Windows Phone Word Flow Launches for iOS

The email states that the company is extending the Word Flow experience to other platforms starting with iOS. The keyboard is one of the major features that set Windows Phone apart from its Android and iOS rivals. If it finally launches – there’s no guarantee at the moment – Microsoft will be in competition with the best keyboards in the business, including SwiftKey, Fleksy, and Apple’s default option.

The keyboard is initially will make its debut on iOS, a non-Windows platform before its heads to the Android platform.

Microsoft is now running a test project to see how well Word Flow will work on non-Windows Phone devices but it’s now invitation-only and only open to Windows Insiders (a community of developers and IT experts who provide feedback direct to Microsoft on new updates and instalments). Microsoft didn’t say which features of Word Flow would change, if any, when it comes to iOS.

According to WinBeta, the Redmond technology firm is reaching out to enlisted beta testers with an iPhone 5S or later to try its first iOS keyboard. It also learns from a user’s language and word-usage tendencies.

Microsoft’s WordFlow keyboard was also used in 2014 to break a Guinness World Record for fastest texting speed.

This latest attempt from Microsoft is yet another example of how the company is looking to transition from being a software vendor to a software services company.

The report speculates that an Android version should also be released in the near future. Last year Microsoft released its virtual personal assistant, Cortana, to iOS and Android, after having rolling it out a a trademark feature of Windows Phone.

The store takes the form of an app created to help users easily discover and download any of the Microsoft apps available for Android, from Office and Skype to Wunderlist.