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Microsoft SwiftKey
Microsoft SwiftKey
Microsoft SwiftKey
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Microsoft SwiftKey
Original authorsJon Reynolds
Ben Medlock
DeveloperMicrosoft
Initial releaseJuly 2010; 15 years ago (2010-07)
Stable release(s)
Android9.12.14.17 / 15 September 2025[1]
iOS4.2.5 / 10 July 2025[2]
Operating systemiOS, Android, Windows 10 (versions 1809 to 1909)
Size60.63 MB (Android)
139.7 MB (iOS)
Available in700+ (Android)[3]
614 (iOS)[4] languages
TypeVirtual keyboard
LicenseProprietary software
Websitewww.microsoft.com/swiftkey

Microsoft SwiftKey is a virtual keyboard app originally developed by TouchType for Android and iOS devices. It was first released for Android in July 2010,[5] followed by an iOS release in September 2014 after Apple's implementation of third-party keyboard support.[6]

History

[edit]

The company behind SwiftKey was founded in 2008[7] by Jon Reynolds, Ben Medlock[8] and Chris Hill-Scott.[9] Today, their head office is located at the Microsoft offices in Paddington, London, and their other offices are located in San Francisco, California and Seoul.[10]

In September 2013, SwiftKey announced a series B finance round totaling $17.5 million led by Index Ventures, along with Octopus Investments and Accel Partners.[11]

In May 2014, SwiftKey hired James Bromley as COO.[12]

In February 2016, SwiftKey was purchased by Microsoft for USD$250 million (~USD$319 million in 2024).[13][14]

In May 2020, the app was rebranded as Microsoft SwiftKey to reflect its present ownership.[15]

In September 2022, Microsoft announced that they were ending support for the iOS version of SwiftKey. The app was ultimately removed from the App Store on 5 October 2022.[16] However, in November 2022, Microsoft announced that they decided to reverse their decision to discontinue SwiftKey for iOS devices. The app was relisted on 18 November, with Microsoft assuring future updates for the app. The company cited "customer feedback" as a reason for SwiftKey's return.[17]

Overview

[edit]

Microsoft SwiftKey is a virtual keyboard released on the Android and iOS operating systems. The purpose of the app is to increase efficiency while typing on a mobile phone. According to the Microsoft SwiftKey website, SwiftKey allows the user to speed up their typing process by "giving them more accurate autocorrect and predictions by learning their writing style".[18]

Release history

[edit]

Beta

[edit]

SwiftKey was first released as a beta in the Android Market on 14 July 2010, supporting seven languages. It included a variety of settings to adjust audio feedback volume and length of haptic feedback vibration. It was announced on SwiftKey's official website on 15 May 2014 that a Japanese version was available for beta testing.[19]

SwiftKey X

[edit]

On 14 July 2011, SwiftKey X was released to the Android Market as an upgrade to SwiftKey. The upgrade brought updated features and SwiftKey X introduced a dedicated app for tablets called SwiftKey Tablet X. New features included:[20]

  • A new artificial intelligence engine to predict phrases and learn the user's writing style.
  • A cloud-based personalization service which analyses how the user types in Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, and text messages, with the aim to predict phrases in the user's style.
  • Technology that continually monitors the user's typing precision and adapts the touch-sensitive area of the touch screen for each key.
  • Simultaneous use of multiple languages, allowing users to type in up to three languages at once with language-specific auto-correction.
  • Split key layout on SwiftKey Tablet X to improve thumb typing while using a larger touchscreen.
  • Additional language support.

SwiftKey 3

[edit]

The SwiftKey 3 update was released on 21 June 2012, including:

  • Smart Space which detects spurious or missing spaces in real time.
  • Additional language support.

SwiftKey 4

[edit]

The SwiftKey 4 update was released on 20 February 2013, including:

  • SwiftKey Flow, a gesture input method with real-time predictions.
  • Flow Through Space, a gesture to input whole sentences by gliding to the space bar.
  • An updated prediction engine.
  • Additional language support, raising the total of supported languages to 60.
  • SwiftKey 4.2 introduced SwiftKey Cloud, allowing users to backup and sync their language behavior and software settings, plus Trending Phrases – a feature adding the trending phrases taken from Twitter and localized news sites.

