Gboard has been my default keyboard for years because it’s fast and reliable. But when I set up a new phone recently, I decided to pay closer attention to something I normally ignore: the keyboard settings.
That’s when I realized that several default features were making typing more frustrating than it needed to be. They were adding visual noise, changing words I didn’t want changed, and occasionally interrupting my typing flow.
After I turned off these features, typing started feeling fast and effortless again.
Autocorrect was trying to fix things too aggressively
In theory, autocorrect catches typos before you press Send and saves you from embarrassing mistakes. In practice, it often felt overly confident.
I started noticing how often it would “correct” words that were perfectly fine, such as names, slang, technical terms, and places I type regularly.
Sometimes I wouldn’t catch the change until after I sent the message. Other times, I’d waste a few seconds undoing the correction, retyping the word, and fighting the keyboard to keep what I originally wrote.
The breaking point was realizing I was slowing down to accommodate autocorrect. I’d double-check sentences more than necessary or hesitate before typing certain words.
Turning it off was straightforward. Open the Gboard app on any text editor or messaging app and tap the gear icon. Go to Corrections and suggestions and toggle off Auto-correction.
The change was immediate. Typos still happen. But surprisingly, I make fewer of them because I’m no longer battling forced corrections. Typing feels less frustrating now.
Next-word suggestions were more distracting than helpful
The suggestion strip above the keyboard constantly predicts the next word you might want to type. Sometimes it’s accurate, while other times it’s just noise.
I realized I wasn’t actually using it much. Instead, I’d glance up at the suggestions mid-sentence, get distracted by a slightly different phrasing, and either tap the wrong word or lose my train of thought.
There’s also something mentally cluttering about that moving strip of text. As you type, it keeps updating with new predictions every second. It doesn’t seem like a big deal until you turn it off and notice how much better the keyboard feels.
To turn it off, tap the cog icon in Gboard, tap Corrections and suggestions, and toggle off Next-word suggestions.
What I didn’t expect was a practical bonus. After next-word suggestions were off, the suggestion bar switched to showing punctuation shortcuts like ?, !, and ;. That means I no longer have to tap the ?123 key to add a question mark or exclamation point.
Glide typing slowed me down
Glide typing (also called swipe typing) is one of those features that feels incredibly fast. Instead of tapping each letter, you slide your finger across the keyboard and Gboard figures out the word.
For me, it introduced just enough inaccuracies to become annoying.
If the prediction was wrong, fixing it often took longer than simply typing the word manually. Short words were fine, but longer ones, especially names or anything slightly uncommon, were hit or miss.
There was also the issue with accidental swipes. When moving my thumb across the keyboard, I’d sometimes trigger a glide input unintentionally. Instead of a single letter, I’d get a full (wrong) word inserted into the sentence.
To turn it off, tap the cog icon on Gboard and toggle off Glide typing.
When I switched back to tapping, typing felt more controlled and predictable. If you’re already comfortable typing quickly with your thumbs, turning it off can make everything feel more precise.
Emoji suggestions were cluttering the keyboard
I like emojis, but I don’t need them suggested after every other word.
On Gboard, emoji suggestions appear in the suggestion bar as you type certain words. Type happy, and you’ll see a smiling face. Type coffee, and you’ll get a cup.
Most of the time, I already know whether I want to use an emoji. If I do, I’ll tap the emoji key. The suggestions take up space in the bar and add another moving element competing for attention while I’m trying to focus on what I’m writing.
There’s also the risk of accidental taps. When you’re typing quickly, it’s easy to brush the suggestion strip and insert an emoji you didn’t mean to send. That might be fine in casual chats, but less ideal in work messages.
To turn it off, tap the cog icon, select Emojis, Stickers & GIFs, and toggle off the Show emoji option. After switching it off, the suggestion bar stays focused on text or punctuation instead of mixing in graphics.
Key pop-ups were visually noisy
Every time you press a key on Gboard, a larger version of that letter briefly pops up above your finger. It helps confirm what you just typed. In reality, I realized I wasn’t relying on it at all.
After years of typing on smartphones, I have developed trust in my muscle memory. The enlarged letter flashing on every tap just added more visual movement to the interface.
When you type quickly, those pop-ups flicker rapidly across the screen. After I noticed them, they started to feel distracting.
To deactivate it, tap the cog icon, select Preferences, and turn off Key pop-up.
Without the pop-ups, the keyboard feels more refined. The typing experience looks cleaner, especially in dark mode.
Turning off haptic feedback made typing feel lighter
Haptic feedback on Gboard provides a slight vibration on key press. This feature tries to simulate the sensation of a physical keyboard, confirming that it has registered your tap.
Initially, I appreciated the responsiveness it brought to the keyboard. However, as time went on, I began to realize that the continuous vibrations were detracting from the overall experience rather than enhancing it.
When you type quickly, that’s dozens of micro-vibrations per sentence. It creates a subtle buzzing sensation that you don’t consciously think about, but you definitely feel. More importantly, it made typing feel slower and slightly more mechanical.
To turn it off, tap the cog icon, select Preferences and toggle off Keyboard vibration.
After I switched it off, typing felt lighter and smoother.
7 time-saving features on Android that helped me reclaim hours every week
These features have genuinely sped up my daily tasks
A simpler keyboard works better for me
Turning off autocorrect tweaks, next-word suggestions, emoji suggestions, glide typing, key pop-ups, and haptic feedback reduced the small irritations that add up over time.
There’s less on-screen movement, fewer unintended words, and no constant buzzing with every tap. The suggestion bar feels more useful. I also spend less time fixing changes that the keyboard made on my behalf.
