Gboard 6.5 beta adds sticker integration w/ Bitmoji & others, keyboard & themes tweaks

The latest Gboard beta is rolling out this evening with a number of new features for the Google keyboard. Version 6.5 most signficantly adds sticker integration with apps like Bitmoji, while slightly redesigning several keys as well as the Themes settings page.

Stickers is now the first icon in the suggestions strip that appears after tapping the Google button. It also appears as a new tab next to emoji, GIF, and emoticons. Sticker integration in Gboard most notably works with Snapchat-owned Bitmoji, but is also able to access stickers downloaded with Google Allo and other apps. However, at the moment, the Allo integration does not yet appear to be live.

Once setup, your stickers will appear in an interface that is near identical to the GIF tab, with users able to select stickers by swiping through a carousel. Up top is a bar to search Bitmoji, while a secondary tab sorts stickers based on Recents, Popular, and other categories.

Similar to how GIFs function, stickers will only work in apps and text fields that support image keyboards and insertion.

Version 6.5 of Gboard also tweaks the shift button for capitalizing, as well as the backspace key. Both are now only outlines, while the shift key fills up to denote when typing in capital letters.

Meanwhile, Themes in Settings has again been redesigned, while Add-on dictionaries are no longer present in the Dictionary pane.

Version 6.5 is now available via the Play Store for those enrolled in the beta program.

Gboard 6.5

Gboard 6.4