SwiftKey goes free (but you have to pay for themes)

[lanux128]

SwiftKey is a well-known replacement keyboard for Android devices that was priced at $3.99 but the devs decided make it free. However to fund the app's development, they have added SwiftKey Store, with new themes available for purchase.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Jy8OtaSKw

• http://swiftkey.com/en/blog/swiftkey-keyboard-goes-free-new-themes-emoji/
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.touchtype.swiftkey

[cyberdiva]

I've been using SwiftKey with my Nexus 7 (2013) tablet for close to a year.  It's an amazing keyboard that lets me type in English or Spanish without having to move from the main keyboard; indeed, it also offers suggestions to me in both languages, and they're amazingly on target (especially those in English, since it's had more opportunity to learn my vocabulary in English).  I was surprised a day or so ago to learn that it's now free.  I think the company sees more revenue coming from charging for new themes, etc., than from having more people buy the app.  I hope they're right, since I want to see the program continue to thrive.  But I've gotta say that I've been underwhelmed by the themes.  I mean, I certainly see some I like, but I doubt I'd pay for them.  I'd rather pay for the app and for customizations I care about, but I suspect I'm not like most of the SwiftKey users, except in my enthusiasm for the keyboard.

[brahman]

I second Swiftkey as the best keyboard on Android.

More on SwiftKey at DO:
http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=36698.0

[superboyac]

I've been a little annoyed at swiftkey lately.  sometimes, there's no way to swype a particular word, so you end up trying about 3 times and then give up and type it.  I don't know of a good way around this.

i like the swyping style and swiftkey overall, just need a couple of things to be really powerful.

[edit]
I just went back to trying swype, and i think swype is the better product.  you have more predictions to choose from.  the accuracy seems to be better also.

[brahman]

@superboyac

Really!? - my experience is the total opposite of yours and I own both Swiftkey and Swype. I found SwiftKey *much* more accurate and this compensates for the limited suggestions. SwiftKey has made KISS an art.

The trick about swyping is: Only swype relatively well known words, if you swype rarely used words or names typing is much faster.

[superboyac]

@superboyac

Really!? - my experience is the total opposite of yours and I own both Swiftkey and Swype. I found SwiftKey *much* more accurate and this compensates for the limited suggestions. SwiftKey has made KISS an art.

The trick about swyping is: Only swype relatively well known words, if you swype rarely used words or names typing is much faster.

yea, i was surprised to.  By the way, i only decided this today!  it sounds like swiftkey is much more accurate for only common words.  for less common words, it's not.  now, apparently, i don't like trying to figure out whether a word is common or not so i type vs. swype.  that's too much thinking per sentence for me.  that's why i'm leaning towards swype where i can do the same thing for each word.

swype isn't perfect either.

[cyberdiva]

I might just add that I don't swype, I just put in the words as I would with a computer keyboard.  One great thing about SwiftKey, however, is that often it guesses what I want to say so well that I can write whole sentences without having to type any letters at all, I just keep accepting its suggestions. 

When I first started using SwiftKey, I had to switch to its second or third keyboard to access symbols such as ~ < and >, but now even these have been added to the main keyboard.  Just about everything I need is on that main keyboard.  I love it.

[superboyac]

ok...
i don't actually like the press-and-hold feel of swype.  damn.  no perfect keyboard.

[brahman]

damn.  no perfect keyboard.

Yeah I know, I bought a lot of them and always came back to SwiftKey in the end.

Also you need to remember that at first any self learning keyboard that you have been working with for a while will always have an advantage in accuracy, because it already had a chance to learn your writing style.