One of the (if not the) best software keyboards for Android today announced that it will be available for free going forward. SwiftKey today announced that SwiftKey Keyboard will now be a free download supported by a new SwiftKey Store that will offer premium themes and other add-ons as in-app purchases.
We believe this change is the best way to achieve our global vision for SwiftKey, as we can now reach many more people around the world without price as a barrier. That said, we want to reassure you that the SwiftKey features you have come to know and love will remain yours.
The latest version of SwiftKey Keyboard also adds a number of new features including:
- A new default theme called Nickel (based on the original Cobalt theme)
- Emoji support, with over 800 to choose from
- Emoji prediction and learning
- Optional dedicated number row (found under Settings > Layout)
- Improved prediction engine and Flow accuracy
- New languages, bringing total to 66 languages supported
- New, improved Flow trails
As for the SwiftKey Store, it already offers more than 30 new free and premium themes. Themes sell for US0.99 individually. Packs with five themes cost US$2.99 and the Premier Pack wtih 10 is available for US$4.99 (free to anyone who purchased SwiftKey in the past).
SwiftKey is now available as a free download in Google Play. An update is available to current users with the free Premier Pack waiting for you in the new SwiftKey Store.
SwiftKey also announced on its blog last week that it would also release a version of SwiftKey Keyboard for iOS 8:
Are we going to build SwiftKey Keyboard for iOS 8? Of course we are. We’ve already started.
There is no word yet on when it will launch but it will presumably also be free and supported with the new store for in-app purchases.
Sources : SwiftKey // Google Play