Apple’s iOS keyboard is configured to withhold autocomplete and swipe-to-type suggestions for a long roster of insults, slurs and political phrases, according to a list a researcher published online. The restrictions affect iPhone users in the US and elsewhere who rely on the keyboard’s predictive suggestions, though they can still type any of the phrases manually or override what the keyboard proposes.
The researcher, Kauffman, posted the full list, including versions for individual languages. Per Reuters, Kauffman used OpenAI’s Codex and Anthropic’s Claude Code to locate the list “deep in the bowels” of iOS. Kauffman said on his website that the phrases were stored as a hash table, which he converted back into text, and another researcher told Reuters they independently obtained the same list.
Much of the catalog consists of offensive terms, slurs, and material tied to sex and drugs. It also includes political phrases such as “illegal immigrant,” “dictator Trump,” “sleepy Joe,” “covid was a hoax” and “left wing conspiracy,” alongside less charged entries like “Santa isn’t real” and “iMessage isn’t working.”
Kauffman also found inconsistencies in the list, where one phrase is blocked but its counterpart is not. One example he cited blocks “bad girl” while leaving “bad boy” unrestricted.
Apple told Reuters that the keyboard is built to avoid suggesting potentially inappropriate or offensive words, while users remain free to type what they choose or to override predictive text suggestions. The company did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
The disclosure puts a spotlight on how the iPhone keyboard, a default part of iOS used across Apple’s handsets, filters what it offers as suggestions. The banned roster extends beyond vulgarity into political speech and common phrases, a scope that is likely to draw scrutiny from US users and outside researchers examining how automated text suggestions are curated.
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