Foldable phones are great tools for productivity, but mainstream apps don’t always play nicely with them. Google is seeking to change that, in the form of a split-screen keyboard for Gboard.
The beta update is designed to solve the hassle of typing on the best foldable phones, splitting the keyboard in half and placing the keys on either side of the screen, near where the thumbs rest naturally if they’re gripping the device.
It’s a useful change that should make it much easier to type on the huge displays found on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Microsoft Surface Duo 2 — although it’s worth pointing out that Samsung already has a keyboard app that offers a split screen feature for its Fold lineup.
The beta update, which was first spotted in the GalaxyFold subreddit (opens in new tab) and picked up on by Android Central (opens in new tab), has had something of a soft roll out — to the extent that it’s not that easy to get hold of. If you want to try it, you’ll need to enroll in the beta by visiting the app’s page (opens in new tab) on the Google Play Store, then wait for it to arrive on your device.
Once you get it, you’ll be able to swap between the split-screen mode, the standard keyboard, and the “floating keyboard” mode that can be moved around the screen.
It’s a small change, then, but it does indicate Google’s seemingly renewed focus on large screen devices such as tablets and foldable phones. At Google I/O 2022 in May, Google gave us a glimpse of its upcoming Pixel Tablet, but sadly there’s still no word on when — or whether — the rumored Google Pixel Fold will appear.
