Google has been making their Google Keyboard into one of the best on the market, but it’s not complete feature wise – it doesn’t have handwriting input. To remedy that, Google has released a standalone app called Google Handwriting Input onto Google Play which will let you simply write on the screen to enter your text.
Similar to the old Palm Graffiti input, but without the custom letter format, the Google Handwriting Input app simply lets you write whole words or letters into the text input box where its converted to legible text. The handwriting recognition will work with print or cursive text in 82 languages and will even convert a drawn smiley to emoji.
Google Handwriting Input works on tablets (big and small) and phones, there’s Material Light theme on by default, but an option to switch to a Material Dark theme for those that like their phone a little darker. Google claims the handwriting recognition will work even if you claim your handwriting is terrible.
If you’d like to give it a try, head on over to Google Play and install it. It’s a pretty cool concept and may actually prove quicker depending on how fast you can write.
just tried it on my N5 and it was flawless, feel like it’s more use on a tablet though
It works, but there’s very few settings for it at present, no Australian English dictionary, no way to train it to recognize your handwriting to equal specific words, and no ability to fix what it misrecognizes from your cursive handwriting.
As an input method it has the potential to be very good.
But for now, it’s more toy than usable.
Works great on my Note 8. Released conveniently before I/O. Maybe the next Nexus will have a stylus?