Rita El Khuri / Android Authority
It has been the last time I have been trying to connect Bluetooth or USB keyboard with my Android phone. After being supportive of physical qwerty for years and hating touch screen typing, I fully embraced the glass surface. Some times I wished I had a keyboard for my Android tablets, but it was not repeatedly that I could pay a price.
It changed a few weeks ago when I started checking the clicks keyboard with my Pixel 9 Pro, running the latest QPR 3 son of Android 16. I’ve seen my colleague Mashal Rehman covering Google’s work on keyboard support for many years, but I was not expected honestly It’s good. So here I have a randon of all the excellent things I enjoy using with Android 16.
Have you used an external keyboard with your Android phone or tablet?
381 votes
Yes, all the time.
13 %
I use one from time to time.
32 %
I tried it a long time ago, but don’t use it anymore.
19 %
I never tried it.
35 %
It starts with the moment when I plug the keyboard
Rita El Khuri / Android Authority
When I plug the clicks keyboard into my Pixel 9 Pro and tap the text field, a small floating button on the display with the selected language at this time appears immediately. In the above image, you can see the “we” floating on the middle of the screen, but the screenshots below show it more clearly.
Physical keyboard language popup… or amoji picking
This floating tool bar was added to the G board, which was previously some Android version, but today it remains a prominent feature. Instead of CTRL + Spasing through languages and hope you will go down on what you want to use, you can choose the exact you want. It also brings a lot from the choice of language.
I do not have to choose the use of G -board or plug an outdoor keyboard so that all the features of the G board can be obtained.
There are menu to showcase the most useful features of the G board, so that I do not lose these facilities by choosing to use the physical keyboard. Emojis, gifs, clipboard history, quick translation, voice typing; They are all there with a shortcut reminder that triggers them.
… with clipboard… or translation box.
Right now, I can convert this floating button into a sticky tool bar underneath a full width that automatically provides tips, next predicted words, and sound input key. This also makes the uses faster to paste the G -Board’s excellent suggestions that I have just copied, using an auto -from -1 password (or another password manager), or automatically detected 2 FA code that I have just received through the text. I am very happy that I do not need to choose between using G -board or plugging out the external keyboard to achieve all these features. I find the best in both worlds.
Automatic in the toolbarPassword autofel tips in the toolbarSuggesting clipboard in the toolbar
I have more time -saving keyboard shortcut than I remember
The use of physical keyboards with Android phone or tablet, whether it be through Bluetooth or USB, is a practice in frustration and steep learning curves. Android is designed to become a navigated interface with swipes, gestures, and on -screen buttons to tap. I didn’t realize how many times I needed to reach the screen, which had no relevant key on my keyboard before starting to use.
But Android 14 introduces an extended list of keyboard shortcuts, which have many system -level steps that are available through the combination of keys. Instead of suppressing the power and volume button and taking a screenshot, my grasp, I can type search + S, search + N notifications down, goes on the search + H home screen, the search + tab opens up the recent apps list, and obviously, I always do CTRL + C and CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + CTRL.
I thought I had to reach the screen to scroll in long lists, but the space bar works.
There are more than 20 system level shortcuts, four accessories shortcuts, and a nineGboard shortcut, which are capable of all browses from the tool bar to the quick list or by searching + /typing. There are also some extra hidden shortcuts, such as tapping the space bar to scroll down through any app, which is especially easy to read in Chrome.
I like that I can open an app list from any app, even if I’m doing, with a search button. I can quickly replace Windows in the Split screen with search + Ctrl + right or left. I also admire that Google has allowed many of its most important apps to be accessible through a shortcut. The following are the following five of my use, and the fact is that I can open them from any app without passing the home screen or app launcher.
- Search + c = Google Calendar
- Search + B = Chrome
- Search + e = gmail
- Search + M = Google Maps
- Search + Y = YouTube
The whole shortcut menu is able to search, it was made more tablet friendly with Android 15, and now it has become customized with Android 16. You can only choose your custom shortcut on tablets, but Google says functionality will also come on the phone soon. I wish Google would add built -in in any app to assign a shortcut, not just its own app. I would love to go to WhatsApp, Spatif, Slack, or Asan with my own shortcut.
I didn’t know I needed all these additional options
Beyond all these features, the keyboard experience has been more compatible and accessible, and the Android has gone up and beyond. The keyboard you are using may not have a dedicated caps lock or action/search key, but you can assign it Editary keys Under the menu Physical keyboard Settings
Android’s outer keyboard settings… with custom edited keys
If you change the chosen language, you can preview that the keyboard is considered like the layout, only if it is different from your physical keyboard. No one wants to tap Q and A, azerty people …
Repeat key settings… and leak settings
And then it has more unclear features, such as a long pressure on a key, causes the letter to enter repeatedly, and a group of leakage improvements by Android 15 that shorten the time to register the press or remove the need to suppress all shortcut keys at the same time to suppress something. The smaller clicks on the physical keyboard that I’m currently using, make it understood that if you do not have motor problems – the search is easy to suppress, instead of trying to hit the CTRL both small adjacent keys.
Settings of slow keys… and bounce key delay… as well as the mouse feature.
Android also has an option to imitate the mouse on the physical keyboard, which will allow anyone to use the cursor to move the cursor left, right, up, down and in each direction as well as to select a field. It makes more meaning on a complete keyboard, though; I tried to use it on the clicks, but a large number of unconventional shortages made it even more complicated.
He wanted me a keyboard for my Pixel Tablet
Rita El Khuri / Android Authority
The feature I needed when using a physical keyboard at my Pixel 9 Pro is already in Android 16. And what I remembered or I did not work was due to the slightly limited order of the clicks keyboard and the lack of its dedicated arrows and a large number. It will be even more happy to use other physical keyboards with them.
It surprises me that it is all progressed at a time when using an outer keyboard with Android is not technically the hottest thing. Yes, there are some Android tablets that offer the keyboard, but they are not normal and there is not one in Google’s own pixel tablet (even if the rumors have suggested it so often).
All pieces are available in the upper part of Android to create an excellent computing experience.
This is a testament to improving the entire Android experience on Google’s tablets. Handwriting and mouse support has also pushed forward, and all of this has made me itching for the full experience of mobile computing Android.
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