Patience, Android fans: You'll get Google's Gboard features, too - CNET

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Those with Android-powered phones sometimes have enjoyed the fruits of Google's labor earlier than those with iPhones -- the Chrome browser, for example, or the ability to store Google Maps for offline use. But people with Apple's iOS-powered mobile devices were the first to get Gboard, the search-enabled, emoji-rich, GIF-infused keyboard that Google released Thursday.

Relax, Android users: You apparently won't be left in the cold forever. Google is "working on the best way to bring the same functionality to Android right now," said Bri Coelly, a Google product manager involved with Gboard, in a comment to ProductHunt on Thursday. It's not clear how long Android users will have to wait. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Coelly also said multilingual support will arrive "soon" for those who don't just speak English. "It really comes down to the fact that keyboard layouts/dictionaries take a while to get right," she said.

Google's apps like Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps and YouTube are often big hits on Apple devices, and Gboard followed suit. It rose to the top of the App Store's popularity chart, though it subsided Friday. And Coolly tweeted a photo showing that more than 200,000 people were using Gboard.