to type numbers multiple times a day. In this day and age where almost every neighbor’s kid forces you to include letters, capital letters, numbers, and symbols in your passwords, typing all that stuff becomes an ordeal.
I know not everyone will agree and point fingers at me for adding an extra row of buttons to my Gboard that isn’t strictly necessary, but the truth is that it compensates me. I lose a few pixels of visibility of the application I am typing in but in exchange I type letters and numbers naturally. Tip 123 is not for me.
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