SwiftKey 5

[edit]

The SwiftKey 5 update[21] was released in June 2014, including:

  • Freemium transition, taking the app from a paid download to a free download.
  • SwiftKey Store, a theme store of free and paid-for color schemes.
  • Emoji, adding 800 emoji, plus an Emoji Prediction feature which learns to predict relevant emoji icons.
  • Number Row (a row of number keys) option added, in response to customer requests.
  • New languages, including Belarusian, Mongolian, Tatar, Uzbek and Welsh.

SwiftKey 6

[edit]

The SwiftKey 6 update[21] was released in November 2015, including:

  • Double-Word Prediction adds a new dimension to the predictions you see, predicting your next two words at once.
  • A redesign of the emoji panel.
  • A complete overhaul of the settings menu in the style of Material Design to make it easier to fine tune and customize the keyboard
  • 5 new languages were added: Yoruba, Igbo, Zulu, Xhosa & Breton

SwiftKey 7.0

[edit]

The SwiftKey 7.0 update was released in March 2018, including:

  • A new toolbar
  • The ability for one to use their own stickers directly within the software.
  • Support for 28 additional languages.

SwiftKey for iOS

[edit]

SwiftKey released an iOS application on 30 January 2014, called Swiftkey Note, which incorporates SwiftKey's predictive typing technology as a custom toolbar attached to the top of the regular iOS keyboard.[22]

Starting with iOS 8, released in the second half of 2014, the operating system enables and supports third-party keyboards use. SwiftKey confirmed that it was working on a keyboard replacement app.[23]

Starting with iOS 13, the system keyboard came with a built in QuickPath mechanism, which works similarly to SwiftKey's swiping feature.[24]

SwiftKey for iOS was announced to be deprecated in September 2022.[25] In November 2022, however, Microsoft reverted this decision.[26]

SwiftKey for iPhone

[edit]

SwiftKey Keyboard for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch launched in September 2014 to coincide with the launch of Apple's iOS 8 update. It was unveiled at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco.[27]

The app includes the word prediction and auto-correction features, familiar to the Android product, SwiftKey Cloud backup and sync and personalization, and a choice of color themes.

It reached No. 1 in the free US App Store charts and the company confirmed it had been downloaded more than 1 million times on the first day of launch.[28]

Further development

[edit]

On 27 February 2012, the SwiftKey SDK was launched.[29] This allows developers on multiple platforms and programming languages to access SwiftKey's core language-engine technology for their own UI or virtual keyboard.[29]

In June 2012, SwiftKey released a specialized version of its keyboard called SwiftKey Healthcare. It is a virtual keyboard for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices that offers next-word predictions based on real-world clinical data.[30] In October 2012, SwiftKey Healthcare won the Appsters Award for Best Enterprise App 2012.[31]

In April 2016, SwiftKey released a keyboard that emulated William Shakespeare's speech called ShakeSpeak in observance of the 400th year of the author's death.[32] The app was co-developed with VisitLondon.com to promote more tourism to the metropolitan area of London.[33]

SwiftKey integration was included with Windows 10 beginning with the October 2018 Update.[34] However, these features were later removed from Windows 10 beginning with the May 2020 Update.[35]

Controversy

[edit]

In 2015, NowSecure reported a vulnerability present in the version of SwiftKey pre-installed on Samsung devices. This would occur when the keyboard attempted to update its language pack. Samsung has since released security and firmware updates to mitigate the issue. However, TechCrunch published an article on why the issue happened because of how Samsung implemented the keyboard system on its devices.[36][37][38]

In 2016, SwiftKey users began reporting that the app was displaying personal details as suggested words to other users who did not have previous connections. Other issues included foreign languages and obscene words. SwiftKey responded by disabling cloud sync for word suggestions and releasing an update to mitigate the issue.[39][40][41]

Awards

[edit]

SwiftKey has received multiple awards, including:

  • Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 2014 ranked third place[42]
  • Meffy Award for life tools 2014[43]
  • Meffy Award for mobile innovation 2013[44]
  • Appsters Champion and Best Consumer App 2013[45]
  • Lovie Award People's Lovie for mobile innovation 2013[46]
  • Most Effective Mobile Application - b2c, Mobile Marketing Magazine 2010[47]
  • Community Choice, AppCircus at DroidCon 2010[48]
  • CTIA E-Tech Award 2011, CTIA 2011[49]
  • Jury Award, Mobile Premier Awards 2011 Winners of AppCircus Events[50]
  • Most Innovative App at the Global Mobile Awards, Mobile World Congress 2012[51]
  • The People's Voice Webby Award for Experimental and Innovation 2012[52]
  • Best Startup Business, Guardian Innovation Awards 2012[53]
  • Coolest Tech Innovation, Europa Awards [54]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Microsoft SwiftKey

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Microsoft SwiftKey is an AI-powered application for Android and mobile devices, developed by , that enhances typing efficiency through , autocorrect, and personalized predictions based on users' writing styles, vocabulary, and preferences. Originally developed by the London-based company TouchType Ltd., founded in 2008 by graduates Jon Reynolds, Dr. Ben Medlock, and Chris Hill-Scott with initial support from a £15,000 grant, SwiftKey launched its flagship keyboard app on Android in 2010, supporting multiple languages and saving users an estimated 100,000 years of typing time across 100 languages by 2016. The app expanded to in 2014 following Apple's allowance of third-party keyboards and quickly grew to power over 300 million devices as of 2016, incorporating features like multilingual support, theme customization, and gesture typing. Microsoft acquired SwiftKey in February 2016 for $250 million to bolster its productivity tools with advanced and predictive intelligence. Under Microsoft, SwiftKey has evolved to include accessibility innovations, such as the 2016 release of SwiftKey Symbols—a symbol-based communication tool for non-verbal users developed in collaboration with Click2Speak. This built on earlier work, including a partnership with physicist starting in 2012 to optimize cheek-activated typing using SwiftKey technology. As of 2025, the app includes AI features such as the Editor for proofreading text. The free app supports cloud-based personalization through a Microsoft SwiftKey Account, allowing seamless syncing across devices while prioritizing user data privacy controls.

Overview

Core Functionality

Microsoft SwiftKey is an artificial intelligence-based predictive keyboard application designed for mobile devices, primarily enhancing text input efficiency through advanced prediction and correction technologies. It functions as a replacement, leveraging algorithms to anticipate user needs and streamline typing on interfaces. At its core, SwiftKey employs neural networks to model patterns, enabling it to suggest and insert words or phrases contextually, which significantly reduces the of manual entry. The app's primary mechanisms include next-word prediction, , and gesture-based . Next-word prediction analyzes the ongoing sentence to offer up to five relevant suggestions above the keyboard, drawn from a vast linguistic refined by user-specific , thereby minimizing keystrokes—for instance, completing common phrases like "see you" after typing "cu" in informal contexts. dynamically fixes misspellings, overlooked spaces, or adjacent key presses, learning from corrections to improve accuracy over time and preventing errors such as turning "teh" into "the" based on probabilistic models. Gesture-based , introduced as SwiftKey Flow in , allows users to swipe across letters to form words without lifting their finger, combining continuous motion with predictive insertion to achieve typing speeds comparable to or exceeding traditional . SwiftKey adapts to individual typing patterns by continuously learning from user input, incorporating , , and personal phrases into its prediction engine to create a personalized lexicon stored locally or synced via . This personalization extends to contextual awareness, such as suggesting location-specific terms (e.g., "coffee shop" near a café) or relevant to recent conversations, and accelerates composition for diverse writing styles. Available on Android since its beta release in 2010 and on iOS since 2014, these features collectively position SwiftKey as a tool for faster, more intuitive mobile communication.

Supported Platforms

Microsoft SwiftKey was initially released for Android devices in July 2010 as a beta version in the Android Market. The app became available for in September , coinciding with Apple's introduction of third-party keyboard support in iOS 8. As of November 2025, Microsoft SwiftKey remains available for free download on both the Store for Android and the Apple for . The Android version requires devices running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or later, while the version is compatible with iOS 14.0 or later, 14.0 or later, and 1.0 or later. Following Microsoft's 2016 acquisition, support for was not maintained, with development focusing exclusively on Android and platforms. In September 2022, Microsoft announced the discontinuation of SwiftKey for , with the app scheduled for removal from the on October 5, 2022. However, due to significant user backlash, the company reversed this decision in November 2022, reinstating the app on the . By , SwiftKey had achieved a milestone of powering more than 300 million devices across Android and , highlighting its widespread adoption prior to and following the Microsoft acquisition.

