Google is reported to be developing an iOS compatible keyboard which will have search elements built into it. That is understandable for a company for whom online search happens to be among its most profitable venture.
Also, the iOS keyboard which is believed to have been in the making for months now will have the same gesture-based typing feature that is already present in the Android version. What this means is that users will be able to slide their fingers from one letter to the next which is much more convenient and time saving than having to tap on each of the letters. The feature also allows the app to guess the next word that the user intends to search.
The ease of typing apart, the keyboard app will also allow users to launch traditional Google search right from within the app itself, which no doubt is the primary aim of the company to lure users into doing. With details being scarce at the moment though there are also reports of the keyboard incorporating GIF and picture search feature as well, which again is designed to bring Google’s image search directly into the picture.
In contrast, Google’s Android keyboard allows for voice-based search but lacks the necessary support to launch image or text search directly from within the app itself.
However, there is no confirmation as yet if the above is an internal project that Google has delved into or if it indeed wishes to launch the app anytime in the future. Then again, none of the third-party iOS keyboard apps has had a good track record so far even though their Android counterparts have flourished. Apps such as Swype, SwiftKey and Fleksy have often been found to suffer from performance issues that have dented their appeal on iPhone and iPad.
http://inferse.com/38948/microsoft-word-flow-for-iphone-will-have-fan-like-layout-unlike-any-keyboards/
Things might still be different for Google, which surely has competent engineering strength at disposal to come up with the perfectly designed app with flawless performance. Another compelling reason for Google to launch a search-oriented keyboard app on iOS is to have more users hooked on to its search functionality. That is where it has on display the choices of ads, and it does make sense to drive more traffic to it.
