SwiftKey, one of the most popular third-party keyboard apps for both Android and iOS smartphones, is set to be acquired by Microsoft the company has confirmed. Reports currently put the buyout figure at around $250 million, this acquisition would also mean that future Windows smartphones could come with SwiftKey pre-installed.
While acquiring the app itself is a big part of this deal, there is more to it than that as the SwiftKey team will be transferring over to Microsoft's research team in order to develop future technologies.
Microsoft has been focussing on pushing its apps and services onto other platforms like iOS and Android over the last year and this seems to be the latest example of that. Right now, while the acquisition has been confirmed, we don't have confirmation on how much Microsoft paid for SwiftKey. However, a report from The Financial Times suggests that it went for $250 million.
KitGuru Says: I've been a SwiftKey user for a few years now myself. From the sounds of it, Microsoft is more interested in the team behind the app rather than the app itself. Do any of you use SwiftKey?