Swype pioneered a new way to type on smartphones—now it’s dead

Swype, the influential smartphone keyboard, is dead. XDA Developers is reporting that Swype’s owner, Nuance Communications, is discontinuing development of the popular keyboard app. While it might still exist in the iOS and Android app stores for now, it will be left to rot.

In a statement on its website, Nuance said it was leaving the “direct-to-consumer keyboard business” to “concentrate on developing our AI solutions for sale directly to businesses.” Nuance—which bought Swype in 2011 for $102 million—has long been a force in voice recognition and text-to-speech software, and it helps companies build consumer products (like this BMW 7 Series) with its voice technology. Lately the company has also set its sights on the healthcare market.

Swype is noteworthy as the third-party smartphone keyboard that originated gesture typing. Rather than holding a phone in both hands and tapping on each letter, Swype let you hold the phone in one hand, hold a finger down on the screen, swing it around the keyboard from letter to letter, and lift off to spell a word. Swyping, as it was called, wasn’t as exact of an input as tapping on each key, but it was close enough that the software could usually figure out your intent. Most of all, it was fast, especially considering that it only took one hand to type.

Swype was originally distributed not as a standalone app, but as a feature that was built into smartphones—OEMs would have to sign a deal with Swype and build the software into their phone OS. A beta Android app eventually arrived in 2010, but it was only available for download through Swype’s website. It wasn’t until 2013 that the app would be available on the Google Play Store for 99 cents.

The Swype keyboard was very innovative, essentially being a totally new way to input text. It still wasn’t enough to save the app, though. While Swype has a patent for “System and method for continuous stroke word-based text input,” for whatever reason that wasn’t enough to stop everyone on Earth from copying Swype’s gesture typing. Google made gesture typing a standard feature in Android’s default keyboard, and Microsoft did the same for Windows Phone 8.1(back when that was a thing). Third-party keyboards on iOS and Android have taken the idea, too, and today you can “swype” on Swiftkey, GoKeyboard, TouchPal, Ai-type, and a million other options.

By the time Swype finally launched in the Play Store, all the copycats had greatly limited the appeal of Swype’s 99 cent app. Swype’s ultra-slow rollout and OEM deals meant it never got a head start on creating a large user base, and, by the time it was finally for sale, it was too little, too late. Now it’s dead.

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1262941