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You guys may remember Swype when it came bundled inside a handful of Android handsets back in the day (like the Droid Eris from ’09). Shortly after, we saw Swype launch as a public beta and many have scratched their heads wondering when or if Swype would ever release in the Google Play Store. After all this time, the unthinkable has happened — Swype is now officially available in the Google Play Store.
Launching at a special introductory price of $1 (a free trial version is also available), I honestly can’t say I ever thought I’d see the day. In reality, it hasn’t been too long since Nuance acquired Swype for $100+ million back in ’11. But here we are, well into 2013 and with countless swiping keyboards at our disposal, some are wondering what too Swype so long, and if it’s too little, too late.
While in beta, Swype was free for everyone to download, but had a few hoops users had to jump through before they could get it up and running on their devices (like a separate installer). Initially, Swype had a few licensing deals with manufacturers like Samsung to include the virtual keyboard in a handful of devices. As you may remember from a post we covered in November of last year, we discovered that Samsung had recently gotten into bed with our friends at SwiftKey, who, as it turns out, recently unveiled their own gesture typing feature called “Flow.”
We’ll have to see how well Play Store availability does for Swype. As it stands the app has already gained over a thousand 5-star reviews on Google Play. Question is, are you any of you buying?
Meh… Jellybean 4.2 Keyboard by johntanmi is better and it’s free!
Too late in the field purchased SwiftKey some time ago for 25¢. I am glad I did and now with flow who needs swipe.
Don’t kid yourself with the Flow. It has a looot of room to grow before it reaches the level of Swype. SK’s main functionality is the best though.
Swype is awful, but in fairness I hate the whole drag and type concept to begin with
Swift key is the best, but flow sucks. Swype, is much better at the trace to type input.
I must be missing something cuz ie feel you either use the swipe/fliw or tap with predictions. Otherwise it doesn’t help at all.
This. I used Swype while it was in beta but stopped after they fubared an update on my GS3 after an updated version went off the rails causing the phone to get super hot and drained the battery. Then their auto updater got a case of amnesia and wouldn’t stop prompting no matter how many times I updated.
I upgraded to a Note 2 and the built in keyboard is meh. I thought I’d give swiftkey trial a shot and the flow SUCKS. Not only that it doesn’t seem to learn new words. With Swype you just touch it after you’ve traced it and goes into the user dictionary. Was just about to install the Swype beta again. Looks like I’ll be plunking down the $1 to buy it. I like trace typing and so far Swype has done the best job of it.
I find if you use the swiping technique, the prediction is useless. You’d have to tap on the word at the top so what’s the purpose if you have to stop and tap, and can’t do the quick swiping which I thought was the purpose
Swiftkey is actually very good about “learning” your sentences and is able to predict words for you. I can type entire sentences simply by selecting the predicted words, without having to swype or type anything out. This part of Swiftkey is very good. I’m still trying to figure out how to type words like “too”, in Swype you can delay or swirl over the “o” and it recognizes you want to use that letter twice, haven’t figured that part out in Swiftkey yet
If only it could be shrunk down on the Note 2 for one-handed mode =(. I miss swype. The Samsung keyboard isn’t nearly as accurate or intuitive.
Agreed. I have the Note 2 as well, and the Samsung keyboard sucks. Quite often, if I swiped “down,” “Dien” would appear. The user dictionary is pointless as it never “remembers” your words. Ducking keyboard.
I bike cow humoroid you are.
Personally I disagree with Unorthodox. Swiftkey Flow is on par with Swype and I would definitely never pay for Swype now that I’ve bought it. But I have to admit I was a fan of Swype. I just feel they may have waited to long to release it with SlideIt and Swiftkey Flow on the market for so long.
I decided to purchase it because a buck is for my appreciation of the app being free for so long. I have been using it off and on since my HTC hero days when it first came out. I don’t currently use it but I always like having the option to use it.
Amen to that. We also have Swype to thank for pushing the swipe style typing innovation trend.
