Google adds a GIF creator to Gboard, and it’s pretty awesome

Gboard, Google’s amazing keyboard app for iOS and Android, has always been one of our favorites. With Gboard, you can do just about anything from completing a Google Search to signing a digital document. However, the latest iOS update for Gboard, just made it a whole lot more personal: the Gboard GIF creator is now easily accessible from the keyboard screen.

With Gboard’s GIF creator, iPhone users can easily respond to messages with personalized GIFs. Since the feature works with both the front and rear-facing cameras, it’s easy to send a group GIF to your friends and loved ones. And you don’t have to worry about losing your favorite GIF because they’re stored in your personal GIF library.

The GIF creator tool on Gboard is pretty basic. You’re limited to creating looped or high-speed GIFs. You can also add text to the GIF, but you’re currently limited to one font. If you’re looking to try a more full-featured GIF creator, you can check out our favorites.

To give the GIF creator in Gboard a spin, you first need to make sure your Gboard app is updated. Once you update, you should see the GIF creator icon next to the word suggestion bar.

Tap the GIF creator icon and you will see a pretty standard viewfinder screen. Select the front- or rear-facing camera, and choose either the “Loop” or “Fast Forward” mode just below the capture button.  You can then hold the capture button to create your GIF.  Once your GIF is captured you can then add handwriting or doodles in from the menu on the top of the screen. Once you’re finished tap the “Send” icon and your GIF will be copied so you can easily paste it into a message.

After you created a GIF, they will be stored in your personal GIF library. You can access old GIFs by tapping the “emoticon” icon next to the spacebar and selecting “GIF.” If you want to delete one of your GIFs, just long hold on the image and an option to delete will appear.

Currently, the GIF creator feature is only available on Gboard for iOS. While we can’t confirm, we would expect the update would come to Android devices in a future update.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Common iOS 11 problems and advice on how to handle them
• Apple releases iOS 11.1 with new emojis, bug fixes, and more
• Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time
• How to factory reset an iPhone
• Fake version of top Bitcoin wallet appears on iOS App Store