I don't get it - Google Keyboard

[El Presidente]

I don't get the point of adding a search function to the keyboard app a la Gboard (or whatever it's called). What purpose does it serve? What problem did it solve?

I'm never that desperate to search for something that I have to do so in the middle of typing an email/text etc. Am I alone in that? It's not as if the results are worth the effort either, you get one specific result that (in my experience) is never what you're looking for.

Am I missing the point?

 

[lunatic59]

I never knew what that was for. Never used it. But, like so many other things, maybe if I try it I will like it ... or it will just become the "Brussels sprouts" of Android.

 

[Clementine_3]

I haven't tried the actual search yet, no need that I've yet to discover. I was all excited to be able to search emoji though, that seemed like a good addition. It's not great. It rarely finds what I'm looking for so it's sort of still faster just to scroll around and find what I want that way.

A search for Santa should find Santa! [emoji318] Dagnabbit, he's right there but nowhere to be found.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Does it replace anything? I haven't tried GBoard yet.

Seriously?!... GBoard?
They must be TMNT fans or something? KAWABUNGA Dude!

 

[Clementine_3]

Oh and, it isn't as accurate in suggesting/finding words as it used to be and sometimes only offers 1 word instead of 3. It seems like I have to re-train it. Who wants to do that? Google knows more about me than I do so it should certainly know what word I want.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Thanks for the screenshot Clementine3. That does not belong there. Why Google; Why?

 

[The_Chief]

I tried Gboard for all of about 5 minutes. Compared to SwiftKey it's slow, clunky and unnerving. Between this, Google Home and Allo, Google's been putting out some real losers lately!

 

[hiredgun]

I'm with you on that señor Presidente, I would prefer that they put a bit more effort into better predictions and a few more jazzy themes than the search button thing myself.

 

[El Presidente]

Glad it's not just me!

 

[The_Chief]

I'm actually trying Gboard again. I'm amazed at the accuracy of the swipe functionality, although I really miss Swiftkey's easy access to punctuation. In Swiftkey, you can swipe left across the period key to get the exclamation point. In Gboard, you have to hit the figure key, then the exclamation point, then the letter key again. If Google ever fixes that, I'm inclined to like it a little more.

 

[hiredgun]

After using it for a day or so now I can say that it is actually better with the predictive text than it has been in the past but still far behind Swiftkey or Swype. I also noticed that when I switch between languages there is a very small lag when you Swype the first word that wasn't there in previous versions but probably will only bother the nit pickers like me, lol. All in all an improvement, BUT haven't needed the built in search function yet either, lol.

 

[mrjikow]

Hi .., ,,., I'm lost I don't what I'm doing here the only thing I can get working right on the Google keyboard is when I use the microphone.

 

[Sudhakar Reddy]

I use the search function to search the meaning of words somewhat like a dictionary.
Among other issues raised above, I find word prediction to be pretty accurate after training for a couple of days.
Swipe function is good too. At least one of the 3 suggestions tallies.
What I find very accurate & useful is voice typing, particularly in our native Indian language Telugu. It's difficult to type in this language but very easy to voice type even long sentences.