History

Founding and Early Development

SwiftKey was founded in in by Jon Reynolds, Ben Medlock, and Chris Hill-Scott under the name TouchType Ltd., with the aim of developing advanced technology for mobile devices. The trio, who met at the , initially focused on creating a keyboard app that could anticipate user input more accurately than existing solutions, leveraging techniques. TouchType received early support through a £15,000 grant from to prototype their idea. The company's first product beta launched on July 14, 2010, exclusively for Android devices via the Android Market, introducing capabilities and supporting six languages: English, Spanish, French, , German, and Traditional Chinese. This beta version allowed users to customize and themes, marking SwiftKey's entry into the mobile input market amid growing demand for efficient typing on phones. In July 2011, TouchType rebranded the app to SwiftKey X, incorporating an enhanced AI-based prediction engine for phrase completion and a personalization service that synced user typing habits across devices for improved accuracy over time. Key milestones followed with the release of SwiftKey 3 on June 21, 2012, which introduced the Smart Space feature to automatically detect and correct missing or erroneous spaces in text input, enhancing typing fluidity. SwiftKey 4 arrived on February 20, 2013, adding Flow gesture typing for continuous swiping to form words and sentences, alongside expanded support for 60 languages to broaden global accessibility. In September 2013, the company secured $17.5 million in Series B funding led by Index Ventures, with participation from Investments and Accel Partners, to fuel U.S. expansion and further development. By May 2014, SwiftKey appointed James Bromley as to support scaling operations. Later that June, SwiftKey 5 launched as a model, making the core app free while introducing premium themes via an in-app store; it also added predictions and an optional dedicated number row for quicker numeric input. This period solidified SwiftKey's position as a leading third-party keyboard, leading to its acquisition by in February 2016.

Major Releases and Milestones

In September 2014, SwiftKey launched its keyboard app for , coinciding with the release of SwiftKey 5, which marked a significant shift to a model and introduced features such as prediction to enhance user expression through contextual suggestions. This update, initially rolled out for Android in June 2014 before expanding to , allowed free access to core predictive typing while offering premium themes via an in-app store, broadening its appeal amid growing competition in mobile input methods from alternatives such as Fleksy, Swype, and Google Keyboard. SwiftKey 6 arrived in November 2015, bringing innovations like double-word prediction to anticipate and suggest pairs of words for faster composition, a redesigned inspired by for improved navigation and customization, and expanded multilingual support covering over 100 languages. These enhancements, including a faster emoji panel and overhauled settings, were rolled out first in beta in 2015 before full release, reflecting SwiftKey's focus on AI-driven efficiency across diverse linguistic contexts. By early 2016, SwiftKey had achieved substantial user growth, powering more than 300 million Android and devices worldwide and estimating that its predictive technology had saved users nearly 10 keystrokes across 100 languages, equivalent to over 100,000 years of typing time. These milestones underscored the app's impact on mobile productivity, setting the stage for its full acquisition by later that year.

Acquisition by Microsoft and Subsequent Evolution

On February 3, 2016, Microsoft announced its acquisition of SwiftKey, the London-based developer of predictive keyboard technology, for $250 million in cash. The deal integrated SwiftKey's team into Microsoft's operations at its Paddington office in London, where the company had been headquartered since its founding. This move marked a significant expansion of Microsoft's mobile AI capabilities, with over 300 million monthly active users already relying on SwiftKey's software keyboard and SDK at the time. The strategic rationale behind the acquisition extended beyond keyboards, focusing on harnessing SwiftKey's expertise to reinvent Microsoft's tools across platforms. emphasized that SwiftKey's and technologies would enhance intelligent systems in areas like applications and Windows, aligning with broader AI ambitions to create more intuitive user experiences. Post-acquisition, development continued independently for Android and , with committing to support all platforms without disrupting existing users. In March 2018, SwiftKey released version 7.0, introducing a redesigned for quicker access to features, built-in sticker creation and sharing, and support for 28 additional languages, including hybrid "Lish" options like Bengali (English) and (English). This update expanded multilingual capabilities to over 200 languages total and improved customization, reflecting 's influence in streamlining the . By May 2020, the app underwent a full to SwiftKey, emphasizing its integration into the Microsoft ecosystem while maintaining offices in , , and . In September 2023, SwiftKey integrated Bing Chat AI for real-time assistance, which was rebranded to in February 2024, adding support for Turbo and features like image creation previews during typing. SwiftKey's evolution under has included periodic platform adjustments, such as a brief pause in iOS support announced in September 2022—effectively delisting the app from the Apple on October 5—followed by an unexpected reinstatement in November amid user backlash. As of November 2025, updates have centered on stability, with Android reaching version 9.12.18.12 in November and iOS updating to version 4.2.6 in , incorporating general improvements, bug fixes, and minor performance tweaks. However, these incremental changes have drawn user complaints about stagnation, with critics noting a lack of innovative features compared to earlier iterations and competitors.

