How to Set Keyboard Options on Your Android Device

Quite a few options are available for your Android device's Google keyboard, the Gboard. Some of these settings enable special features, and others supposedly make the onscreen typing experience more enjoyable.

Generating keyboard feedback

The onscreen keyboard can assist your typing by generating haptic feedback. This feedback is in the form of either a pleasing click sound or the vibrating of the device. To check these settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose System and then choose Language & Input. On some Androids, the Language & Input item is on the main Settings app screen.
3. Choose Virtual Keyboard.
4. Choose Gboard.
5. Choose Preferences.
6. Set the master controls by the items Sound on Keypress and Vibrate on Keypress. Some Android tablets lack a vibration feature, so that setting is missing.

Samsung galactic gizmos may follow a different set of steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose General Management and then choose Language and Input. The Language and Input item might be located on the main Settings app screen.
3. Choose Onscreen keyboard and then choose Samsung Keyboard.
4. Choose Key-Tap Feedback.
5. Set the master control by the Sound and Vibration items.

Not every Android tablet features vibration.

Ensuring that predictive text is active

Predictive text is on all the time when you use the Gboard. To ensure that the feature is active, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose System and then choose Language & Input. The Language & Input item might appear on the main Settings app screen.
3. Choose Virtual Keyboard and then choose Gboard. The Gboard Keyboard Settings screen appears.
4. Choose Text Correction.
5. Ensure that all the master controls are set to the On position.

Some of these items you might consider disabling. For example, Auto-Correction is the bane of folks who enjoy texting. If so, disable that option; slide the master control to the Off position.

On a Samsung device, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose General Management and then choose Language and Input. You might find the Language and Input item on the main Settings app screen.
3. Choose Onscreen Keyboard and then choose Samsung Keyboard.
4. Ensure that the master control by Predictive Text is on.

Activating glide typing

Once known as gesture typing, glide typing allows you to swipe your finger over the onscreen keyboard to create text. Chapter 4 explains the details, although this feature may not be active on your phone or tablet. To ensure that it is, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose System and then choose Language & Input.
3. Choose Virtual Keyboard and then choose Gboard.
4. Choose Google Keyboard and then choose Glide Typing.
5. Ensure that the item Enable Glide Typing is active. Set its master control to the On position.

Only the Enable Glide Typing item needs to be enabled, although activating the other items does enhance the experience.

For some Samsung gizmos, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose General Management and then choose Language and Input. The Language and Input item might be located on the main Settings app screen.
3. Choose Onscreen keyboard and then choose Samsung Keyboard.
4. Choose Keyboard Swipe Controls.
5. Ensure that the option Swipe to Type is chosen.