Microsoft has now officially completed its previously-announced acquisition of SwiftKey, which makes popular virtual keyboards for iOS and Android devices. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The final closing of the deal was revealed via Twitter by Microsoft's Harry Shum, the company's Executive Vice President for Technology and Research:
Excited to report we've completed SwiftKey acquisition.
— harryshum (@harryshum) March 1, 2016
Welcome to Microsoft @SwiftKey! Let's do great things together for our
customers
Microsoft has already confirmed it plans to keep supporting the SwiftKey apps on iOS and Android, and it plans to integrate its features into the Word Flow keyboard for Windows 10 Mobile.
Source: Harry Shum (Twitter)
Reader comments
Microsoft completes acquisition of SwiftKey
These big companies let smaller companies like SwiftKey harvest all your data and then buy the company. It's all about data and advertising and making loads of money. Sure, they will throw in a few improvements along the way to keep us all happy.
Posted via the Android Central App
Lol, history colors people's decision s and opinions all the time and that's a good thing. That's how brand loyalty develops and their is usually a good reason for it.
Posted via the Android Central App
Interesting. I like SwiftKey, and purchased several themes; however, I haven't used it in months after switching back to the HTC input method and its numerous free keyboard themes.
Microsoft better just leave them alone. Keep it SwiftKey, keep the same people working on it and leave it alone.
Google's Keyboard works great. I'll stick to that.
Google Nexus 6P
I don't know how to say this but... Microsoft, I really like you on pc but I think it's best we stay friends on mobile terms... xoxo.
Posted via the Android Central App
Microsoft ruin everything they buy. Its a sad day for every Android user of SwiftKey.
Awesome AC.
I was bored today.
Thank goodness the comments section is as entertaining as ever!
So now SwiftKey too is gonna be ruined up.....
Posted via the Android Central App
If they port SwiftKey to Windows Phone 10 I may be tempted but if the Windows 10 keyboard still looks like the one my Nokia Lumia 520 running Windows 8.1 I don't want a bar of it..
Posted via my Motorola Startac
Awesome deal. Love it. Well deserved by SwiftKey and great that it's coming to all devices, especially PC
Posted via the Android Central App
Fleksy is better
Posted via the Android Central App on my Frost Nexus 6P
Why do people that prefer BlackBerry keyboard or wordflow not just get and blackberry priv or lumia. . After all they both have most apps you need.
Posted via the Android Central App
I just came from multiple Lumias and have been with Windows Phone since Windows Phone 7 came out (was android before that). Recently I just picked up a Nexus 5X as my Lumia 1020 was showing its age and the Lumia 950 isn't worth the price, so after having a phone for 2.5 years and seeing no new progress in Windows Phone I've switched.
While it is certainly true that most apps I use are on Windows Phone and I love the OS, those apps are not full-featured. It is basically running a lite or bare-bones version of everything. Yes it will work, but there may be features missing as well as some polish since the apps are just there to exist. The devs that truly work to make their apps good are greatly appreciated, Rudy Huyn who develops many 3rd party apps does a fantastic job and 6tag is a great Instagram client, but unfortunately most big companies block 3rd party app access from their APIs. And google refuses to play nice with Microsoft so that has its own limitations, even trying to live in a fully Microsoft world.
I would love to but I'm not going back to snapdragon dac
Posted via the Android Central App
Don't f&%k it up
Posted via the Android Central App
Wordflow the best keyboard ever
Posted via the Android Central App
This
Any chance we will yet see Word Flow on Android?
That would be nice to see, for sure. Either that or BB needs to release the priv's keyboard for general use.
Work in progress. IOS already have it.
I'd rather see Swiftkey on W10M. Wordflow is nice, but I wish my L640 had Swiftkey. Or at least the option for another keyboard. I use Swiftkey on my GS5A, and it's much easier to use, with more options.
Is it just me or does SwiftKey have problems working well with Facebook or Facebook Messenger??
Posted via the Android Central App
Works fine for me, in both apps.
Works fine for me too. What issues are you having, Mark.
Adding details helps.
It's not that SwiftKey has the problems. The problem in your scenario is the Facebook apps.
See you later SwiftKey, Google already has my information, no reason to share everything I type with yet another company.
Posted via the Android Central App
If you use Windows 10, I've got some bad news for you, friend.
One of the best things about Windows Phone 8.1 was WordFlow, which is still my favourite gesture based keyboard on any platform. If its accuracy and usually spot on predictions are incorporated into SwiftKey that's fine by me.
Posted via the Android Central App
I feel the same way, still looking for a keyboard as accurate as Windows Phone's word flow.
Posted via the Android Central App
This spells doom for SwiftKey users. Can't wait for the bing hot key and whatever else they can cook up lol. To all the MS fanboys, they must be younger than 15. If you look back at this companies heavy handed tactics and ignoring what the customer wants after they get their money, just wait lol
Posted via the Android Central App
I'm 34 and an IT administrator. I know Microsoft's history better than most, having run every OS of their since MS-DOS 5. But you're also letting history color your biases heavily. Windows 10 has directly represented the opposite of your complaint: it's being constantly impacted directly by user feedback. The entire development process was pretty actively open to the community, and clearly shaped by user feedback. The Xbox One is another example, with some of its best features being ripped out due to response to user feedback and FUD. Microsoft listens to an almost excessive degree now. They're a totally different company. Not all of it is good, and they have plenty of problems now and in the past. But your complaints aren't accurate, and they're not a good reason to fear this. SwiftKey was a mess anyway, and I say that as someone who was first finally convinced to move away from hardware keyboards BECAUSE of how great SwiftKey was. But it's past its prime. Microsoft can't hurt it, but they might actually help.
