Damien Wilde/Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google may let users remove the globe icon from Gboard even when multiple languages and keyboards are active.
- Users will still be able to switch languages and keyboards by long pressing the Space key.
- Google is also working on a new keyboard switcher UI for Android 17.
One of the most requested changes for Gboard may be close to becoming a reality. Gboard users have tall Complained About this globe icon at the bottom right of the screen, and Google has made some changes to its behavior over time. It seems that with Android 17, Google will let you disable the globe icon completely if you don’t want to see it again.
while digging Through Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3, we discovered a new option Keyboard settings that let users disable keyboard switch keys.
When enabled, Gboard will no longer show the globe key in the lower right corner, even if you have multiple languages added to Gboard or other keyboard apps installed and activated. However, you will still be able to change languages and keyboards by long pressing the Space key on Gboard.
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Above, you can see the new option to hide the globe icon and the new keyboard UI with the globe icon hidden. The screenshot on the left shows a toggle to show or hide the keyboard switch key, while the screenshot on the right shows the new UI with a globe icon.
It’s worth noting that using the space key to switch keyboards doesn’t work with every third-party keyboard app. While Gboard will let you change your keyboard by long pressing the Space key, the same feature is not available inside SwiftKey Keyboard. You’ll have to go back into Settings and enable the globe icon to switch back to Gboard, or remove SwiftKey from your keyboard list altogether.
Additionally, Gboard is also changing the UI for the keyboard switcher. In the screenshot below, you can see the keyboard switcher UI that is present in Android 17 QPR1 beta 2, and the new keyboard switcher UI that we enabled in beta 3.
While it’s unclear whether these changes will come to the stable Android 17 release, they are certainly something that many users will appreciate. We will keep you updated on any future developments.
⚠️ One tearing apk Helps to predict future features of a service based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to the public release.
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