Microsoft acquires keyboard app SwiftKey for roughly $250 million

While the app still hasn’t made its way to Microsoft’s Windows Phone mobile platform, Swiftkey’s Keyboard is now available on iOS and Android devices. The price is also in line with previous purchases of AI startups, although low for such a popular smartphone app.

A Microsoft representative declined to comment on the matter. But maybe go download Swiftkey’s apps right the hell now, just to be on the safe side. However, sources close to the deal have reported to the Financial Times, that deal is more about the war for artificial intelligence, and SwiftKey’s predictive keyboard is among one of the best proponents of the software.

At the most basic level, purchasing SwiftKey would still mean Microsoft has managed to add another excellent app to its roster. It’s picked up the email app Acompli, to-do list Wunderlist calendar app Sunrise, all for the benefit of Outlook. Moreover, we know that Microsoft has been experimenting with new, crazy-looking keyboard apps on rival handsets. SwiftKey brings a lot to the table – it’s a wildly popular replacement for both the stock iOS and Android keyboards, known for the artificial intelligence that recommends the next word users will type.

The company has long competed against Swype, the Seattle-based predictive text-input keyboard that was acquired by Nuance in 2011.

Whether Microsoft will continue to support SwiftKey is unknown.

The Financial Times said the deal was worth $250m (£174m).