Google may be working on a standalone keyboard app for iOS — but not for the reasons you might think. The company has reportedly been testing an iOS keyboard app for months in the hopes that it could help boost search traffic on iOS devices.
The app apparently uses the same gesture-based typing as the stock keyboard app on Android, according to The Verge, which detailed the unreleased app in a new report. But while the app may bring faster typing, its real purpose is to boost search traffic on iOS devices.
Since it reportedly has Google web and image (including GIFs) and search capabilities included, the goal, it seems, is to give iOS users a way to quickly perform searches while using other Google apps. (The report notes that smartphone users search significantly less than those who use desktops.)
It's unclear when, or even if, the company plans to make the app available beyond its current internal testing, as there has been no comment from its platoon yet.
If true, Google would be by far the first company to turn to iOS keyboards as a way to make more content available to users wherever they are. Other keyboard apps, like Slash Keyboard, use the spacebar as a way to enable multitasking .Plus, it's not the only mobile-centric app the giant is rumored to be working on.
The company is also reportedly working on a new messaging app that would use bots to surface search results for users. The service appears to have been in the works for more than a year, according to reports.
