Now that smartphones have become our de facto communication and note-taking devices, the need to type faster has become a priority for many. Whether it’s a requirement for your job or a skill that will help you in college or an internship, I have valuable advice for you.
Many people still default to tapping each letter on their phones, but there is a better way. I learned how to type incredibly fast on my Android phone with just one trick, and while it’s not a new feature by any means, I’ll teach you that too. Once you have mastered this skill, your average words per minute will increase.
How to type very fast on your Android phone
This demonstration took place in a Google Pixel 8 run Android 16 and using board as default keyboard. After explaining how to use this trick, I will also explain how to implement it on the Samsung keyboard.
As long as you use Gboard on an Android phone running at least Android 8, you’re good to go. This “trick” is called swipe typing, swipe to type, or swipe typing (on Gboard). The idea is that you don’t lift your finger for each letter of the alphabet, just for each word, saving you a lot of time. Here’s how to swipe across the keyboard to type faster.
1. Tap a text box where you want to write on your phone.
2. Instead of tapping the alphabet individually, swipe your finger without lifting it. Pause letters for a microsecond and lift your finger when you’re done typing a word. A space is automatically added once you lift your finger.
If you are a Samsung keyboard user, you will need to go to the keyboard settings and enable the swipe mode before swiping to type.
Typing with your finger on Gboard is smart and intuitive
Gboard gets smarter over time, as does finger typing accuracy. Swiping your finger over the alphabet will give you word suggestions in Gboard. Over time, you’ll be able to teach Gboard what word you wanted by tapping the correct suggestion.
Swipe typing also works with words added to your dictionary, such as names, slang, abbreviations, or words in another language. They do not have to be grammatically correct.
What’s even better is that you can swipe to type in other languages too! I tested it with Urdu on Gboard and it works as well as in English. Additionally, if you use a Wear OS watch with Gboard, you can also use this trick on your smartwatch.
I attract a lot of attention when I text in public and people are always curious about it. I even had strangers ask me to teach them how to use the feature on a train!
It’s not the quickest or easiest trick right away; You may type slower at first. But once you get the hang of it, it’s very difficult to go back to the “usual” typing method on your smartphone.
