Google is making it easier for people with disabilities to communicate via Morse code using their iPhones.
The search giant said Thursday that its Gboard app for Apple (AAPL) iOS devices like the iPhone now includes a Morse code accessibility feature. Previously, the Morse code Gboard feature was only available to Android users.
Google (GOOG) said it consulted with Tania Finlayson, a Morse code and assistive tech developer who was born with cerebral palsy, to help create the new feature.
Finlayson describes in a blog post her experience when she was younger as a participant in a University of Washington study on a Morse code communication device for children. She explained that the study and device’s significance in her life led her to “a partnership with Google on bringing Morse code to Gboard.”
“Working closely with the team, I helped design the keyboard layout, added Morse sequences to the auto-suggestion strip above the keyboard, and developed settings that allow people to customize the keyboard to their unique needs,” Finlayson writes. “The Morse code keyboard on Gboard allows people to use Morse code (dots and dashes) to enter text, instead of the regular (QWERTY) keyboard.”
Besides the new Morse code tool, Google has also brought several other features to iPhones via its Gboard iOS app.
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In 2017, Google debuted a dictation feature for the Gboard iPhone app that can recognize a person’s voice and send messages to others, negating the need to manually enter text.