Gboard's Rambler brings spoken cleanup and conversational editing into Google's keyboard. The first question is whether you can use it: Google's current setup guide requires a Pixel 11 series device. EkkoBoard offers its voice-first keyboard workflow on Android without that Pixel 11 requirement.
If you already have a supported Pixel, Rambler is worth trying. If you use another Android phone, need a spoken language outside Google's published list, or want to generate new content from a short brief, the choice looks different.
Start with your phone
Google lists the Pixel 11 series, the latest Gboard set as the default keyboard, and microphone permission as Rambler prerequisites. Full features need an internet connection. Google also documents limited offline processing, with basic cleanup, punctuation and capitalization; advanced rewrites and complex voice editing need connectivity.
That device requirement is for Rambler, not for Gboard as a whole. Ordinary Gboard voice typing, advanced voice typing and Gboard writing tools have their own support rules. A phone that offers one does not automatically offer Rambler.
EkkoBoard is a full Android keyboard with AI-polished dictation, voice editing and a separate AI button for drafting from instructions. Check its Google Play listing for compatibility with your device rather than assuming every Android version is supported.
Check your spoken languages, not a headline number
EkkoBoard advertises voice typing in 90+ spoken languages. Google's Rambler guide names Arabic, English, French, German, Hindi and other supported Indian languages, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. It also says you can switch between supported languages while speaking.
Google's wording does not give a precise total because "other supported Indian languages" is a group, not a named list. Hebrew is not listed on that Rambler page. If Hebrew is part of your everyday writing, check that requirement before choosing a voice workflow.
Language coverage is a starting point, not an accuracy score. Try your own names, accent and mixed-language messages. A larger advertised list does not tell you which app will handle your particular sentence best.
Rambler edits are conversational, not only presets
Google describes Rambler as Gemini-powered text input that removes filler words and handles grammar and punctuation. After speaking, you can ask for changes to tone or style, request emojis, or make targeted edits such as "Change blue to green."
Its documentation says you can request many kinds of rewrites without learning specific commands. That is broader than a fixed menu of choices. Gboard's separate writing tools do have named options such as Professional, Friendly and Shorten, but those options should not be mistaken for Rambler's full editing scope.
EkkoBoard also accepts voice instructions for editing. Compare both with the change you actually need: shorten a reply while keeping a date, make a message warmer without adding promises, or replace one phrase. Review the result for meaning as well as tone.
Drafting from a brief is a separate job
In EkkoBoard, the separate AI button lets you ask for a new draft from a spoken brief. Instead of composing every sentence, you can supply the goal, facts and boundaries:
"Draft a short reply asking whether the revised quote includes delivery. Friendly and direct. Don't accept the quote or promise an order."
This is an example prompt, not a measured result. Include the relevant facts yourself and check the finished wording before sending.
Google's current Rambler guide focuses on transforming spoken input and editing text already in the field. It does not document a distinct new-content-from-brief mode. That is a documentation difference, not proof that a particular prompt can never work in Rambler.
In our testing: adding text or replacing it?
EkkoBoard's developer tested Rambler informally and reported these observations on October 12, 2026. This was a limited test, not a controlled comparison. The device and Rambler version have not yet been recorded here. Behavior may change with updates.
In our testing, Rambler did a good job with open-ended refinements. It used one voice control to infer whether the request should add text or edit what was already there. That kept the interface simple, but the inferred action did not always match the intended action.
- Adding another greeting replaced the first. After "Hello, how are you?", the developer spoke "What's up?" intending to append it. Rambler replaced the first sentence. A second attempt with "Hey, how are you?" followed by "What's going on" also replaced rather than appended the greeting.
- A selected-word edit appeared to delete the word. When the developer highlighted a single word and asked for an edit, the selected word seemed to disappear rather than receive the intended change.
- Insertion did not always follow the cursor. Some attempts put additional text in a different place from the intended cursor position. Other attempts to add a word replaced the existing text.
- Some edits produced no visible change. The developer reported edit attempts that did nothing. This describes the observed output, not a diagnosis of why Rambler behaved that way.
EkkoBoard makes the action explicit
EkkoBoard separates adding text from editing selected text. The developer's design uses more buttons, but lets you choose the action rather than relying on one voice control to infer it. The editing action is directed at the selected text.
EkkoBoard also has a keyboard toolbar for quick changes, including undo, redo, select all, copy and clipboard. In this Rambler test, the developer did not find an equivalent set of quick-edit controls in its voice interface or a voice-shortcut feature. These are observations about the tested interface, not a claim that all of Gboard lacks editing or dictionary tools.
The developer did not find raw generation from a brief in Rambler during the test. Google's guide likewise does not document a distinct generation mode. Both observations leave room for the feature to work differently in another version or workflow.
Automatic message formatting is part of Rambler too, so it is not the distinction here. The practical difference to test is control: when you want to append a sentence or change one selected word, does the tool perform that action and keep the rest of your text intact?
Choose by the task you need to do
- Have a Pixel 11 and mainly want cleaned-up spoken text? Try Rambler in the apps where you already use Gboard.
- Want an Android voice keyboard without the Pixel 11 requirement? Check EkkoBoard's device and language fit.
- Want new wording from a brief rather than a spoken first draft? Try EkkoBoard's separate AI generation workflow.
Use the same real-world task for your test, then compare the corrections you needed. Check names, dates, numbers and commitments before sending in any of these tools.