Gboard beta v13.8.03 brings 'Seamless voice typing' feature for Pixel devices

Calling all text-averse Pixel owners! Gboard beta is brewing a hidden treat: Seamless Voice Typing. Tucked away in the depths of flags awaits a revolutionary shift in how you interact with your phone – prepare to ditch the microphone tap and speak your mind directly into text fields.

This clandestine feature, uncovered by the eagle eyes of 9to5Google and AssembleDebug, lies slumbering behind a flag:

config_global_direct_to_dictation

Once awakened, it conjures the ‘Seamless voice typing’ setting, granting you the power to bypass the traditional microphone tap and launch straight into vocal dictations.

Imagine the bliss of tapping a text box and seamlessly flowing into speech – no more fumbling for the microphone icon, no more awkward pauses. Words will unfurl from your thoughts as effortlessly as birds taking flight. The new ‘Seamless voice typing’ feature on Gboard makes me believe that Google is preparing for a future where we’ll be using dictation in more instances. In fact, Gboard recently added a dedicated voice typing toolbar for tablet users too.

Granted, this feature is still nestled in the beta branch, its official release shrouded in pixel dust. But the fact that Google has added traces of the feature in the background suggests that the official release isn’t far off.

For now, only the adventurous souls venturing into the Gboard beta realm and geeky enough to play around with feature flags can unlock this hidden wonder. But for the rest of us, we’ll just have to wait for Google to bring the feature to the foreground. That said, this ‘Seamless voice typing’ isn’t the only new gift Google is bringing for Pixel users. Earlier today we highlighted the release of new emojis on Gboard.