Microsoft Removes SwiftKey Settings from Windows 10 Version 2004

Microsoft has removed SwiftKey settings from preview builds of Windows 10 version 2004, or 20H1, which is scheduled to launch in the spring of this year.

Furthermore, it appears that all references to the keyboard app are gone, and similar changes are being made to Windows 10 20H2, according to a report from German site Deskmodder.

Windows 10 20H2 is the second update of the year and is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2020.

All configuration options that have previously been offered in the Settings app are no longer available, and the aforementioned source speculates that the reason for the removal could be the low usage. Of course, this is something that remains to be seen if Microsoft indeed removes SwiftKey completely for Windows 10.

Microsoft SwiftKey

SwiftKey is currently one of the most popular keyboard apps on Android and iOS and Microsoft promised to bring it to Windows 10, mostly to improve typing in touch mode.

The reduced usage could indeed be a reason for SwiftKey going away, as the touch side of Windows 10 is still lacking in terms of adoption and most users continue to run the operating system on PCs and laptops with the traditional mouse and keyboard input.

On the other hand, SwiftKey keeps getting improvements on Android and iOS, and Microsoft rolls out updates regularly, either with further polishing here and there or with the addition of new languages. The advanced prediction engine, however, remains the top feature of SwiftKey, so if Microsoft indeed decides to remove it from Windows 10, it could be quite a loss for those relying on the keyboard app for faster typing.

I have reached out to Microsoft to ask for more information about SwiftKey’s future in Windows 10 and will update the article when and if an answer is offered.