Use AI to Supercharge Your Smartphone’s Keyboard

It won’t be long until we see a true AI keyboard: Rather than rely on simple autocorrect features, the AI could offer helpful suggestions as you type, display corrections, present additional context, or change function depending on the message you’re crafting. While that type of smart keyboard isn’t quite here yet, you can harness the power of ChatGPT in any app you type in for free, thanks to Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard.

SwiftKey is now the first major keyboard to support AI directly in-app (or, well, in-keyboard). Microsoft first added its ChatGPT-powered Bing AI to the keyboard earlier this month as part of the SwiftKey beta on Android, but opened up the feature to all users on both iOS and Android on Friday, April 14. With SwiftKey, there’s no need to leave an app to access Bing AI: It’s now available wherever your keyboard is.

How to use SwiftKey’s new AI keyboard

Because SwiftKey uses Bing as its AI source, you’ll need to be an active member in order to take advantage of these AI features. If you aren’t a member yet, you can sign up for Microsoft’s waitlist here. Check out our Bing AI guide to learn more about the feature.

To start, install Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard app on your iPhone or Android device. You can download it for free from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. On iOS, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > SwiftKey > Allow Full Access. Then, go to an app, pull up the keyboard, then hold down on the Globe icon in the bottom left and choose “SwiftKey.”

The method may differ slightly depending on your Android device, but you’ll find the option in the Keyboard settings, usually under “Default Keyboard” or “Current Keyboard.” For example, something like Settings > System settings > Keyboard and input method > Current keyboard, then choose “SwiftKey.”

With SwiftKey pulled up, log into the Microsoft account associated with the Bing AI beta. From here, you’ll find there are three main Bing features built into SwiftKey: Search, Tone, and Chat.

SwiftKey’s AI Search feature

With Search, you can pull up a mini Bing window right in your keyboard, so you don’t need to leave the chat to answer a question. Imagine you wanted to invite your friends to the movies, but you couldn’t remember the name of that new Keanu Reeves action flick. Tap Bing, choose “Search,” then enter something like “new action movie keanu,” and the answer pops right up: John Wick: Chapter 4.

SwiftKey’s AI Tone feature

SwiftKey’s Tone tab is designed to help edit your message to match the tone of the situation. After all, an email to a boss shouldn’t read the same as a text to your college roommate (unless your boss is chill like that). Put your message through the Tone tool, and Bing will spit out four versions of your message: “Professional,” “Casual,” “Polite,” and “Social post.”

I tried the Tone tab out with the following message: “I think I deserve a raise. Can you help me with that?” Bing offered me these four choices:

• Professional: “I believe that I have been performing well and would like to discuss the possibility of a raise with you.”
• Casual: Hey, I think it’s time for me to get a raise. Can you help me out?
• Polite: Excuse me, I was hoping we could discuss the possibility of a raise for me.
• Social post: Deserve a raise! Help me out?

Personally, I’d go with the last one. No hesitation.

SwiftKey’s AI Chat feature

The final feature is Chat, which may prove the most useful in the long run, since it offers easy access to Bing’s impressive AI chat. With it, you can ask Bing anything, then copy the responses to quickly paste them back in the app you were typing in.

It’s especially helpful on Android, since the AI chat appears as an overlay window. On iOS, however, it automatically switches to the SwiftKey app for chat. That’s disappointing, as Search and Tone both work without having to leave the app you’re currently using the keyboard in. But at least it’s enough enough to swipe back to the previous app, or hit the (X) in the top right to go back.