Features

Prediction and Personalization

Microsoft SwiftKey employs models to deliver next-word and multi-word predictions, drawing on contextual cues such as preceding text, , and the user's typing history to suggest relevant completions. These predictions appear in a dedicated bar above the keyboard, offering up to three options that users can insert by tapping or using the spacebar, with the system adapting over time to prioritize frequently used phrases for faster input. The underlying algorithms analyze patterns in real-time, enabling predictions that align with the user's unique style without requiring manual dictionary additions. Personalization in SwiftKey occurs through on-device learning from sources like emails, text messages, and content, allowing the keyboard to build a tailored that reflects the user's vocabulary and habits. This involves processing locally to enhance , while optional via a ensures consistent predictions across devices by backing up learned words and preferences. Users can further refine this by correcting suggestions, which the system incorporates to evolve its model iteratively. Key features include slang detection, where the keyboard identifies and suggests informal terms from the user's and messaging history, integrating them seamlessly into predictions. and prediction extends this by recommending relevant icons or animated clips based on contextual phrases, with the system learning favorites to surface them proactively in the prediction bar once enabled in settings. Adaptive autocorrect complements these by monitoring user corrections and adjusting its behavior accordingly, reducing future errors through continuous refinement of the personalized model.

User Interface and Customization

Microsoft SwiftKey's features a clean, adaptive keyboard layout designed for efficient mobile typing, with options to toggle a dedicated number row at the top for quick numeric input without switching modes. Users can resize the keyboard to adjust key sizes and overall proportions, accommodating different screen sizes or hand preferences through the Layout & Keys settings. controls, including SwiftKey Flow for continuous swiping between letters, enable fluid word entry while maintaining compatibility with standard tapping. Customization extends to visual and tactile elements, with hundreds of free themes available for altering colors, patterns, and designs, including options to create custom themes. Font sizes for keys can be scaled via the resize function, while key press and are adjustable in , duration, or fully disabled to suit user preferences. The , accessible via an icon to the left of the prediction bar, allows additions like access, tools, and quick-launch for GIFs and stickers, enhancing without leaving the keyboard. Over time, the interface has evolved to improve usability; in 2015, SwiftKey adopted principles for a refreshed look with better and the introduction of the SwiftKey Hub. The 2018 SwiftKey 7.0 update replaced the Hub with an expandable for streamlined access to features, marking a significant enhancement in . Accessibility options include one-handed mode, which compresses the layout for easier reach on larger devices, and high-contrast themes optimized for TalkBack and Explore By Touch. For privacy-conscious users, Incognito mode disables personal learning and predictions during sessions, automatically activating in private browsing or via manual toggle in the toolbar. These elements integrate seamlessly with prediction features for a tailored typing experience across Android and platforms, with features such as support for rich themes, emojis, clipboard management, smooth swipe typing, and highly customizable appearance contributing to its suitability for Android users.

