Microsoft has officially acquired SwiftKey, the predictive keyboard developer, according to a blog post by the Redmond-based tech giant.
The Financial Times said in a report that Microsoft snatched up the London-based company for $250 million (about £173 million).
SwiftKey’s software keyboard and SDK powers more than 300 million Android and iOS devices. Its popularity stems from its advanced ‘autocorrect’ and ‘next word suggestion’ features.
Harry Shum, Microsoft Executive Vice President, Technology and Research, said in a Microsoft blog post:
“This acquisition is a great example of Microsoft’s commitment to bringing its software and services to all platforms. We’ll continue to develop SwiftKey’s market-leading keyboard apps for Android and iOS as well as explore scenarios for the integration of the core technology across the breadth of our product and services portfolio. Moreover, SwiftKey’s predictive technology aligns with Microsoft’s investments and ambition to develop intelligent systems that can work more on the user’s behalf and under their control.”
Shum went on to say that more information on how Microsoft will integrate SwiftKey with its Word Flow technology for Windows will be revealed in the coming months.
He added: “SwiftKey’s predictive technology aligns with Microsoft’s investments and ambition to develop intelligent systems that can work more on the user’s behalf and under their control.”
SwiftKey dropped its price-tag to be free to download in June 2014. The company confirmed that the app will continue to be free to use.
“Our apps will continue to be available on Android and iOS, for free,” said SwiftKey cofounders Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock.