There’s no need to stretch your fingers anymore
Foldable phones have quickly pushed their way into the mainstream. While they’re still a bit more expensive than smartphones with a standard, non-foldable display, they’ve already come a long way, and acceptance is only growing. Even Google has started to embrace foldables, and larger screens in general, with Android 12L. While Google’s own rumored foldable probably won’t be a thing for some time, the company’s not waiting around to show these phones some software love, as we’re seeing now with Gboard’s new split layout, currently rolling out for beta users.
Gboard’s new layout is starting to make its way to beta testers, as spotted on /r/GalaxyFold. If you’re enrolled and you take the latest update, you should get access to new split layout that divides the keyboard in two, allowing users with wider screens to reach all the keys more easily. This way, you don’t need to do hand gymnastics to hit the keys in the center, as all should be within reach of your thumbs.
The “G” and “V” keys, located on the center of a keyboard in a regular layout, are duplicated, so you have your choice of hitting them on either side. If you’re swapping between cover and main displays, Gboard will know which screen you’re using, and the layout will automatically adjust itself between split and non-split.
This isn’t the first time we’re seeing this layout, as we got an early look last month. However, back then, you could only access it using root. Now it’s officially in the beta for anyone to try, and shouldn’t be much longer before it reaches the stable build of the app, either.
Thanks: Mishaal