SwiftKey, one of the more popular mobile keyboards on the planet (check your phone), will be changing in the next couple of months. Users of the Microsoft-owned software have been notified that the experience will soon have a few new requirements.
Namely, SwiftKey users will have to log into a Microsoft account to keep their dictionary and typing data. These will also be stored on OneDrive. In other words, Microsoft’s cloud service will have to run in the background.
Swiftly swapping SwiftKey
According to Windows Central, Microsoft reckons the change will “make SwiftKey better.” But since the change is also likely to be unpopular, those who agree to be further assimilated into the M$ Borg will get 1,000 Microsoft Rewards Points to soothe their fractured souls. Whether you agree or not, existing accounts for the typing app will retire on 31 May this year.
The software giant’s changes are being positioned as a good thing (Better security! Cross-device syncing!). But it also rams users further into Microsoft’s maw by forcing logins with a single unified account. That’s good for Microsoft, obviously. It’ll bump the company’s OneDrive user stats up at the very least. It may even create a new store of data for the Redmond-based company to exploit. Somehow.
It’s of less obvious utility for end-users. SwiftKey’s alterations have something in common with convenience, sure. Using the same login for Windows, Xbox Live, and now your mobile device, and typing data? There’s no way this can possibly be abused to serve you more targeted advertising.
