Apple fixes its 'ducking' autocorrect problem


Our prayers have been answered.
Apple's upcoming iOS 17 iPhone software will include a new tweak that stops the phone's autocorrect function from changing a certain curse word (you know the one) to "ducking," the company announced this week at its Worldwide Developers Conference.
The change is made possible by "a state-of-the-art on-device machine learning language model for word prediction," Apple said, which will learn a user's most-used phrases and preferences and alter its corrections accordingly, per NPR.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too," said Craig Federighi, the company's senior vice president of software engineering. Automatic suggestions "will be based on the words and phrases you use most and it will also apply to voice dictation," added The Washington Post.
Apple also at WWDC unveiled its new $3,500 mixed reality headset and a 15-inch Macbook Air, among other innovations and products.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
The Israeli army's 'tourist hikes' in occupied Golan Heights
Under The Radar 'Provocative' twice-daily tours into territory seized from Syria have quickly sold out
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
The Resistance: Is it finally taking off?
Feature Mass protests erupted across all 50 states during the 'Hands Off!' demonstrations against the Trump administration
By The Week US
-
Loomer: Feeding Trump's paranoia
Feature Trump fires National Security Council officials after the conspiracy theorist attended a meeting in the Oval Office
By The Week US
-
Why won't Apple make iPhones in America?
Today's Big Question Trump offers a reprieve on tariffs, for now
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AI
Feature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
By The Week US
-
Test flight of orbital rocket from Europe explodes
Speed Read Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of the Spectrum orbital rocket, which crashed after takeoff
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Space-age living: The race for robot servants
Feature Meta and Apple compete to bring humanoid robots to market
By The Week US
-
Apple pledges $500B in US spending over 4 years
Speed Read This is a win for Trump, who has pushed to move manufacturing back to the US
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Microsoft unveils quantum computing breakthrough
Speed Read Researchers say this advance could lead to faster and more powerful computers
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
TikTok's fate uncertain as weekend deadline looms
Speed Read The popular app is set to be banned in the U.S. starting Sunday
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Appeals court kills FCC net neutrality rule
Speed Read A U.S. appeals court blocked Biden's effort to restore net-neutrality rules
By Peter Weber, The Week US