We don’t have a timeline for the arrival of this new feature. But XDA speculates that it could make its debut with the upcoming Google Pixel 6 series. Google Assistant keyboard dictation on Gboard appeared to a handful of users last year, provided they enabled it manually. At the time, we also saw a new interface allowing users to enter text with voice, and send the message by saying “send,” or delete the text you typed with a “delete” command. But shortly after, Google stopped the rollout of the feature and even removed it from Pixel phones.
Google will unveil the Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro on October 19
More recently, XDA’s Mishaal Rahman said that the Setting description for the feature was changed from “Enhanced voice typing” to “Assistant voice typing.” This led to the Google News Telegram group tricking the system into thinking that they’re using the Pixel 6 Pro, ultimately leading to the discovery of the new Assistant-powered voice typing. They also found that the feature has seen significant improvements since it went missing in 2020. The aforementioned Telegram group also managed to offer some screenshots, proving that this feature is almost here. This new implementation of Assistant-powered voice typing on Gboard also allows users to add emoji with their voice. It is likely that Google abruptly halted the rollout of the feature to improve it. The Pixel 6 packs the custom Google Tensor chip, which brings significant improvements to captioning, translation, dictation, and voice recognition. Keeping this in mind, the company’s decision to wait makes sense. It’s likely that Assistant-powered voice typing will also make it to Gboard on the existing crop of Pixel phones. After months of speculation about an official release date, Google finally set a date for the Pixel 6 release. The two phones have made appearances in promotional materials and billboards already, though we’re yet to get a closer look at the two phones. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer now.
