#Text expander app android android#

So, yeah - all in all, just not a great solution at this point.Ī better choice is SwiftKey, which has a handy and effective text substitution feature that actually works - and works well. That bug aside, Gboard doesn't allow the use of any special characters (including the symbol) in its text substitution, and it has a very low limit on the length of phrases it'll let you create. Having to remember to go in and manually force-close an app every time your phone restarts is a ridiculous thing to have to do, so until Google fixes this, I can't really recommend you go this route. It then stops working again whenever your phone restarts. Google's Gboard app has such a capability, though it comes with some serious caveats - the first being that, well, it doesn't exactly work at the moment: Due to what appears to be a long-standing glitch, Gboard's text substitution feature functions only after you force-close the app (by finding it within the 'Apps' section of your system settings and then tapping the 'Force Stop' button within its entry there). (Yes, my fellow computing geeks: a macro.)

#Text expander app android android#

This one's easy: There's a decent chance the Android keyboard app you're already using has a feature that can pop in your own custom phrases whenever you type a specific shortcut. I got to work on finding a way to make it happen, and I came across some seriously useful tools - beginning with the basic and moving on to an incredibly powerful multilayered option. I could include everything from mailing addresses to phone numbers and all the silly phrases I find myself tapping too often. Lately, I've been thinking about how frequently I write the same stuff over and over from my phone - in emails, text messages, Slack messages, you name it - and how much time I could save by somehow automating those phrases and saving myself the trouble of typing them out repeatedly. (And voice input isn't always a viable option.)

Sure, Google's own Android keyboard has gotten pretty good over the years - and yes, there are some commendable third-party alternatives as well - but more often than not, inputting text on a touchscreen still leaves something to be desired. One area where I'm always hungry for improvement is in the reliably irritating realm of smartphone text input. And when it comes to Android and Chromebooks, boy howdy, are there plenty of efficiency-enhancing gems just waiting to be unearthed. You've probably figured this out by now, but I love finding clever little ways to save time and make life a teensy bit easier.