Swype was a

virtual keyboard A virtual keyboard is a software component that allows the input of characters without the need for physical keys. The interaction with the virtual keyboard happens mostly via a touchscreen interface, but can also take place in a different form ...

for

touchscreen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...

smartphones and tablets originally developed by Swype Inc., founded in 2002, where the user enters words by sliding a finger or stylus from the first letter of a word to its last letter, lifting only between words. It uses error-correction algorithms and a

language model A language model is a probability distribution over sequences of words. Given any sequence of words of length , a language model assigns a probability P(w_1,\ldots,w_m) to the whole sequence. Language models generate probabilities by training on ...

to guess the intended word. It also includes a

predictive text Predictive text is an input technology used where one key or button represents many letters, such as on the numeric keypads of mobile phones and in accessibility technologies. Each key press results in a ''prediction'' rather than repeatedly ...

system, handwriting and

speech recognition Speech recognition is an interdisciplinary subfield of computer science and computational linguistics that develops methodologies and technologies that enable the recognition and translation of spoken language into text by computers with the ...

support. Swype was first commercially available on the

Samsung Omnia II The Samsung Omnia II GT-I8000(H/L/U) is a multimedia smartphone announced at Samsung Mobile Unpacked on June 15, 2009. Earlier Omnia II releases run Windows Mobile 6.1, however they are upgradable to version 6.5 Professional. There is also an u ...

running Windows Mobile, and was originally pre-loaded on specific devices. In October 2011, Swype Inc. was acquired by

Nuance Communications Nuance Communications, Inc. is an American multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, that markets speech recognition and artificial intelligence software. Nuance merged with its compe ...

where the company continued its development and implemented its

algorithm, Dragon Dictation. In February 2018, Nuance announced that it had stopped development on the app and that no further updates will be made to it. The Android app was pulled from the Play Store. The iOS app was also pulled from the

App Store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the c ...

. The trial version of Swype is not visible anymore for users in Play Store except users who have installed the app by accessing it in the installed apps part of the

Play Store Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating syst ...

. Cloud features of the paid version such as "Backup&Sync" no longer function, and Nuance Communications has refused to issue refunds to customers who have purchased the app and can no longer reinstall it. Users have to use

Aptoide Aptoide is an online marketplace for mobile applications which runs on the Android operating system. In Aptoide, unlike the Android-default Play Store, there is not a unique and centralized store; instead, each user manages their own store. The s ...

to download the full version of Swype.

Software

Swype consists of three major components that contribute to its accuracy and speed: an input path analyzer, word search engine with corresponding database, and a manufacturer customizable interface. The creators of Swype predict that users will achieve over 50

words per minute Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm (sometimes uppercased WPM), is a measure of words processed in a minute, often used as a measurement of the speed of typing, reading or Morse code sending and receiving. Alphanumeric entry Since words ...

, with the chief technical officer (CTO) and founder

Cliff Kushler Cliff Kushler is an inventor and entrepreneur who co-founded Tegic, the company that created T9 (predictive text), T9 predictive input software used on mobile devices, and Swype, a technology for using swiping motions to type words on touch-screen k ...

claiming to have reached 55 words per minute. On 22 March 2010, a Swype employee by the name of Franklin Page achieved a new

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

of 35.54 seconds for the fastest text message on a touchscreen mobile phone using Swype on the

Samsung i8000 The Samsung Omnia II GT-I8000(H/L/U) is a multimedia smartphone announced at Samsung Mobile Unpacked on June 15, 2009. Earlier Omnia II releases run Windows Mobile 6.1, however they are upgradable to version 6.5 Professional. There is also an u ...

, and reportedly improved on 22 August of the same year to 25.94 using a Samsung Galaxy S. The Guinness world record text message consists of 160 characters in 25 words and was at that time typed in 25.94 seconds, which corresponds to a speed of nearly 58 words per minute, or 370 characters per minute. However, it has since been bettered by the Fleksy app on an Android phone to 18.19 seconds in 2014. , Swype supports the following languages: Swype was listed among ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine's 50 Best Android Applications for 2013.

Availability

In February 2018, the Android app was pulled from the

. The iOS app was also pulled from the

. Starting from 2018, users have to use

to download the full version of Swype. In late February 2018, the full version of Swype was discontinued. The trial version of Swype is hidden from the

and

. The Swype website was also discontinued and has become a redirect page to XT9 Smart Input. In a statement emailed to ''

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media ...

'', Nuance Communications said it would discontinue support of the Swype keyboard app and instead focus on other products. "The core technology behind Swype will continue to be utilized and improved upon across other Nuance offerings—and integrated into our broader AI-powered solutions—most notably in Android-based keyboard solutions for our automotive customers," the company said.

References

{{Reflist

External links

United States Patent 7,098,896. C. Kushler, R. Marsden, "System and method for continuous stroke word-based text input"

Android (operating system) software Android virtual keyboards Symbian software Virtual keyboards Input methods for handheld devices

Software

Availability

See also

References

External links