Same. I also bought it because it’s only ONE apk, vs the TWO needed for the beta (installer + keyboard). I hate app clutter.
I had been giving the 4.2 stock keyboard a try for a few weeks, but got frustrated with its inaccuracy so went back to swype. Love the new holo theme too.
I don’t find the swipe part any better than the Android. Neither 100 percent accurate
you don’t need the installer once swype beta is installed.
swype beta remembers it’s license information and can update itself.
I bought it too, for the very same reasons. Swype made me hate the physical keyboard of my G1, and go all touchscreen.
This will be the most stable app in the history of the world since it was beta tested for like 6 years :-/
LOL!
So I guess they should have just put it in the store and sold it earlier instead of having a free beta app for so long?
following your logic Windows, Ubuntu, Firefox, internet explorer, and many more programs you’re using have had much more than 6 years of testing.
beta doesn’t mean there’s no complete product, many companies keep both a stable and a beta line of program versions.
if a specific beta version is sufficiently tested they re-release it as a stable.
the only difference here is that normally beta builds are hidden from the public view and stable builds are released to the public, but with swype stable builds where only handed to OEMs while the beta builds where publicly available.
now this has changed and both stable and beta versions will be publicly available.
Stock JB keyboard has swipe gestures included and the auto correct is nearly perfect, I’d say Swype is too little too late.
Is this the same version that comes preloaded on the One?
No, that’s HTC’s own proprietary keyboard (which works pretty damn awesome, I must say).
Never liked Swype, find it hilarious that this is now *finally* out of beta, despite being shipped in numerous phones over the past 4 years as production-ready.
many of the “finished” programs and apps you’re using right now have a beta version or will have one within 3 years.
the existence of a beta program doesn’t mean any other versions are incomplete.
they make use of a perpetual beta program.
this means they have a stable compete version ready for paying customers, and they have a beta version with which they can freely try out new features and tweaks which might not work.
swype will still have beta releases alongside the stable releases.
Oh I agree with you there, when it comes to products having a beta version *in addition* to a released, non-beta product. Betas are, by definition, unfinished products testing new features, released to people to demo and provide feedback on.
Swype never had a non-beta released product, however. It’s been “in beta” on all devices since its initial release. The same versions shipping on specific OEM phones were posted as “beta” on their website for other people to use. They pulled an Apple (charging people – this this case, OEMs that shipped it – for the beta, similar to what Apple did with OS X in the 90s), which I just find comical.
I’ve never had a phone with swype pre-installed, but it’s very normal for a beta version to become a “final version”.
a stable version of any piece of software is always just a beta/RC version that has been tested enough to know there aren’t any serious bugs left.
Yes, however with Swype, versions that shipped on production phones were later released as beta (after they shipped, and were in the hands of consumers) on Swype’s forums. They shipped a “production” build, and turned it into a beta afterward. That’s antithesis to having a beta build or release candidate turn into a production build.
Now that it’s out of a 37-year beta test and available on the Play Store, I would like to see more skins available.
Also, they should utilize a 5-row keyboard like Samsung’s, only not crappy like Samsung’s keyboard.
Otherwise, I’ve used Swype probably more than any other keyboard over the years. Better Keyboard was a good app while it lasted, and Swift Key is good, but has a little maturing to do (great selection of skins though).
I think the strangest keyboard I’ve used was 8-pen. If you’ve ever tried 8-pen, you know what I’m talking about.
I’d have preferred holo skins for Swype.
holo is now the default skin for swype.
Yea I just had a look in the Play Store but I already bought SwiftKey a few weeks ago.
8-pen scares me…
I’ve used Swype for years for free so shelling out a buck for this is totally fine with me. I recently returned to using it in the past month or two after growing frustrated with the stock JB 4.2 keyboard. The stock keyboard is incredibly smooth but the process to replace a word is cumbersome (same goes for adding) and I like having several predictions as opposed to 2-3. My biggest complaint about Swype was the gradient look of all the themes. It looked dated. The new paid app has a holo theme which I find perfect! I’d pay $1 for that alone!
