Android’s Default Keyboard Is Hiding a Secret Superpower

You've probably heard you can use your phone's personal dictionary to save time typing. It's one of our favorite time-saving tricks. However, there's an even easier way on Android to save whole blocks of text, and you've been using it without realizing it: your clipboard's history.

This feature may vary depending on your model of phone, so we'll focus on Google's Gboard. By default, the keyboard will keep a history of what you copy, so you can paste multiple blocks of text without bouncing back and forth between apps. You can see this history by tapping the Clipboard icon on your keyboard (in some contexts, you may have to press the four-square apps button to pull it up).

The real magic, however, is pinning items you use constantly. For example, since Gmail still doesn't have email templates, you could write a form response, copy it like normal, then pin it to your clipboard's history. This will stick it to the top of your history, and won't delete it over time like the rest of your clipboard.

Having a few form responses saved feels like a superpower when dealing with email. For the emails that only require a quick form response, I can hammer those out in a couple of quick taps and be done with it. Then, when I get back to my desk, the only emails left are the ones that require more thought or research.

It's a powerful feature that's quietly tucked away on your phone. Just remember not to store highly sensitive information like passwords—there are better tools for that, anyway. 

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