Back in 2016 Microsoft bought SwiftKey, but in the years since - despite the popular third party keyboard changing design and increasing its feature set - the giant tech company has resisted rebranding. Until now, it seems. 

Within the recently updated beta version of the SwiftKey keyboard app for Android, there's some subtle hinting at a name change. 

While the Play Store listing keeps the traditional SwitKey Beta labelling, when the app is installed, its label on the home screen or app drawer is 'Microsoft Swiftkey' and then when its thumbnail is viewed in Android's recent apps window, the app naming is 'Microsoft SwiftKey Beta Keyboard'. 

Likewise, 'Microsoft SwiftKey' is on the keyboard's space bar, and it's mentioned within the sidebar/settings menu of the app as well. It's safe to say, these are signals that the rebranding is underway. The change appears to have been first spotted by one of Android Police's readers.

In and around the time Microsoft acquired SwiftKey, the company was on something of a spending spree when it came to popular smartphone apps and services. 

It acquired Sunrise calendar, before adding its features to the Outlook app's calendar and shutting it down, with a similar fate befalling Wunderlist, which is being shutdown this month with Microsoft having taken its best features and adding it to its own To Do app. 

SwiftKey then has been the one that has (mostly) kept its own identity. Or at least, it had until this latest update. 

Thankfully for those who are fans of the app and still use SwiftKey as their primary keyboard, Microsoft doesn't appear to be stripping the app of its parts to then cherry pick the best bits for its own existing services. 

While the rebranding is under way, at least the app appears to have a future. Unlike Sunrise and Wunderlist.