SwiftKey has just updated it’s amazing keyboard application, SwiftKey Keyboard, in a version that now supports emoticons and the number row at the to, just like the Google keyboard. The app was released yesterday and has already started getting some strong sentiments online on the VIP Forum which they use to gather user feedback on a current beta release. Despite SwiftKey saying that this release fixes memory overuse issues, users are still complaining that this version is still high in memory usage and gives lag in word prediction which they say they will be fixed as we move along. To have a taste of this version, you can download it here.
An issue was raised as to why emojis look different on WhatsApp in comparison to on SwiftKey and on other platforms like Google hangout and Viber.
According to SwiftKey, “Emoji are only supported on Android Jellybean and KitKat (4.1 and later). SwiftKey uses the system emoji font which is black and white in Jellybean and colour in KitKat but some apps (eg WhatsApp) render the emoji within messages with app-specific fonts whereas Google Hangouts uses the same colour emoji font as KitKat. This means that although the meaning remains the same, the actual images may vary between apps and between the sending and receiving device.”
Some of the improvements made in this version include:
- Secondary characters on the top letter row modified when number row is enabled
- Redesigned emoji(s) Ui including new space and backspace bar, swipe gestures to switch emoji tab and changes to how the layout works under the hood
- Fixed performance issues when switching between tabs
- Emoji(s) now appear larger
- Fixed issue where emoji(s) still predicted even when disabled
- General memory problems fixed
- Fixed issue where Ice theme used extra RAM
- Fixed keyboard freezes
- Fixed issues when syncing
- Fixed problem with Trending Phrases not updating
- Fixed incorrect vibration feedback when scrolling
Download the free version of SwiftKey from the Play Store.
