Swipe input is great on smartphones, and Swype Keyboard is the one that started it all. You may not remember, but there was a kerfuffle years back when Swype refused to make its app available for download generally. Instead it pursued OEM deals before finally releasing a version on the Play Store in 2013. It hasn't been updated as rapidly as rival SwiftKey or the Google Keyboard (now Gboard), but it's getting a sizable update today.
Here's the changelog for Swype v3.0.1.
- Emoji predictions based on your text content
- Number Row option
- Hide Secondaries option
- Text Engine Improvements
- Handwriting Improvements
- Chinese Handwriting Multiple Character Recognition
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Languages and Keyboards:
- Uyghur keyboard
- Kashmiri Devanagari predictive language database
- Russian KDB for Russian and Kirghyz languages
- Improvements to Thai, Lao, Khmer
The dedicated number row is a big deal for some people. Google added that to Gboard not long ago. The emoji prediction is somewhat less important, but also something people care about. Otherwise, there are a lot of under-the-hood improvements to the text and handwriting engine.
The "trial" version of Swype is the only one with the update so far. It's only good for 30 days, but I expect the full version (it costs $0.99) will be updated soon.