We reported earlier this week over on our sister site 9to5Google that the extremely popular Swype keyboard was now available for Android users on Google Play. Unfortunately its arrival came after the implementation of the similar Gesture Typing feature that Google introduced in Jelly Bean. While we know Swype owner Nuance has a pretty tight relationship with Apple through its voice recognition technology being used in Siri (although Siri’s co-founder told us Apple could “likely replace Nuance without too much trouble”), a Swype exec has now confirmed the company has had talks with Apple over its revolutionary keyboard tech.
iFans points us to a Reddit AMA with Swype Vice President Aaron Sheedy where the executive confirms discussions with Apple have taken place:
Q: I was curious as to whether you’ve ever had any contact with Apple. Any conversations to see if they might have been interested in licensing your technology?
A: Hah. The million (ok billion) $ questions. Yes, we have chatted with them, they are very smart and nice.
While this is far from confirmation that Swype could wind up in iOS one day, it could be a clue that Apple is at least interested in the technology and looking to make some big improvements to its built-in iOS keyboard. Gesture Typing has been a big hit among many users on the Android platform, and the iOS keyboard is certainly one area where’s Apple’s default, stock experience is starting to feel stale.
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