Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard: An Overview of Intelligent Mobile Typing
Microsoft SwiftKey, originally developed by the British company TouchType and acquired by Microsoft in 2016, is a highly popular and intelligent virtual keyboard application for both Android and iOS devices, designed to dramatically enhance the speed and accuracy of mobile typing.
Its core innovation lies in its sophisticated, AI-driven prediction engine, which utilises a blend of machine learning models—historically including N-gram and more recently, recurrent neural networks—to not only predict the next word but also learn the user’s unique writing style, slang, common phrases, and even preferred emojis.
This personalisation allows the keyboard to offer extremely accurate and contextually relevant predictions, often letting the user tap an entire word with a single touch instead of typing it out letter-by-letter, leading to what the company estimates are trillions of keystrokes saved worldwide.
Beyond its revolutionary word prediction, SwiftKey offers a robust suite of features that cater to diverse typing preferences and needs. For alternative input, it introduced SwiftKey Flow, which enables users to type words by gliding their finger from letter to letter without lifting it, a method often faster than traditional tapping. The keyboard also boasts extensive multilingual support, allowing users to type seamlessly in up to five languages at once from a library of over 700 supported languages without manual switching, an invaluable feature for polyglots.
Customisation is another key strength, with hundreds of themes, the option to create custom themes using photos, and flexibility in adjusting the keyboard’s size and layout. Since the Microsoft acquisition, SwiftKey has also integrated new features like a cloud clipboard for seamless copy/paste between the phone and Windows devices, and quick access to GIFs and stickers, solidifying its position as one of the most powerful and adaptable third-party keyboards available.