• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechApple

Here’s What Microsoft’s iPhone Keyboard Will Look Like

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 26, 2016, 11:05 AM ET
Facebook Said Set to Finish Taking Orders For IPO Tomorrow
The Facebook Inc. logo is seen on the landing page of the company's Apple Inc. iPad application in this arranged photograph in London, U.K., on Monday, May 14, 2012. Facebook Inc. plans to stop taking orders for its initial public offering tomorrow, two days ahead of schedule, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Jason Alden — Bloomberg via Getty Images

It won’t be long before you can choose an entirely different keyboard experience on your iPhone.

The folks over at technology news site The Verge got their hands on an early version of the virtual keyboard Microsoft is developing for Apple’s (AAPL) iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPad, and found an interesting feature: One-handed mode.

Dubbed Word Flow for iOS, the upcoming app will come with the standard features users have already found in Windows 10 Mobile, including a full QWERTY keyboard, emoji support, and more. However, Microsoft’s iOS app also includes a one-handed mode to make it easier for users to type on the screen while they’re on the go.

Want Smarter Apps? Microsoft Has a Toolkit for That

For decades, Microsoft (MSFT) spent its time focusing on delivering software for its own products. However, under Satya Nadella, that changed. The company’s CEO issued a manifesto soon after he took on his new job, saying that Microsoft would be a “mobile-first, cloud-first” company. He has since said repeatedly that he will not lock users into his own company’s platforms and likes the idea of supporting other operating systems. Since then, Microsoft has been delivering a wide range of apps and other products to competing operating systems. The company has also made clear that it doesn’t want to lock anyone into its own Windows 10 or Windows 10 Mobile.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Word Flow for iOS appears to be an extension of that, with Microsoft delivering its own technology to other platforms. The company has similarly offered its popular virtual personal assistant Cortana to Android and iOS. And in some cases, Microsoft has been able to deliver innovations not offered out of the box in Android and iOS.

Sitting above the keys on either side of the word suggestions in Word Flow for iOS are icons that look like half-arches. Upon tapping that button, the virtual keyboard curls around one side of the screen or the other, making it easier to type away with either the left or right thumb. And to make things a bit easier to use, it also features a swiping mode, so rather than requiring users to tap on each button, they can swipe their fingers around buttons type out messages.

For more about iPhones and their popularity, watch:

Microsoft’s app, which is still in development, would be available through Apple’s App Store. Once downloaded, the app would effectively take over for Apple’s built-in virtual keyboard, which lacks some of those extra features, including the one-handed mode and swiping support. Indeed, the virtual keyboard built into Windows 10 Mobile is widely viewed as one of the better options on the market. Bringing it to iOS and Android could change some users’ minds about the virtual keyboards they’ve been using for years by default.

The Verge‘s sources say that Microsoft will launch Word Flow for iOS at some point “in the coming months.” The Android version will launch later this year.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

InvestingStock
There have been head fakes before, but this time may be different as the latest stock rotation out of AI is just getting started, analysts say
By Jason MaDecember 13, 2025
2 hours ago
Politicsdavid sacks
Can there be competency without conflict in Washington?
By Alyson ShontellDecember 13, 2025
2 hours ago
InnovationRobots
Even in Silicon Valley, skepticism looms over robots, while ‘China has certainly a lot more momentum on humanoids’
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressDecember 13, 2025
4 hours ago
Sarandos
Arts & EntertainmentM&A
It’s a sequel, it’s a remake, it’s a reboot: Lawyers grow wistful for old corporate rumbles as Paramount, Netflix fight for Warner
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 13, 2025
8 hours ago
Oracle chairman of the board and chief technology officer Larry Ellison delivers a keynote address during the 2019 Oracle OpenWorld on September 16, 2019 in San Francisco, California.
AIOracle
Oracle’s collapsing stock shows the AI boom is running into two hard limits: physics and debt markets
By Eva RoytburgDecember 13, 2025
9 hours ago
robots
InnovationRobots
‘The question is really just how long it will take’: Over 2,000 gather at Humanoids Summit to meet the robots who may take their jobs someday
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressDecember 12, 2025
23 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
For the first time since Trump’s tariff rollout, import tax revenue has fallen, threatening his lofty plans to slash the $38 trillion national debt
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 12, 2025
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple CEO Tim Cook out-earns the average American’s salary in just 7 hours—to put that into context, he could buy a new $439,000 home in just 2 days
By Emma BurleighDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.