An independent developer has brought Rambler, the AI voice typing feature of the Pixel 11, to other Android phones. The app is called PixelBoard and it is a modified version of Gboard, Google’s keyboard. 9to5Google tried it on a Galaxy Z Fold 8 and reported that it worked like Rambler on a Pixel 11, with the caveat that results may vary from phone to phone.
What Rambler is
Rambler is a Gboard feature found on the Pixel 11 series and the Googlebook, Google’s laptop. Instead of transcribing word for word, it waits until you finish speaking and gives you clean text: it drops filler words like “um” and “ah,” fixes grammar and punctuation, and handles repetitions and mid-sentence corrections. According to Digital Trends and other outlets, it runs on Gemini and works in apps such as Messages, Gmail and Google Docs. Because there is no live preview, 9to5Google admits it can feel unsettling at first.
Google kept the older dictation engine, called Standard, and you can switch between the two in Gboard settings. Right now Rambler is exclusive to the Pixel 11 line. Google hasn’t said whether it will bring Rambler to other devices, and the company says the new Gboard features will launch first in select countries and languages.
How PixelBoard works
The project was announced in a Reddit post, flagged by Artem Russakovskii on X. The code is on GitHub at Akshayykadam/PixelBoard, and you install it by sideloading, meaning outside the Play Store. The developer also offers other methods, such as patching the copy of Gboard already on your phone. The tool unlocks Rambler and other new writing tools.
The risks
9to5Google repeats the warning that installing it is at your own risk. Extra care makes sense: a keyboard sees everything you type, from messages to passwords, and a keyboard modified by a third party is a sensitive spot. If you can’t check the code yourself, our advice is simple: don’t install it.
Rambler isn’t the only way to get smarter typing. 9to5Google itself points to Microsoft’s SwiftKey as a fine alternative on the Play Store. And if you run apps from outside the store and have started to doubt your phone, read our guide on how to tell if your phone was cloned.
What to expect
Google hasn’t said whether it plans to take Rambler beyond the Pixel 11. The feature also shows up on the Googlebook, which we covered in our story on Intel Googlebooks. For now, if you want AI dictation, the official route is a Pixel 11. Any other route goes through third-party software and risks only you can weigh.
