How to activate the floating mode on Google Keyboard or Gboard for seamless typing

With smartphones getting smarter every day, the virtual keyboard apps are also not lagging behind. When there are hundreds of virtual keyboard apps that are available on the Google Play Store, only a few are really worth using. Google’s own keyboard app i.e. Gboard is the app, which I have been using for almost 2 to 3 years now, and can’t even think of any other keyboard app after using it. Well, I am not at all saying, others are bad. But I feel like at home with Gboard for the functionalities it offers. From searching for things while typing to creating mini stickers, there’s hardly anything untouched by Gboard.

If there is something missing in Gboard, it is the floating keyboard option. But no longer! It is now available in Gboard. Activating Gboard floating keyboard is quite easy, and just like other nifty settings in Gboard, this feature is kind of hidden as well. So here I will be discussing how to activate it. Well, before you proceed, I will recommend you to join the Gboard Beta program on the Google Play Store to access this and other development features right now. Just in case you do not want to get unstable beta builds, wait for a few more days, and the feature should be available in the stable build as well.

So without any further ado, let’s get started with the tutorial.

The steps to follow to activate the floating mode on Google Keyboard

Step 1: Open a text box, where you can enter text, and tap on the small Google icon on the top left corner of the Gboard app.

Step 2: Tap on the three dot icon ‘…’ that appear on the suggestion bar.

Step 3: Now tap on the ‘GOT IT’ button if it appears, and tap on the ‘Floating’ icon, which should be the last one in the list.

Step 4: Now you can get access to the floating Gboard, which can be moved to any part of the screen as per your convenience.

Step 5: You can use the 4-directional arrow key to move the keyboard to any part of the screen. The floating keyboard can also be resized as per your convenience by dragging it from the 4 corners of the keyboard.

That is it. This can be really handy, if you multitask on your Android, and use the split screen mode. Sometimes it happens, the keyboard pops up, and there is very limited space to work with the app. In such a circumstance, the floating Gboard can be moved to any part of the screen to work seamlessly without any interruptions.

Step 6: You can easily get back the Gboard at its original position, i.e. below the screen by dragging it to the down part of the screen. You can find a green bar under the screen, and a haptic feedback or vibration when you have positioned it at its correct position.

With the introduction of the following feature, Gboard has added one more feather to its cap and is one step forward to achieve perfection. Hopefully, more such handy features will be available in Google Keyboard or Gboard soon.

Hope the tutorial was helpful for you. Have any doubts or questions? Feel free to let me know in the comment section down below.