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Microsoft has killed off its experimental keyboard app Word Flow, which debuted as a feature for Windows Phone and as a Microsoft Garage project for iOS in April 2016. SwiftKey is now Microsoft’s recommended, and only, keyboard for Android and iOS.
Back in March, Microsoft changed its mind about what to do with its SwiftKey virtual keyboard apps for Android and iOS, which the company acquired last year. Microsoft originally planned to “integrate SwiftKey technology with our Guinness World Record Word Flow technology for Windows” but then decided to bring Word Flow’s features to SwiftKey. The company also decided not to bring Word Flow to Android.
Microsoft has removed Word Flow from Apple’s App Store, according to a support document first spotted by Windows Central. As you’d expect, the direct Apple App Store link for Word Flow no longer works.
The Microsoft Garage app’s description now reads as follows:
The Word Flow experiment is now complete! We encourage you to download the SwiftKey Keyboard from the App Store. The SwiftKey product team is frequently building and evaluating new features for SwiftKey and shipping updates. We encourage feedback at https://support.swiftkey.com.
Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard competes against Google’s Gboard keyboard and a slew of other Android and iOS keyboards. Apple’s App Store doesn’t show download numbers, but SwiftKey has over 100 million downloads, while Gboard has passed 500 million.
Microsoft Garage debuted in October 2014. The group regularly releases experimental applications for Android, iOS, and other platforms, but it closes down projects when they are deemed no longer worth the effort.
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