Gboard has a massive user base since it comes pre-installed on most Android phones — but even if this weren’t the case, Google’s virtual keyboard would still be a popular choice for its easy typing and useful features. Despite a plethora of treasures tucked away in the mustiest corners of its settings menu,Gboardhas long ignored a much-needed feature: an undo button. This could soon change, as Google has been spotted developing a new feature in the app that will magically reverse those accidental taps.
As spotted on theRboard Themes Telegram channel, the latest beta release of Gboard contains a hidden capability that will allow you to restore deleted text with an undo button, assuming it becomes public. For the time being, the feature isn’t live in the latest beta, but a users have managed to get it to work by enabling a flag using theRboard Theme Manager root appfor customizing Gboard.
Source:Rboard Themes/Telegram
The ability to undo deleted text has been a staple of physical keyboards since time immemorial, but only a few of theleading keyboard appshave this feature.Apps like Typewiseor Samsung’s default keyboard app provide the option to restore deleted text using some sort of slide gesture.
The latest discovery suggests that Google is developing the same capability for Gboard users. As shown above, the undo button is located in the app’s overflow menu, which may not be easily discoverable for users when or if it rolls out to everyone. But with Googleadding the ability to customize Gboard’s quick actions, you should be able to pin the undo button to the top of the keyboard for easy access.
In his testing, Android sleuth Mishaal Rahman confirmed that you’re indeed able to pin the undo button in the toolbar with the current implementation. He also noted that the button was able to restore plenty of deleted words. For instance, three paragraphs were restored at once in his testing, and even when each character was deleted individually by tapping backspace repeatedly, the undo button was able to restore at least an entire paragraph.
It’s not clear yet when we can expect to see this feature in a public release, but given the number of requests, it’s safe to bet on Google eventually making Gboard’s undo button a reality in the future.