Multilingual and Accessibility Support

Microsoft SwiftKey provides extensive multilingual support, accommodating over 700 languages on Android and more than 600 on as of 2025, enabling users to activate up to five languages simultaneously on Android and two on for seamless switching and mixed-language text prediction. This allows for fluid typing across languages without manual adjustments, with the keyboard automatically detecting and adapting to context in multilingual conversations. The expansion of language coverage began modestly, supporting seven languages in its initial 2010 beta release for Android, growing to over 100 languages by the time of Microsoft's 2016 acquisition, and continuing with regular additions to reflect global user needs. The keyboard handles diverse input methods, including support for non-Latin scripts such as , Chinese (Simplified and Traditional variants), , Japanese, Korean, and Thai, alongside right-to-left (RTL) languages like Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu. Dynamic keyboard layouts adjust automatically for these scripts, facilitating where applicable and ensuring compatibility with complex character sets through features like fuzzy for Chinese input. Personalization extends to multilingual contexts, learning user-specific patterns across enabled languages to enhance prediction accuracy. Accessibility features in SwiftKey promote inclusive typing experiences, integrating voice-to-text input for hands-free operation via multimodal dictation that allows simultaneous speaking and typing. High-contrast themes comply with WCAG 2.0 AAA standards to aid low-vision users, while resizable keyboard layouts enable larger keys to accommodate motor impairments. compatibility, such as with Android's TalkBack and Explore by Touch, provides spoken feedback for navigation, and predictive suggestions offer spelling and grammar corrections.

Technology

Underlying Algorithms

SwiftKey's core predictive technology relies on a combination of probabilistic n-gram models and neural networks to generate context-aware word predictions. The n-gram models, which estimate the likelihood of a word based on the preceding sequence of one to several words (unigrams through higher-order grams), form the foundational statistical approach for handling patterns across multiple languages. These are augmented by neural networks, introduced in 2015, that process entire sentences to improve accuracy by capturing deeper contextual dependencies beyond simple sequential probabilities. Data processing in SwiftKey emphasizes on-device machine learning to prioritize user , where models adapt to individual typing habits locally without transmitting raw input to external servers by default. Optional cloud-based training occurs only on anonymized when users enable syncing, allowing the to refine predictions across devices while complying with regulations like GDPR. This hybrid approach ensures efficient, real-time on mobile hardware, with models such as gated recurrent units (GRUs) or transformers deployed via optimized formats like ONNX for low-latency performance. The evolution of SwiftKey's algorithms reflects a progression from statistical methods to advanced , accelerated by Microsoft's acquisition. Early versions predominantly used n-gram-based systems for their simplicity and effectiveness in resource-constrained environments, with limited rule-based elements for basic . Post-acquisition, integration with Microsoft's AI research shifted toward neural architectures, including recurrent neural networks in the late and more recently scaled-down transformers like a quantized variant for next-word prediction, trained with techniques such as to balance utility and data protection. Privacy considerations are embedded in the algorithmic design, with personal typing data stored locally on and sync features requiring explicit opt-in. Prediction models weigh —how often a word or phrase appears in a user's —against recency, prioritizing recent inputs to adapt to evolving habits like or topic shifts, while anonymized cloud data helps generalize without compromising individual through addition in training (e.g., via DP-SGD). This ensures predictions remain relevant without over-relying on outdated patterns.

Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem

Following its acquisition by Microsoft in 2016, SwiftKey has leveraged the system to enable cross-device of user data, including learned language models, themes, and history, allowing seamless continuity across Android and iOS devices as well as Windows platforms. This opt-in feature processes typing patterns in the cloud to refine predictions without directly importing data from other services like Outlook or , focusing instead on enhancing keyboard accuracy through aggregated usage insights. One of the earliest post-acquisition integrations occurred in 2018, when SwiftKey incorporated to provide real-time text translation directly within the keyboard interface, supporting over 60 languages for incoming and outgoing messages without switching apps. This subtle linkage enhances multilingual typing by offering inline suggestions, building on SwiftKey's predictive algorithms to maintain contextual relevance during conversations. Although initial plans for deeper ties with Cortana, such as voice-to-text enhancements, were discussed around the acquisition period, they were not implemented before Cortana's retirement in 2023. SwiftKey's AI has been applied more broadly within the Microsoft ecosystem, powering the touch keyboard experience in Windows 10 and later versions for select languages, including predictive text in touch interfaces akin to Windows Ink handwriting recognition. By 2025, SwiftKey maintains compatibility with Microsoft Edge's autofill features on Android and iOS, supporting inline suggestions for passwords and forms via Android 11's autofill API, and includes AI features such as tone adjustments and Editor for proofreading grammar and punctuation. These connections underscore SwiftKey's role as an input layer for Microsoft's AI tools, prioritizing keyboard-level improvements over expansive cross-app data flows.

