Gboard's split keyboard beta makes it simpler to type on foldable phones

With a split keyboard option, Google's Gboard keyboard app for Android is offering a benefit to users of foldable phones (or, at least, for the time being, to beta users of the programme).

According to The Verge, it aims to make typing on big, extended screens like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 or a Microsoft Surface Duo 2 less unpleasant and slightly more ergonomic.

With the keyboard divided in half, all of the keys are considerably closer to the sides of the foldable phone, where your thumbs may naturally rest when holding the device. Although Z Fold phones already have access to this capability through Samsung's keyboard software, some Android users prefer Gboard's typing interface and auto-correct features.

The r/GalaxyFold subreddit was initially alerted to the feature's covert inclusion by Android Central. Visit the app's page in the Google Play Store on your smartphone to sign up for the beta if you want to try it out for yourself.

9to5 Google states that the beta version 11.9.04 will include this feature. However, you might need to wait for Google to turn on a server-side switch before you can access it if you can't see it in your app.

If a split keyboard icon appears in the toolbar above your foldable's on-screen keyboard (I've highlighted it in light orange in the images below), you have it. By pressing it, the keyboard will split in half, and a symbol that can bring the two halves back together will take its place.

Surface Duo 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 3, are two devices that, despite their tardy arrival in late 2021, have undergone enough advancements to become significantly more enticing in 2022. And typing on it is now simpler than ever.