14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s very keen on improving its apps available on Android and iOS, and a future Word Flow update will bring a plethora of new features, many of which aren’t yet available on Windows Phone, Redmond’s very own mobile platform that the company seems to forget it exists every once in a while.
First and foremost, it turns out that one of the improvements that Microsoft is working on for Word Flow is search support, so you should be able to search for GIFs, images, and emoji in order to better express yourself in a conversation. The GIF support is one of the most exciting features for many users, as including animations in their messages is already possible on several popular third-party keyboards.
Additionally, the search feature will also make it possible to find contacts, but also to look for content online, including news, videos, links, weather forecasts, and even restaurants.
New (and more accurate) prediction engine
iOS users will also benefit from a new prediction system, which Microsoft is specifically working to make super accurate, and in addition to suggestions for the words you type, this new feature will also suggest GIFs that match your messages.
3D Touch support will also be offered for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus (and most likely for the new iPhone launching in September), and there will be themes to give a more personal touch to the keyboard. 3D Touch will allow users to move the cursor over the text they type, in a way similar to the default Apple keyboard currently available on the latest iPhone models.
For the moment, this new version of Word Flow is being tested internally (via WinBeta), and Microsoft is expected to release it to users in the coming weeks, probably around the date when the new iPhone sees daylight in early September. Without a doubt, the new keyboard version will be fully compatible with iOS, the upcoming version of Apple’s mobile operating system that’s currently in beta stage.