Could iOS 7 Supports 3rd-Party Keyboards ? SwiftKey Thinks It’s A Possibility

So we are so excited and can’t wait to see Apple’s WWDC 2013 which should be next Monday. And today SwiftKey creator TouchType will be closely watching Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday, hoping that the Cupertino company opens up its iOS platform to third-party keyboards for the first time. The SwiftKey keyboard has been exclusive to Android since its inception, but the company is itching to bring it to iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches.

Currently, Apple doesn’t allow developers access to create custom keyboards. But Cook’s comments are giving the company reason for optimism.

“It’s great they are thinking in that way,” TouchType marketing chief Joe Braidwood said in a telephone interview. “That’s very different from the message we would have gotten a year ago.”

Indeed, SwiftKey started with the hope of convincing device makers to include their software from the get-go. It released its software as an Android download mainly to show what was possible.

“We thought this was just a great test bed” to show phone makers that the technology works, Braidwood said.

Speaking at AllThingsD’s D11 conference earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at a more open iOS platform in the future. “I think you will see us open up more in the future,” he said. “But not to the degree that we put the customer at risk of having a bad experience.”

Those comments have given TouchType a reason to be optimistic about a potential SwiftKey for iOS

“It’s great they are thinking in that way,” TouchType marketing chief Joe Braidwood said in a telephone interview with AllThingsD. “That’s very different from the message we would have gotten a year ago.”

“The most obvious API for them to open is the keyboard, because it is the greatest weakness,” Braidwood added. “The keyboard is the thing that needs work more than anything on that platform.”