14 DAY TRIAL // An updated flavor of the SwiftKey application is now available for download for the owners of Android-based devices, namely version 4.5 beta.
The new iteration of the mobile app was meant to provide users with some of the features they have been asking for the most, such as emoji support for over 500 images.
Furthermore, the new software version comes with an optional number row for those who are interested in gaining faster access to number keys.
“Choose from more than 500 emoji across five categories: people, objects, nature, places and symbols. This update introduces a popup panel with tabs for each category so you can manually select the emoji of your choice,” SwiftKey notes in a blog post.
Furthermore, the team explains that users can now opt in for emoji predictions in the candidate bar. This means that, for example, when typing “Santa,” the keyboard will offer a Christmas emoji next to the word predictions.
“Fun examples include: ‘sleepy,’ ‘pizza,’ ‘broken,’ ‘cheers,’ and ‘kiss.’ Also, if you start typing a time of the day, such as 10pm, you may be greeted by the relevant clock symbol,” the team explains.
However, users will be provided with the possibility to disable the settings in the event that they would rather have only words predicted in the candidate bar. For that, they should simply press and hold the 123 key, head to Settings > Advanced, and they will see the option there.
“SwiftKey 4.5 will learn from your personal use to suggest emoji you regularly use. For example, if you regularly include an emoji after an individual’s name, SwiftKey can learn to predict it, just for you,” the aforementioned blog post explains.
The team also explains that the appearance of emoji can differ based on the Android version loaded on a device, and on the application in which the keyboard is used.
Only Android JellyBean and KitKat (4.1 and later) OS versions support emoji, while some applications render the emoji within messages with their specific fonts, meaning that the actual images may vary.
SwiftKey 4.5 beta also comes with the option to have a dedicated number row on top of the keyboard, so that users could access numbers faster. The feature should prove great on devices with larger screen sizes, and it can be enabled through going to Settings > Theme & Layout > Number Row.
You can download SwiftKey 4.5 Beta for Android from Softpedia today.