Reception

Awards and Recognition

SwiftKey received significant industry recognition in its early years, particularly for its innovative technology. In 2012, it won the Global Mobile Award for Most Innovative Mobile App at the , organized by the , highlighting its groundbreaking approach to mobile typing. That same year, SwiftKey earned the People's Voice Webby Award in the Experimental & Innovation category for Handheld Devices, acknowledging its user-centric advancements in keyboard software. The app continued to garner accolades in 2013 and 2014. It secured the Meffy Award for Innovation in the Mobile Apps category in 2013 from the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF), recognizing its role in enhancing mobile user experiences. In 2014, SwiftKey won another Meffy Award, this time in the Life Tools App category, further validating its practical impact on daily communication. Additionally, the company ranked third on the Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 list in 2014, a ranking of Britain's fastest-growing private technology firms based on sales growth. Tech publications have praised SwiftKey for its AI-driven features, such as substantial keystroke savings and extensive language support, which improve and . For instance, reviews highlighted its predictive accuracy as "frightening" and capable of reducing typing time significantly through word and across multiple languages. By the time of its acquisition by in , SwiftKey was noted for enabling users to save nearly 10 trillion keystrokes in over 100 languages, equivalent to more than 100,000 years of typing time. Following the acquisition, SwiftKey has been featured in Microsoft's AI portfolio as a key asset for tools, though it has not received major new awards since 2014. As a benchmark of its success tied to these recognitions, the app reached 300 million active users by .

Controversies and Criticisms

In 2015, a significant security vulnerability was discovered in pre-installed versions of SwiftKey on Samsung Galaxy devices, including the S4, S5, and S6 models. The flaw in the keyboard's language-pack update mechanism allowed remote attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks over unsecured Wi-Fi networks, potentially enabling remote code execution and device compromise. Samsung addressed the issue through over-the-air (OTA) updates to patch the insecure HTTP-based download process. A similar privacy incident occurred in 2016 when a bug in SwiftKey's feature caused temporary exposure of user prediction data, including addresses and phone numbers from other users' accounts appearing in predictions. promptly suspended the sync service to mitigate the risk and implemented fixes, including enhanced measures, before re-enabling the feature. This event heightened scrutiny over the app's handling of personal typing data during . Privacy concerns surrounding SwiftKey have persisted, particularly regarding for features. While states that much of the processing occurs on-device and that anonymous usage statistics are sent periodically, optional cloud backups can transmit personalized dictionaries containing patterns, raising worries about potential aggregation and use by the company. Users have expressed unease about the extent of access required for full functionality, despite assurances of and no storage of sensitive information like passwords. In 2022, Microsoft announced the discontinuation of SwiftKey for iOS, planning to remove it from the App Store on October 5, which sparked user outcry over the sudden end of support for a long-used alternative to Apple's default keyboard. The decision was reversed shortly after due to feedback, with the app relisted and support continued, though critics pointed to poor communication as a key factor in the backlash.

References

  1. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/swiftkey
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  5. https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/03/microsoft-confirms-swiftkey-acquisition-for-250m-in-cash/
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  7. https://venturebeat.com/ai/how-stephen-hawking-is-using-swiftkey-to-communicate-twice-as-fast
  8. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-use-editor-in-microsoft-swiftkey-keyboard-404036b8-fbc4-4e71-a6cd-dd2e8a96e491
  9. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/what-is-the-microsoft-swiftkey-account-02288775-d9d7-4e23-a1ac-4dd48257cedb
  10. https://ukstories.microsoft.com/2016/09/28/swiftkey-just-taken-huge-step-towards-predicting-every-word-text/
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  15. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-swiftkey-ai-keyboard/id911813648
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  17. https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/28/23377227/microsoft-discontinuing-swiftkey-ios-keyboard-app
  18. https://www.windowscentral.com/phones/iphone/microsoft-reverses-itself-and-decides-to-keep-swiftkey-keyboard-on-ios-after-all
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  22. https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/22/swiftkey-comes-out-of-publicbeta-to-rocks-your-android-keyboard/
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  24. https://www.engadget.com/2012-06-21-swiftkey-3-for-android-out-of-beta.html
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