However, the app will continue to work for iPhone users who have already installed it on their devices until it is manually uninstalled or the user gets a new device. The news comes after users on Reddit flagged up that the iOS version of SwiftKey had stopped getting updates for more than a year, as reported by ZDNet. While it is not known why support for the SwifKey’s iOS version is retiring, the Android version of the app was last updated on September 15, 2022. “As of October 5, support for SwiftKey iOS will end and it will be delisted from the Apple App Store. Microsoft will continue support for SwiftKey Android as well as the underlying technology that powers the Windows touch keyboard,” Chris Wolfe, Director of Product Management at SwiftKey in a statement to ZDNet. “For those customers who have SwiftKey installed on iOS, it will continue to work until it is manually uninstalled or a user gets a new device. Please visit Support.SwiftKey.com for more information.” The official SwiftKey support website too confirms the above statement which reads, “We are ending support for Microsoft SwiftKey iOS. Thank you for being a user of our product. Please visit data.swiftkey.com for details on how to manage your data. The app will be delisted from the App Store on October 5th, 2022.” According to ZDNet, the phasing out of the iOS app could be related to Apple’s policies around “safeguarding its walled garden” since if “Apple doesn’t grant access to certain interfaces, there’s no easy or good way to make a product which needs integration to work.” 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 after Apple implemented third-party keyboard support. In 2016, SwiftKey was acquired by Microsoft for $250 million. As per its own app page, Microsoft SwiftKey is “the intelligent keyboard that learns your writing style, so you can type faster,” which “means autocorrect actually works so you can get your point across fast, without errors.” SwiftKey is not only well-known for its intelligent next-word prediction, but the app also supports multilingual typing, as well as swipe typing. It also allows users to customize the keyboard by selecting from more than a dozen themes, sending over 800 emojis, GIFS, and much more. While SwiftKey will stop working on iOS after next week, it will continue to be available and supported for Android devices. If you are a fan of the SwiftKey keyboard and wish to continue using it on your iPhone, ensure that you do not uninstall it after October 5, 2022.