I’ve been using swype for a long time, I think I’m just too used to it. I have the Nexus 4, and the stock gesture typing works, but I find I make mistakes sometimes. Probably just subtle differences that I’m already used to with Swype since I’ve used it for so long, I don’t mind the $1 price. I’ve purchased Swiftkey before too when it was on sale, but just went back to swype. Plus the one swype app works on both tablets and phones, instead of having to buy two different apps.
I bought it within minutes of finding out it was available. As a long-time Swype user I dumped it for SwiftKey Flow and then Kii, only because I was tired of perpetually using a beta version. I’ll never go back to SwiftKey unless they make it possible to disable their next word prediction. I like Kii, but Swype literally has years of more experience at this when compared to Kii, which is just an enhancement of the stock JB keyboard.
“..into bed with our friends at Swype..” I think you mean SwiftKey. I purchased the app this morning. I use it on all my devices, and it’s still the best for gesture typing.
Gah. Fixed and thanks.
“out of beta” isn’t exactly correct either.
swype has both beta and stable versions, and has had them for a very long time.
the only difference is that the stable version can now be bought by users too instead of just manufacturers.
the beta is still going to be available and will still receive updates.
Swiftkey is greater than (insert name of other keyboard app here)
I use flow. Too late now Swype. I’ve used Swype before and it gets annoying after a while.
I have this “gesture typing” functionality with my GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.2.2. What does Swype offer that “gesture typing” doesn’t?
Purchased. Well worth the buck, now I can get rid of the beta. Better than stock 4.2.2 keyboard if you trace or hunt and peck.
how is it possible that the biggest flaw of this keyboard has not been mentioned in the article or even in the comments, If you use swiftkey keyboard you lose the ability to use google dictation and are FORCED to use dragon. Hell will truly freeze over the day i can use swype with a google dictation microphone button on it
Swiping is already built into 4.2.2 …. the predictive text doesn’t seem as good as swiftkey
99cents for the day. Didn’t even blink to buy it. Been on the beta for awhile, and it does the job well.
SwiftKey ftw! Swype screwed the pooch by supplying carriers directly without regular, stable updates. I won’t even buy it for a buck!
maybe asking for some dough up front wouldve pulled it out of beta 5 years ago
Used to love Swype. Used to love Swiftkey. But now? Kii. End of discussion.
I use Kii Keyboard. The free version has everything I need, but for those who want a lot of customization options, the premium version has many features as well. I think I’ll stick with this one. I tried Swype when it was in beta. I wasn’t dazzled.
Instant purchase. Best keyboard out there. Feels more responsive than the beta was, too.
Swype was included in the last OTA update for the Verizon galaxy S3 and worked well. I had been using the beta up until then. I bought and installed it on my Galaxy Tab 2 as well as the S3 and really like the tablet option option to reduce the keyboard to the same size as on a phone for efficient swiping. it’s definitely got bugs though. auto-capitalization isn’t working!
I’ve got the opposite problem.
I can’t get it to stop auto capitalizing words that happen to be brand names too.
the Windows in my house are not important enough to warrant capitalization, and generally when I slay a Dragon in a game it has a name other than “Dragon”.
Meh…I’ll buy it, but chances are I’ll probably stick with SwiftKey..
I like it, had it on my first phone, and “hated it!” It seems to have come a long way since then. It needs themes though, and the ability to resize individual keys in the x’y’ axis( no one has that though).
it has themes.
I’m looking at a rather white swype keyboard right now.
One dollar!? Forget it
It’s about time! That was a Beta worthy of Blizzard and their “take as long as we want to release stuff” attitude.
Someone I doubt they will sell 100 million copies of this. Lol
Too much, too little, too late, as that old song would say. I am fully submerged into the world of SwiftKey now. With flow capabilities, it’s a killer app. Swype was never as good at predicting as SwiftKey is. So I’ll just stick with SwiftKey, thanks.
My Driod Eris didn’t come with Swype..