One of the best virtual keyboard apps on Android is now going for free. Effective immediately, SwiftKey is now available as a free download on the Google Play Store, while current owners of the app will be required to update the app, as SwiftKey has included a huge new feature in the new update.
The switch from a paid app to a freemium one doesn’t affect the company’s universally-acclaimed prediction engine, but rather introduces a new feature which the company says was one of the most-requested ones by its users: keyboard themes. Giving users the ability to drastically change the look of their keyboards with various colours and subtle design tweaks, these themes will be the main source of income for SwiftKey from this point onwards.
Currently, users can browse over fifty themes, and can download them via the app’s theme store; think of it as a curated webstore just for SwiftKey keyboard themes. Users can select to purchase individual themes costing RM3.99 each, or get them in packs of five themes retailing at RM9.99 per pack – they are all available via a new tab within the app.
Of course, it does sound like a slap to the face for current SwiftKey users, many of whom had paid up to $3.99 (around RM13) for the app. As a sweetener, SwiftKey is offering current users a free “Premier Pack” consisting of ten themes that is priced at RM14.99 for new users.
Download the SwiftKey app on the Google Play Store here.
(Sources: SwiftKey, The Verge)
