Google keyboard or Gboard is a new feature which helps people who are not able to talk or type or initiate a conversation by swiping on the screen of a smartphone. It is an accessibility feature for people who need it and also it is a great way to enhance Morse code skills. The Gboard works on Android as well as iOS.
Android users with Android 5.0 or later and iPhone users with iOS 10 and higher versions, can use Gboard. In this post, we will talk about what is Morse code keyboard and how to access it on Gboard.
How To Install Google keyboard & Use Morse Code?
You can install Google Keyboard on your Android or iPhone, by going to App store or Google Play store. If you have Gboard already installed on your device, double check to see whether you are using an updated version of it, to get complete benefit of Morse code keyboard.
Morse code keyboard enables people who can’t talk, type, or swipe normally to still have a way to communicate using a device via morse code.
Note: Also, make sure that you have given all the authorizations that are needed for Gboard to work, along with setting it as the default keyboard on Android or iPhone.
Enabling Morse Code Keyboard on Your Android Device
- On an Android smartphone, go to the Settings app.
- Locate System (General Management) and go to Language & Input
- Under Language & Input, go to On-Screen Keyboard (Virtual Keyboard)
- Then go to Gboard, then Languages and select English US
- You will get a list of preferences, you need to locate add several keyboard types to the Google keyboard.
- Scroll and navigate Morse code.
You will get some other settings, you can make changes in the settings accordingly and tap on Done to get new Morse code Google keyboard.
Enabling Morse Code Keyboard on iPhone and iPad
- Go to Google keyboard app, then locate Languages.
- Navigate to Add language, then click Morse Code (US)
How To Switch to Morse Code Keyboard?
If you use Google keyboard, while texting, or emailing, and you want to swap to Morse code then, you need to tap on globe icon. Press and hold on globe icon to get keyboard selector screen and choose Morse code keyboard
How To Use Morse Code To Type?
If you are familiar with Morse code, you can type a dot or a dash to spell the words. Tap on every button, then tap on spacebar for spaces. If you don’t know how to use it, you can check it out.
If you are using other accessibility features such as Switch Access, or TalkBack, then you must know Morse Keyboard will function with them all. If you want to learn the Morse code, then you can learn in open Google’s Morse code website.
Go to the link and tap Have Gboard and then on Get Started to start. If you want to know more about the tool, you can read about it which was invented by developer Tina Finlayson, who suffers from cerebral palsy and is not able to speak.
As you tap on the screen to initiate the process you will see how “Morse Typing Trainer” functions. When you tap “Get Started” or Skip, you will get to know, how Morse code works using pictographs which help correlate the code to a letter, symbol or number.
How To Adjust Settings?
For Android users, to enable Morse code keyboard, you need to press & hold globe icon or spacebar Google keyboard, then navigate “Language Settings” & click “Morse code.”
In case of iPhone users, to alter settings press & hold the globe icon, choose Settings, then navigate “Keyboard Settings”
- Sound on Keypress/ Morse Accessibility Tones
Once you switch on “Sound on keypress (Android)” or Enable Morse Accessibility Tones(iOS), you will listen to sound feedback, when you tap dot or dash. If you have just started using Morse code, then it is a good method to master how to transcribe Morse code tones to your words in your mind.
On Android phone, you can press “Volume on keypress” in order to modify how loud the tones you want.
- Character Timeout
On Android, a feature called “Character timeout” and on iOS, the feature is called “Morse code character timeout”, is used to manage for how long Google Keyboard will stay before it changes a series of dots & dashes into letters, words or numbers. You can set it from Never to 250 milliseconds.
- Word Timeout
Morse code word timeout(iOS) or Word Timeout (Android) is not enabled from default. If you want to activate it, you need to choose from 250 milliseconds & 5 seconds. Once timeout set, Google Keyboard will wait for a certain period before it changes a chain of letters into a word.
If you are a newbie, or can’t type Morse code fast, you should not turn it on or you will get half-baked cookie as an outcome.
- Key Repeat
Enable Key Repeat (on Android device) or Enable Morse Key repeat (on iOS) is switched on, then it helps you grasp dash or dot key so that you can type the keystroke again rather tapping it multiple times. Once turned on, “Start Repeating After” is set to one second for Android and for iOS it is set to 500 milliseconds. The repeat rate is 200 milliseconds when it comes to Android by default and for iOS, it is set to 500 milliseconds. You can also adjust these settings or also disable the feature.
Gboard’s New Morse Code Keyboard
Morse code for Google Keyboard comes with settings that enable users to modify the keyboard to unique requirements. It performs with Accessibility features of Android such as Point Scan & Switch Access. With this a user gets access to Google keyboard’s AI-driven predictions and recommendations, also act as a point of entry for AI-powered products, such as Google Assistant.
So, learn about it a little and in a couple of minutes, you can use dashes and dots like a professional. It has been always being thought as difficult, but Google keyboard has made it easier than ever.