Officially, Google’s Rambler voice typing only runs on the Pixel 11. A developer has now modified Google’s Gboard keyboard into an app called PixelBoard, which they say brings Rambler to other Android phones. 9to5Google tested it on one phone, a Galaxy Z Fold 8, and says it worked.
The catch is what you give up to get it. PixelBoard is an unvetted keyboard from an individual developer, and you install it outside the Play Store. Like any keyboard, it can see everything you type.
What Pixel 11’s Rambler does, officially
Google’s support page describes Rambler as a Gemini-powered text input feature inside Gboard. You speak loosely, and it writes clean text with the filler words removed. You can also edit and rewrite the result by voice. We covered the Gemini 3.5 Transcribe model behind Rambler in August.
The official requirements are narrow. Google lists Pixel 11 series devices, the latest Gboard set as your default keyboard, and microphone access for Gboard. Full features need an internet connection, and offline use is limited.
Language support matters for readers in India. Google lists Hindi and other supported Indian languages, alongside English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Google’s help page doesn’t say why Rambler is limited to the Pixel 11. That gap stands out, because the PixelBoard developer says the core features work on other phones.
What the PixelBoard project claims
PixelBoard lives in a GPL-3.0 licensed GitHub repository. The developer pitches it as unlocking Rambler and Gboard’s AI writing tools on any Android phone, without root. That is the developer’s claim, not something we have tested.
According to the repo, the app installs alongside stock Gboard under its own package name, com.akshaykadam.pixelboard. The repo also says pre-patched code lets it pass Google Play signature and integrity checks without root.
Not everything carries over, by the developer’s own account. The repo says Writing Tools V2 and an on-device inference backend selector stay Pixel-only. It cites system AICore and hardware model requirements as the reason. Rambler voice typing, AI Proofread and Tone Rewriting are listed as working on all supported devices.
The screenshots show Gboard’s settings with an added Advanced settings page. Its toggles switch on AI writing tools, advanced voice typing and support for all keyboards. No phone model is visible, so the images can’t confirm which device ran them.
Tested on one phone so far
9to5Google’s Ben Schoon installed PixelBoard on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and reported a clean result:
That said, we installed the app on a Galaxy Z Fold 8 to a complete success. It runs just like Rambler on a Pixel 11.
The outlet added that results may vary. One foldable is a small sample. Other models, other brands and the port’s Hindi and Indian-language behaviour remain open questions.
The catch: a keyboard sees everything
A keyboard handles your passwords, private messages and bank details. Installing one means trusting whoever built it. Here, that is an individual developer distributing a modified copy of Google’s app as a sideloaded install.
9to5Google is clear that sideloading it is a risk you take on yourself. We haven’t reviewed PixelBoard’s code, and we can’t tell you whether it is safe.
Google’s privacy promises don’t automatically carry over either. Google says official Rambler processes your text and audio temporarily, then deletes it without saving or sharing it. That statement covers Rambler in Google’s own Gboard, not a modified build.
The project’s own screenshots show an in-app notice that Rambler and writing-tool input are processed by Google. What the modified app actually sends, and where, has not been tested.
We link the project page below for reference only. That is not an endorsement, and we are not publishing install steps.
What to do instead
If you want an AI keyboard from the Play Store, 9to5Google points to Microsoft’s SwiftKey as a reasonable alternative. Whether Google will bring Rambler to other phones is still unclear.
Google has drawn similar device lines before, as with Gemini Nano 4’s short list of supported phones. Until Google explains the Pixel 11 limit, the choice is between waiting and trusting a stranger’s keyboard.
Sources: 9to5Google, Google Pixel Phone Help, PixelBoard on GitHub
