This move was kind of expected considering Android 12L, and Google’s whole focus on larger devices. The company’s first foldable smartphone is expected to launch this year, so it all makes sense.
Split keyboard layout is coming to Gboard, finally
The company didn’t exactly announce that the split layout is coming, but a change in a recent Gboard beta build does confirm it, kind of. This is not the first time this change was spotted, though, it was first spotted back on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but it never came to pass. We’re pretty sure it’s coming this time around, though. Android Police spotted a new toggle in Gboard beta (version 11.5.05.427194903). The change was spotted in the Layout section of Gboard’s preferences. There, you’ll find the “Split layout to include duplicated keys” toggle, as well as “When the keyboard is set to split layout, some keys will be duplicated on both sides” mention.
This pretty much confirms that the change is coming, even though the toggle doesn’t work at the moment. Chances are that this option will become active really soon, maybe even in the next beta build.
One-handed mode in Gboard may not be available for tablets & foldables
Another thing that the source noticed is that the one-handed mode is gone. That could mean that it will remain available on smaller-screen devices, and by ‘smaller’ we mean not foldables or tablets. As already mentioned, there are a number of third-party keyboards that support this layout, but the most people use Gboard, so it’s understandable they want the functionality to be available there. Samsung’s very own keyboard also offers a split layout, so you can use it on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but that keyboard doesn’t exactly match up to Gboard, for many people.
