Google brings haptic feedback to iOS via Gboard update

This week version 1.40 of Google's Gboard became available to iOS users, bringing them the haptic feedback feature that Android users have always had natively on their devices. 

If you have an iOS device, you've had Taptic Engine on your phone, but not the conventional haptic feedback feature that Android-users have long known. The difference is that Apple's Taptic engine will only vibrate your device in specific situations mostly related to alerting you to something like a text message, app, notification, or phone call. 

The operating system's native keyboard lacks haptic feedback, which is where Google's updated Gboard for iOS comes in handy if you're looking for that touch-based confirmation that you've tapped a letter or anything else on the keyboard. 

Gboard for iOS version 1.40, which rolled out on Wednesday, adds the option to "Enable haptic feedback on key press" within the setting menu. In the same way that Android devices can gently and briefly vibrate when any button on the keyboard is tapped, so can iPhones now, that is, with a little help from Google. The option is available only for iPhone 7 and more recent models. 

This feature is especially useful if you're a swipe typer; it's easier to ensure you've reached the right letter for the right amount of time before moving onto the next one. 

In any case, to access the feature on your iOS device (if you have an iPhone 7 or later), all you have to do is update the Gboard app to the latest version and then turn on the option within the settings to "feel your keys!" – AFP Relaxnews