SwiftKey 7.0 adds quick access toolbar for rich media, stickers, location sharing, and...

[Shawn Knight]

Microsoft purchased SwiftKey from founders Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock in early 2016 for $250 million. Surprisingly, the company hasn’t announced any major updates in more than two years but that changed this week with the recent unveiling of SwiftKey 7.0 for Android and iOS.

The latest version of the popular mobile keyboard introduces several new features including a toolbar that provides quick access to rich media like GIFs and stickers and the ability to quickly share your current or nearby location. With calendar sharing, you can share calendar appointments with friends with just a few taps.

Version 7.0 also introduces eight new “Lish” languages, hybrid languages that users can seamlessly switch between.

Feature sets vary depending on your platform and region. On Android devices, the toolbar will replace the existing hub feature, for example, and the location sharing feature will only be offered initially in the US and India.

The timing of the update probably isn’t a coincidence. Nuance, the developer behind one of SwiftKey’s primary competitors, announced last month that it was discontinuing the Swype keyboard for Android and iOS in order to focus on developing AI solutions that’ll be sold directly to businesses.

The new version of SwiftKey is available now via Google Play and the App Store.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/73751-swiftkey-70-introduces-toolbar-quick-access-rich-media.html

 

[Jeff Re]

I believe you meant to say "NOT surprisingly..."

 

[bolski]

I used to use Swiftkey for years, then about a month or two ago, switched to GBoard and tried to stick with it as it appeared more responsive, but I had some quirks with GBoard that I didn't like (such as inconsistent functioning of the auto-cap depending on what type of input box was being used as well as suggestions not always working). But, gboard DID feel more responsive while typing.

I've since switched back to Swiftkey after this latest update and I must say, it feels just as responsive as Gboard, but then again, maybe it's just personal perception. But regardless, I'm back with Swiftkey. This always seems to happen for me. I'll switch to a different keyboard, try it for about a month, and then I always come back to Swiftkey. Maybe it's just something familiar, or something else, but I have always found Swiftkey to be pretty good. Not sure if this latest version fixed perceived performance issues, but it does seem more responsive than what I remember in the past. In fact, responsive enough for me to feel it's the same as gboard. When that's the case, I feel the functionality of Swiftkey for me outperforms what gboard offers (such as the arrow keys which for me work better for correcting my typos, especially in long posts such as this as opposed to gboard's swiping across the spacebar!)

 

[Julio Franco]

This always seems to happen for me. I'll switch to a different keyboard, try it for about a month, and then I always come back to Swiftkey. Maybe it's just something familiar, or something else, but I have always found Swiftkey to be pretty good

This. Except I won't last more than two days with a different keyboard. Not that swiftkey is perfect, but I guess it's better the alternatives.

 

[bolski]

This. Except I won't last more than two days with a different keyboard. Not that swiftkey is perfect, but I guess it's better the alternatives.

Yup. In the end, it's all a matter of personal preference and as long as it works for whomever, I'm glad we have options to choose from. Just because it works for me, doesn't mean it will work for anyone else. That's the beauty of having all these different choices. More power to each person who finds a particular keyboard that works for them. That's what counts in the end. And each keyboard can drive the other keyboards to try and create new things to lure you away. It's what creates innovation, not stifle it. So hats off to Google, Microsoft and the makers of Fleksy. It was a shame to see Swype have to go away.

 

[JaredTheDragon]

When my WinPhone died last summer, I got stuck with a crappy Moto-E Android phone, but SwiftKey sure helped using it. I got a new WinPhone for Christmas, but since you can't install any new apps on it (nobody makes them anymore), I found myself sticking to my stupid Android phone instead. The WinPhone keyboard was okay but it just lacks the features and ease of use.