There are other keyboards on Android, but Gboard is still king. Not just because it comes pre-installed on many Android phones, but because it works so well and has enough options to get you going. customize to your liking. And that’s what I do as soon as I configure any mobile device.

Gboard’s default settings are great to start with, but there are two things I always change: turn off autocorrect and enable number row. I’m the exception rather than the rule in this last section, but I think there are good reasons why you should consider doing it too.

The number sequence is better than the number 123

The virtual keyboard is, in some ways, a necessary evil. It has an advantage over physical keyboards like the QWERTY of yesteryear in that it can be customized in terms of shape, size, and position (and different languages), but it also has a disadvantage: It takes up part of the screen as we type.Exactly how much it covers depends on your mobile screen and mainly on the Gboard configuration.

Gboard lets us resize the keys to take up less space, but ironically the first thing I do on all my phones is to make Gboard bigger with one more row of buttons: order of numbers. It is disabled by default but can be added by checking the Gboard settings in Preferences. numerical order.

Gboard comes standard with four rows of buttons: QWERTY, ASDF, ZXCV, and auxiliary buttons like ?123. If you need to write a number You have several options:

• Tap and hold one of the letters in the top row (Q, W, E…)
• Tap ?123 to change number and symbol mode
• Hold down the ?123 key while typing numbers so that it returns to normal mode when you release it

The last shortcut has been all the rage lately, as it allows you to keep Gboard relatively compact while typing numbers, but I still prefer the number row for one simple reason: It is impossible to use the 123 shortcut with one handYes, it is possible to write letters and numbers on the number line with one or both hands without any problems.

Other ways to type numbers, like long-pressing a letter They get tired very quickly. until you have to write numbers several times a day. In these times when almost every neighbor’s child is forcing you to include letters, capital letters, numbers and symbols in your passwords, writing all of these things becomes an ordeal.

Gboard without and with number row

I know everyone will disagree and point fingers at me for adding an extra row of buttons to my Gboard that aren’t strictly necessary, but the truth is that It makes up for me. I lose a few pixels of visibility of the application I’m writing in, but in return I write letters and numbers naturally. The number 123 is not for me.

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