^This^
Smart comment. The New Microsoft and the way it's doing business is remarkable.
Posted via the Android Central App
I'm nearly twine your age and I'm here to tell you that you have no clue what you are talking about. Pull your head out, wipe it off, and do some research.
Care to be remotely more specific?
He's pining for the computer security days of his childhood, when everything was punch cards and vacuum tubes. If it can't connect to the internet, MS can't get your candy crush stats!
I think it's fine, I'm partially on Microsoft's ecosystem already. I run two copies of Windows 10 for entertainment, had a Windows Phone. It's no different than Google from a privacy perspective. Microsoft has changed a lot in the past couple of years. Open sourcing the .NET framework was extremely surprising and out of character. The new CEO is nothing like Balmer and Gates were. Their most recent acquisitions haven't really died yet, other than Lumia, but that was dying when they bought it already did to how many there were.
Posted via the Android Central App
The sky is falling
/s
Lam I Am
I'm already finding another good keyboard.
Posted via the Android Central App
Dude you're a cry baby
Posted via the Android Central App
Any good suggestions ... I'm thinking of shifting too
Posted via the Android Central App
Check out what came on the phone. My HTC phone had a pretty good on that I never used since I always used swift key, without even checking the one it came with.
With how much Microsoft seems to not care about privacy in Windows 10 I would be very hesitant to install this app knowing keyboard apps basically ask for every permission in the book.
It cares about privacy as much as Google does. If you have no problem with one, then the other shouldn't bother you too much.
Posted via the Android Central App
You play with Windows 10 much? Or is that just a word of mouth people talking about how bad the privacy. You can turn **** off. Its not hard.
It's all on by default and you have to go into many different settings screens to turn it off. That tells me Microsoft defaults to you sharing everything. No thanks.
And they often reset to defaults again after new updates ... Windows 10 is a privacy nightmare ... And somehow I do object much more to MS having my data than google
Posted via the Android Central App
That's just silly. Ms wants it for the same reason Google does. To sell you stuff. To try and anticipate your needs.
If it makes you uncomfortable, that's fine. I get that; but let's not pretend one is somehow worse than the other.
Posted via the Android Central App
I'd actually today Microsoft more with it, Google makes most of their money through selling data, Microsoft barely make a sent in that market. Microsoft's primary use is to make products like Cortana and now SwiftKey better. They make most of their money through enterprise sales, it's why they can afford to give Windows consumer editions away as free upgrades, it's not their source of money. With Microsoft I at least know there's less of a chance of anyone else seeing the anonymous user data.
Posted via the Android Central App
Yeah, only if you choose express setup when you first start up.
Blackberry Priv
Nvidia Shield "Portable"
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
R.I.P.
Posted via the Android Central App
Or...
A - - - - - - - Aquire
I - - - - - - - - Integrate
R - - - - - - - -Retire
Posted via the Android Central App
I doubt they'd retire what is arguably the most popular keyboard on Android..
Blackberry Priv
Nvidia Shield "Portable"
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
Haters gonna hate
Posted via the Android Central App
Haters got reasons to hate.
Not a whole lot, if any at all.
Blackberry Priv
Nvidia Shield "Portable"
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
Worst news all day
Posted from my LG G4
Worst comment on the article
Nooooo
Posted from my LG G4
Just dumped it off all my devices. Even after paying for it, I won't allow Microsoft spyware on my phone.
And you know what? I found out the built in keyboard in my HTC has just about the exact same features with a quarter of the memory requirements.
Please tell me you use a Blackberry or you use an Android phone and opt out of all Google stuff. If not I really can't take your post with a straight face
Posted via the Android Central App
You realize SwiftKey already was getting all the same data right? If you are that concerned about it, I'd suggest getting a dumb phone, installing Linux from scratch on all your computers and completely disconnecting from the Internet. Oh also ditch all credit cards, and debit cards, only use cash. I understand caring about privacy but when you hate on a company for collecting data when all the while you are using services from an even worse offender, you are just bring ridiculous.
Posted via the Android Central App
Yes I did realize that, but Swiftkey was not a US company with a long long long history of being a pipeline directly to the NSA. They were a little company in the UK.
Swiftkey, was bad enough. (It wants to scan all your email, facebook, and messages, ostensibly to learn your language preferences, something which I always DENIED permission to do.
So now, you want to hand that all over to the company that is mining all your data Windows 10 data and sending it to Microsoft? And you are ok with that? There is NO WORSE COMPANY than Microsoft in this regard.
You need to stop exposing your ignorance on this subject and do some research.
The next time the NSA wants a password to an encrypted phone they can just call Microsoft.
And you think Google is pure as the white snow, when it comes to the NSA... Can I have what your smoking plz
Posted via the Android Central App
Please enlighten us what does Microsoft do with said data that Google won't do.
And plz don't use the cop out phrase do your research.....
Also do you think if mi5 went knocking on swift keys door when it was a UK company and they said we need this this and this. They would say no?
Posted via the Android Central App
Congratulations, everyone's out to get you and only you, we get it. But Microsoft is not going to suddenly start data mining through swiftkey. That's a whole step up from simply offering features to personalise your typing (VERY useful features, mind you). It's not like they're suddenly going to store your data when you choose the learn options. Have you even READ the privacy policy or are you just going to keep waving your tinfoil hat around?
Blackberry Priv
Nvidia Shield "Portable"
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
Great stuff!!