The new Pixel 10 Pro voice typing is extremely good

I started using Google’s Gboard keyboard long before switching to Android. Even as a third-party keyboard on an iPhone, I found it better than the native iOS typing experience. With Gboard on Android – and especially on its own Pixel devices – Google has constantly added new features and to this day I consider it best in class (don’t ask me to use an iOS keyboard, please). However, Gboard’s most impressive feature doesn’t involve pressing keys. Instead, I opt for voice typing whenever possible, and Gboard’s voice typing has been good for so long that it’s easy to take for granted. But Google just outdid itself in a big way with a brand new voice typing command that absolutely blew me away: you can now edit your text with the sound of your voice, and it works incredibly well.

Recently, I was typing a quick message to a friend. I dictated a sentence or two, and in a brief moment when I stopped to consider whether I wanted to say something else, a suggestion appeared at the top of the keyboard. “Next time, say ‘Change…to…,'” it reads. I had never seen this prompt before, so naturally I had to try it. No way this would actually work, I told myself. I indicated what I wanted to change and Gboard did it perfectly. Okay, I thought about it again, this doesn’t work consistently. I tried it again and again, and Gboard kept proving me wrong.

Turns out I’ve barely scratched the surface of my use of Gboard, and it’s much more powerful and feature-rich than I thought. According to Google support documentationThere’s a whole set of controls exclusive to newer Pixel devices. Some of the more advanced features require a Pixel 8 or newer, while the latest features require a Pixel 9 or newer.

Before my new discovery, I was using some of Gboard’s simpler, yet impressive commands. The most common for me has always been “Send”, which allows you to dictate your text and send it to its recipient with this simple one-word command. I also used “Clear” – which deletes the last sentence you wrote – “Delete last word” and “Clear all”. These are all pretty simple commands, but they’re very handy if you get used to using them.

Shortly after discovering this “Change” [text]”, I tried to remember to use other, more advanced voice commands. There is a whole list of these commands right in the Gboard app; just tap the info button to find it. Now I wonder if some of the people I text will try the “Spell” command. I often get messages clearly dictated by voice and my name will be spelled “Steven” instead of “Stephen.” With this command, my friends can simply say “Spell Steven as STEPHEN” This is obviously just a fun example for me, but I can see how this is really useful for us typists.

You can even use all of Google’s latest AI-powered writing tools, all with the sound of your voice. This, of course, requires a Pixel 9 or newer (although we tend to see these types of features trickle down to older devices later), as many AI features do, but using your voice to rephrase a tricky sentence (“Make my message clearer.”) or to reread that email to your boss (“Reread this.”) feels like a superpower.

Some commands have been around for a while, while others are newer. Either I’m paying more attention to it now, or (more likely) Google is doing a better job of surfacing these types of features when I need them. Regardless, I really enjoyed using the advanced controls more regularly.

As good as Gboard is, there’s always room for improvement in the beautiful world of software, and this app is no exception. If I had to choose one quality of life improvement to add, I would allow voice commands to work over previously entered text. Let’s say you’ve typed part of your message or dictated something and the microphone turns off, but you want to add more. If you turn the microphone back on, the controls don’t seem to work on the text already there. I was only able to get it to work with text produced as part of the current voice session. Again, not a big deal, but we would be one step closer to perfection with this addition.

I’m just getting to the end and realizing the irony of making my fingers do all this work to write this article. I could have just used my new favorite superpower.