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Integrating Virtual Keyboards in Google Search
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Google has intriduced a virtual keyboard that allows Web searchers
to enter text in any of the 35 languages currently available. More
languages are expected to be added to the virtual keyboard in the
coming months
Apr 29: You’ve spilled coffee on your keyboard. The a, e, i, o, u, and r keys
have stopped working. Now try to search Google for the nearest computer
repair shop. The pain of typing on this broken keyboard is similar to what
many people searching in non-English languages feel when trying to type
today. Typing searches on keyboards not designed for your languages can
be frustrating, even impossible.
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Virtual keyboards let people type directly in their local
language script and don't require any additional software.
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Our user research has shown that many people are more comfortable
formulating search queries in their own language but have difficulty typing
these queries into Google. (Try typing ڸۅ ٲ گل پٲ on a keyboard with English
letters.) To overcome the difficulty they face in typing in their local language
scripts, some people have resorted to copying and pasting from other sites
and from online translation tools. But there’s an easier way — a virtual, or “on-
screen” keyboard, lets you type directly in your local language script in an
easy and consistent manner, no matter where you are or what computer you’
re using.
Last year, to make text input easy for people across the globe, we introduced
a virtual keyboard API through code.google.com. This allowed developers to
enable virtual keyboards on any text field or text area in their Web pages.
Today, we are taking this effort one step further by integrating virtual
keyboards into Google search in 35 languages. If you use Google search in
one of these 35 languages, you’ll see a small keyboard icon show up next to
the search field, on both the Google homepage and search results page.
Clicking on that keyboard icon brings up a virtual keyboard in your language.
You can input text by either clicking on the on-screen keyboard or pressing
the corresponding key.
You can find out more information on how to use the virtual keyboard in our
help article. If you use Google in a language not listed below and feel that
your language will benefit from a virtual keyboard, let us know by voting for
your language. We hope virtual keyboards help you find information more
easily — especially those of you who speak/type/read in non-Latin scripts.
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