Microsoft’s Word Flow keyboard for iOS is about to get a whole lot more useful than it already is. The keyboard has just been updated to version 2.0, which includes a number of great features — one in particular that puts it up against Google’s Gboard keyboard for iOS, which was released just a few months ago.
So what’s the new feature? Search, of course. Using Word Flow, you’ll now be able to swipe left to bring up a series of new options, including one that allows you to search for GIFs, search images, contacts, and even the web. Of course, the search function is powered by Microsoft’s search engine, Bing.
The addition of search functionality isn’t the only change in Word Flow. The keyboard itself has also been given an update. For example, you’ll now be able to push your finger down and move it left to right on the keyboard to go through text, or up or down to fast forward or rewind through portions of your text, taking advantage of the 3D Touch feature introduced on the iPhone 6S.
It’s important to note that you can use 3D Touch to scroll through portions of text in Apple’s keyboard, however the fast forward and rewind feature isn’t available — to use that you’ll need Word Flow. Word Flow also now proactively recommends emojis for you to use by detecting certain key words in your text.
Last but not least is the ability to change the theme of the keyboard, either with one of the default themes or with your own custom theme — another feature that puts the keyboard in competition with Google’s Gboard.
In general this is a pretty hefty update, and it might make you want to download Word Flow for iOS. If so, you can head to the App Store to get it for yourself.
