Google Brings Morse Code to Gboard for iOS

Google'due south Gboard keyboard app is getting more than accessible for people with disabilities.

Afterward first introducing Morse code support on Gboard for Android this May, Google is bringing this feature to iOS as well. The web giant is also rolling out some improvements to the feature on Android.

Google created this characteristic in partnership with assistive engineering programmer Tania Finlayson, who was born with cognitive palsy and has been using Morse code to communicate since she was a child. Dating back to the 1800s, Morse code is a communication system which uses just dots and dashes.

"The Morse code keyboard on Gboard allows people to use Morse lawmaking (dots and dashes) to enter text, instead of the regular (QWERTY) keyboard," Finlayson explained in a Wednesday blog post.

Finlayson said she worked closely with the Gboard team to help blueprint the keyboard layout, add Morse sequences to the motorcar-suggestion strip above the keyboard, and develop settings that allow people customize the keyboard to fit their needs. The Android version of Gboard also now lets y'all connect external hardware switches to your telephone so a person with express mobility can operate the device.

Interested in trying it out simply have no clue how to type in Morse lawmaking? No worries: Google has created a game, which it says can aid yous learn how in "less than an hour." The Morse Typing Trainer is available on iOS, Android, and the desktop.

"Developing communication tools like this is of import, because for many people, it simply makes life livable," Finlayson wrote. "Now, if anyone wants to endeavor Morse lawmaking, they can use the phone in their pocket. Just by downloading an app, anyone anywhere tin can give communicating with Morse code a try."

About Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo is PCMag'south expert on fitness and smart home products. Education yoga for nigh 10 years has helped her in evaluating a range of connected health products including fitness trackers, centre rate monitors, rowers, smart scales, stationary bikes, strength preparation machines, treadmills, and more. Angela also tests smart home devices from her ranch in Florida, including air purifiers, kitchen appliances, and robot vacuums, merely to name a few.