Microsoft 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, followed by an iOS release in September 2014 following Apple's implementation of third-party keyboard support. SwiftKey uses machine learning to predict text inputs, as well as supporting swipe gestures and docking features. The company behind SwiftKey was founded in 2008 by Jon Reynolds, Ben Medlock and Chris Hill-Scott. Its head office is at the Microsoft offices in Paddington, London, and other offices are located in San Francisco and Seoul. In September 2013, SwiftKey announced a series B finance round totalling $17.5 million led by Index Ventures, along with Octopus Investments and Accel Partners. In May 2014, SwiftKey hired James Bromley as COO. In February 2016, SwiftKey was purchased by Microsoft for$250 million. In May 2020, the app was rebranded as Microsoft SwiftKey to reflect its present ownership. In September 2022, Microsoft announced it was terminating support for the iOS version of SwiftKey. The app was removed from the App Store on October 5. In November 2022, Microsoft announced a reversal of its decision to discontinue SwiftKey for iOS devices. The app was relisted on November 18, with Microsoft promising future updates for the app. The company cited "customer feedback" as a reason for SwiftKey's return. SwiftKey's Prediction Engine allows the program to learn from usage and improve predictions. The feature allows the tool to improve with usage, learning from SMS, Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, and an RSS feed. 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. People registered on SwiftKey VIP were able to download the beta version.