The Gboard Assistant Voice Typing toolbar is rolling out to Google Pixel phones in the latest beta test. According to a report from Android Authority, Google is testing out the new voice typing UI in version 15.0 of the Gboard app within its phones after the company implemented it to the Pixel Tablet last year.
The Assistant Voice Typing toolbar shows up as a new bar above the keyboard, complete with a microphone, a backspace key, and buttons to open the keyboard, minimize it, return to the previous toolbar page, change the language, and more. Tapping the microphone on the far right side of the toolbar triggers Assistant Voice Typing, and the “Speak Now” prompt will pop up in the blank space of the toolbar awaiting your voice commands. Pressing the microphone button stops voice typing and the “Paused” prompt appears.
The neat thing about the new Assistant Voice Typing toolbar is you can either leave it at the bottom of your phone screen like normal, or you can drag up to the right side of your screen if you need to extra space for your other tasks. When you stop talking while voice typing is active, you receive a few buttons as actions and voice typing remains active until you open up the keyboard again.
The Assistant Voice Typing toolbar is only available for beta testers who own a Google Pixel phone and already have the Gboard app download into it. It’s unknown when it will be fully available to all Pixel users as well as other Android phones and iPhones.
Apple has just launched its latest iPad mini with a notable set of upgrades, including an OLED screen, improved speakers, and a more resilient build. It also gets a new chip, and the whole package costs $200 more than its predecessor. But if you look closely at Apple’s online store, you’ll realize that $699 isn’t enough to get you the most powerful version of the A20 Pro chip inside this tablet. In fact, even if you pay $800 for the 256GB model, you still won’t get the beefiest variant. Only when you jump to the 512GB trim, which costs an absurd $999, do you get the most powerful flavor of the A20 Pro.
The $999 model gets more than extra storage
Ahead of its October 28 “Pro and Tell” event, Apple has refreshed the iPad mini with an OLED display (the first for the mini line), the company’s latest in-house, Pro-grade chipset, and something else that made me read twice: an Acoustic Display design.
The iPad mini (8th generation) starts at $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 for cellular variants. Pre-orders start October 28, 2026, and general sales begin November 6, 2026.
Apple has sent out invites for an event on October 28 in Los Angeles, and if the rumor mill is right, it's going to be a big one for Mac fans.
The MacBook Pro could get its biggest overhaul in years