Microsoft's iOS keyboard to feature one-handed mode, coming soon to testers

One week after rumors surfaced claiming Microsoft has plans to bring its Word Flow mobile keyboard app to iOS, a report on Monday now says an early version is already in testing and will bring a special one-handed operating mode to Apple's devices upon release.

Sources familiar with Microsoft's project told The Verge that the iOS version of Word Flow will feature a special one-handed mode that builds on the stock Windows Phone iteration.

Microsoft's keyboard on Windows 10 Mobile also sports an option for one-handing text input, but the iOS iteration is expected to net separate UIs for both right and left handed users. On Windows Phone, the feature appears as a QWERTY keyboard shifted to the right side of the screen. For iOS, the keyboard fans out from the bottom right or left corners of the screen, facilitating ergonomic typing.

Aside from the specialized one-handed input option, Word Flow for iOS is said to come packed with the usual set of features seen on Windows Phone, the report says. For example, users will be presented with word auto-completion recommendations, emoji character input and an intelligent swipe-based typing mode.

Recently, Microsoft has exhibiting a willingness to share exclusive technology across platforms. Alongside cross-platform enhancements for flagship product lines like the Office suite, the software giant has proactively ported other central Windows features to iOS and beyond. For example, the company brought its Cortana voice-recognizing virtual assistant, a value-added Windows Phone feature, to Apple's mobile devices in December.

While Microsoft has yet to set an official release date, The Verge says to expect Word Flow for iOS in the coming months. An Android version is also in the works.