Oh duck: Apple finally improves autocorrect feature to include common swear word

Apple has finally unveiled a new improvement to its autocorrect feature, much to the enjoyment of expletive lovers.

On Monday (6 June), the tech company announced a number of software updates will soon be available to iPhone users as part of Apple’s new iOS 17 operating system. While speaking at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in California, senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi shared that Apple will also upgrade the autocorrect feature that annoyingly changes one of the most common swear words to “ducking”.

“In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too,” he said.

The upgraded autocorrect feature will be assisted by artificial intelligence (AI). According to TechCrunch, the “Transformer” AI model will accurately predict the next words and phrases iPhone users might send. Over time, the new autocorrect feature will learn to predict words that are used most frequently, including swear words.

The autocorrect change is expected to drop alongside Apple’s new iOS 17, which is expected to be available as a public beta in July and a general release to come out in September.

Autocorrect has been a longstanding feature of Apple products, automatically substituting corrections for mistakes in spelling or grammar. But the “ducking” substitution has long been a source of annoyance for those who’ve had to rewrite texts, particularly when they may already be wanting to express a degree of frustration.

The autocorrect feature wasn’t the only upgrade Apple announced at its WWDC event on Monday. In iOS 17, iPhones will also come with new mental health features, in the form of a journal and mood tracking tools that will integrate with the Health app.

The Sensitive Content Warning feature will warn adult users about nude photos and videos with a pop-up asking if they want to see the content, and the new “Check In” lets users tell friends or family members they’ve reached their destination safely.

Perhaps the biggest announcement was the company’s new $3,499 (£2,800) Vision Pro headset, which combines virtual reality and augmented reality using its own software – VisionOS.

The new virtual reality headset will allow people to see apps projected on top of the room around them, allowing apps to be “freed from the confines of a display”. The headset is made with glass on the front and inside, as well as an aluminium frame and a soft band that wraps around the head.

Vision Pro users will be able to sit in their living room, for example, and see their apps projected in front of them, on top of their coffee table, or while doing the dishes.

The Apple Vision Pro headset won’t be available to purchase until early 2024.