Google is pushing out a new update to Gboard which puts its logo onto the space bar. And as you can imagine, there’s plenty of outrage about it on social media this morning.
Now, this is something that SwiftKey and other keyboards do as well – SwiftKey does it in some themes, but not all. So this isn’t a new thing really, just new for Gboard. It’s not a colored logo, it’s either black or white, depending on the color theme you are using on Gboard.
It disappears if you use multiple languages
If you use multiple languages in Gboard, then the logo disappears. So if you really do hate the logo being on the space bar, then that is a quick workaround for getting rid of it. The reason for that is because if you hold down the space bar, you can switch to another language.
So you could add another language to Gboard, if you really hate this logo. Even if you’ll never use that other language when you’re typing. Which is pretty neat.
Not it looks like this is a server-side update, so reverting back to an older version of Gboard likely won’t help you. Which is rather unfortunate.
SwiftKey does it too
Yes, SwiftKey also has its logo in the space bar, however if you choose a different theme, it doesn’t show up. It only appears on some themes.
Additionally, SwiftKey isn’t under as much scrutiny as Google is. And SwiftKey didn’t just roll out this update. Imagine waking up and looking at your phone to see a new logo on your space bar. That’s why people are so upset with this change.
And users aren’t just letting Google know on social media. But also on its product forums and even on Reddit. Though, those on Reddit will complain about virtually anything, so that’s not a big surprise.
It’s unclear whether Google is doing this as a test or not, but it seems to be rolling out to almost everyone. So this is likely not a test. However, if enough people complain, Google could revert the change and take their logo off of the space bar. So if you don’t like this change, make sure that you do let them know on social media, their product forums, Reddit, or really anywhere. And trust us, Google does have people watching and reading posts like that. As user feedback is super important to the search giant.