Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard returns on iOS

Microsoft's SwiftKey keyboard has abruptly returned to the iOS App Store. In October, the company officially discontinued support for the keyboard and deleted it from the App Store, but now it's available to iOS users again. "Based on customer feedback, SwiftKey iOS has been relisted on the Apple App Store," Microsoft's Caitlin Roulston said in a statement to The Verge. "Please visit Support.SwiftKey.com for more information."

Despite the return, the latest update to SwiftKey is still from August 11, 2021. It's not clear if or when it will be updated (users complained about issues before the discontinuation), but there will be some changes to look forward to. Vishnu Nath, Microsoft's VP and GM of OneNote and the Office product group, encouraged fans to "keep an eye out for what the team has in store." Pedram Rezaei, CTO of Microsoft's Maps and Local Services division, said the company will "invest heavily in the keyboard."

SwiftKey originally became popular on Android and was finally released on iOS in 2014 with the release of iOS 8, which allowed users to install third-party keyboards. Microsoft then acquired SwiftKey in 2016. The app remained available on Android.