Your predictions are associated with your Microsoft SwiftKey Account, and go with you when 'Backup & Sync' is enabled.

Note: Your Typing stats don't transfer across devices, so if you've recently installed Microsoft SwiftKey on a new device, you might wrongly assume your predictions have disappeared. 

A good test would be to begin typing an email address (or other such phrase unique to you). If Microsoft SwiftKey is not returning the expected result, this might be cause for further investigation.

In this instance, we recommend trying the following steps in order:

Logout of your Microsoft SwiftKey Account

1. Open Microsoft SwiftKey and select 'Account'
2. Tap 'Account'
3. Choose 'Logout from this device'
4. Restart your device
5. Open Microsoft SwiftKey and log back into your Microsoft SwiftKey Account

Start typing and see if your predictions have been restored.

If you're still having trouble follow the steps below:

Check Backup & Sync

1. Open the SwiftKey App and select 'Account'
2. Tap 'Account'
3. Choose 'Backup & Sync'
4. Check to see when a sync last took place (it should be within the last day). Toggle the button to force a sync.

Start typing and see if your predictions have been restored.

In some situations, you'll find your Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard will revert to the iOS default keyboard. This could happen when:

• Returning to an app after locking the device
• Creating a new message in iMessage
• Switching between apps
• Entering password/credit card information (to ensure your privacy and the protection of your personal information).

There are several things you can do to help keep Microsoft SwiftKey as your default keyboard. 

Move the keyboard to the top of the list

Moving Microsoft SwiftKey in the "Keyboards" area to the top of your enabled Keyboards list will help maintain Microsoft SwiftKey as default. To do this:

1. Enter settings on your device
2. Tap on ‘General’
3. Scroll down to ‘Keyboard’
4. Tap on ‘Keyboards’
5. Tap on 'Edit'
6. Tap and drag 'Microsoft SwiftKey' to the top of the list

Restarting your phone with Microsoft SwiftKey as the running main keyboard

After moving Microsoft SwiftKey to the top of the list and using it in an app, try restarting your phone. This can often help your device remember this new order.

Use the globe key to return back to the Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard

If the keyboard has switched to the Apple or other keyboard, tapping the globe key will allow you to return to using Microsoft SwiftKey.

Sometimes an update will appear to not be progressing, or have started at all.

This is an Apple App Store problem; please try restarting your device in the first instance.

If that doesn't work you can try the procedure recommended below. Note: First of all make sure you've recently carried out a Backup & Sync from the Microsoft SwiftKey 'Account' menu.

1. Open your device Settings
2. Tap 'General'
3. Tap 'iPhone Storage'
4. Find 'Microsoft SwiftKey'. Tap 'Delete App'.

You should now be able to download Microsoft SwiftKey from the App Store again.

There are a few instances where Microsoft SwiftKey will need to be given full access again, even if it had previously been given full access and was working fine.

When this happens, you will see a message above your keyboard telling you that you need to enable full access. You will need to toggle full access off and on to reset this and fix the problem.

To do this, please follow these steps:

1. Go to Apple Settings, and select ‘General’.
2. Tap ‘Keyboard’ and then ‘Keyboards’.
3. Tap ‘Microsoft SwiftKey’, and then toggle the ‘Allow Full Access’ switch.
4. Press ‘Allow’.

Read this article to learn more about why SwiftKey needs Full Access. 

Once you have installed and enabled Microsoft SwiftKey and given it Full Access, you may still need to select Microsoft SwiftKey as your keyboard the next time you type.

If a keyboard other than Microsoft SwiftKey appears, tap the globe icon to the left of the spacebar to navigate through your installed keyboards. Microsoft SwiftKey will remain as the default keyboard until you manually switch to another. 

*Please note that some apps do not support the use of third party keyboards, so if Microsoft SwiftKey is not showing up, this is likely because the app creator or Apple has made requirements to only use the default keyboard on your device.*

Your Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard is compatible with external, physical (Bluetooth) keyboards.

However in order to get the most out of your external keyboard, the following points should be noted:  

1. How to hide the Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard
2. How to change your Language/Layout settings
• Inserting apostrophes and special characters

1 - How to hide the Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard

Your virtual Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard will remain onscreen when a Bluetooth keyboard is connected.

Fortunately it's easy to hide the virtual keyboard - some apps will allow you to use a swipe gesture to close the keyboard. E.g. in the iPhone Messages app swipe down from your messages and into your keyboard area, for Gmail swipe downwards in an email and into your keyboard area.

2 - Language/Layout settings

You will find that Language/Layout settings for your external keyboard live outside of the Microsoft SwiftKey app.

Instead, on your device head to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard  

Check that the keyboard for your region/locale is selected. In most cases it will be set to 'Automatic' by default.

Inserting apostrophes and special characters

By making sure your external keyboard is configured correctly, you shouldn't have any trouble typing special characters or punctuation. 

If you have previously opted-in to personalize your Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard from third party services such as Gmail or Twitter, Microsoft SwiftKey will retain this data and your personalized language model will remain the same.  
 

Your Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard will continue to learn the words and phrases that matter to you as you type. It doesn’t matter what you’re typing; be it a Tweet, a Facebook status, SMS message, or email, Microsoft SwiftKey will continue to learn and personalize your language model appropriately. However, please remember this excludes passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive information. 

There are a number of different reasons why Microsoft SwiftKey might sometimes disappear or not be selectable in your list of keyboards. We'll guide you through the main reasons below. 

1. Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard keeps disappearing
2. 'Null' keyboard error
3. Using Microsoft SwiftKey with Mobile Device Management apps
   

1 - Your Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard keeps disappearing

Sometimes you might find your keyboard disappears while typing, or just doesn't show up at all. This is due to a bug in the platform, causing some apps to “think” that Microsoft SwiftKey is not an option as a keyboard, and will only allow the standard iOS keyboards as options.

To fix these issues, you must manually close the affected app.

To do this:

1. Double tap the home button on your device.
2. Swipe upwards on the app's thumbnail to flick it off the screen.
3. Re-open the affected app.

2 - 'Null' keyboard error message

If you tap the 'Globe' button and see 'Null' next to Microsoft SwiftKey, this indicates your Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard has been disabled.

Restarting your device should enable Microsoft SwiftKey once again.

3 - Using Microsoft SwiftKey with Mobile Device Management apps

Devices with corporate device management apps (MDMs, IT management apps) like MaaS360, AirWatch, Meraki, MobileIron, etc. cause certain native iOS apps to not function with your Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard. Apps which are usually impacted include Messages, Mail, Notes and Safari.

Unfortunately in such cases there is nothing we can do, as by design, MDMs disable third-party keyboards. In these instances we'd recommend taking the issue up with your IT department.