#ANDROID TEXT EXPANDER APP ANDROID#

Google's GboardВ 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.)

#ANDROID TEXT EXPANDER APP 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 wellВ - 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.

Android text expander app