Google Gboard for Android now automatically suggests GIFs and emoji as you type

Google Gboard – one of the best keyboard apps around – is about to get a lot better on Android. The company is today adding several features that should make for a more fun and useful typing experience.

First off, Gboard will now automatically suggest emoji and GIF searches in the suggestion strip as you type, which should help you get your ideas across in a more visual way. It doesn’t work with every app, but it so far includes several popular ones like Facebookk Messenger, Snapchat, Hangouts, and Allo.

While you could previously share GIFs, the feature was hidden under the emoji menu, which frankly made me forget it was even there – the new implementation might make me actually use it more often instead of the native GIF finder within whatever chat app I’m using. For the record, the app already did so on iOS.

The update also adds Google Translate support, making it easier for you to communicate with your friends from other countries, as well as some UI tweaks to make voice input and searching easier. You can download the latest version of the app from the Google Play Store.