Gboard might finally fix one of voice typing’s biggest frustrations

Gboard is easily one of the best keyboard apps you can install on your phone. It’s packed with useful features, and if you’re using a Google Pixel, you get even more to play with, including exclusive perks like voice commands for editing dictated text and advanced voice typing tools that let you dictate multiple messages in one go.

Now, Gboard might finally be getting a feature users have been asking for years — the ability to use your connected Bluetooth device’s microphone for voice typing.

While digging through version 17.1.2 (beta) of the Gboard app, we found evidence that Google is working on support for voice input through Bluetooth devices like earbuds and headphones.

The feature appears as a new setting in Gboard’s voice typing section. It lets you switch from your phone’s microphone to the mic on your connected Bluetooth device.

Right now, Gboard relies entirely on your phone’s mic for voice typing. That means you often have to bring your phone closer to your mouth, especially in noisy environments.

With this change, you could simply speak normally into your connected Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, making voice typing way more convenient when you’re moving around.

We were able to enable the feature manually and test it using the OnePlus Buds 3, and it worked as expected. Voice input was picked up directly from the earbuds’ microphone instead of the phone.

As with most teardown discoveries, there’s no guarantee when this feature will roll out widely. Google is still testing it internally, but given that we were able to make it work and how long users have been asking for this, there’s a good chance we’ll see it released to the public sooner rather than later.