They say size doesn’t matter, but clearly it does when some Google Pixel users are reporting that their virtual keyboards are suddenly shrinking. Over on the r/GooglePixle subreddit, as flagged by 9to5Google, a suite of Pixel phone users popped up to say that suddenly Gboard – Google’s official Android virtual keyboard – turns tiny and in a window form, or that the keyboard itself is the proper size but the font on it is tiny despite being configured correctly in the settings.
Either keyboard mutation is going to be a pain, though the latter may not be as problematic for people who can deftly touch type on virtual keyboards. Otherwise, tiny fonts will render the Gboard very difficult to use unless you happen to be gifted with microscopic vision.
“It happened to me a couple of times already. Turn your phone to landscape, wait until Gboard shows up [then turn it] back to portrait. That fixed it for me. First time was weird, after that it’s just annoying,” explained Reddit user DevilAlien.
Google Pixel Fold users don’t seme to be immune to the issue either, with Redditor SergioSzm noting: “I also had this issue on my Fold and 1 hour later it disappeared by itself. Couldn’t find anything to get the normal size fond back And I didn’t do/change anything to.”
It’s hardly the biggest surprise to have trouble with Pixel phones – I still remember the infuriatingly slow fingerprint scanner on the Google Pixel 6 Pro. But it’s an odd issue and likely one that could frustrate users if it continues to happen. For what it’s worth, the Google Pixel users on the TechRadar team haven’t run into such issues at the time of writing.
So, this problem could be one that’s having a limited impact, but if you encounter it you can rest assured you’re not alone, not going mad, and this is indeed an issue others are facing.
If the shrinking keyboard affects you then I suggest that a simple reboot of your Pixel phone could be the panacea to the problem. If the problem persists, it may be a case of double checking your Gboard is correctly configured and that you’re running the latest version of Android and the Pixel Launcher – to do the latter go to the Settings, scroll to About phone and then Android version to get the version of Google’s mobile operating system that your phone is running.
To check for an update, go to the System option in the Settings app, then tap System update/Software updates option to trigger an update if one is needed,
And if all this has made you get fed up of even the best Android phones, then check out why I love the iPhone 15 Pro Max to see if a swap to iOS may be for you.
