Apple's predictive text restrictions include 'Dictator Trump' and 'Sleepy Joe' | Hacker News Reader

Apple's predictive text restrictions include 'Dictator Trump' and 'Sleepy Joe'

reuters.com

36 pointsag89 comments

Related: "I dumped Apple’s word list" 2 days ago, 120 comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50357782

100,000 sounds less like a list of restrictions, and more like training the prediction model based on how often its used

I was going to go into a rant about how this is an unfair restriction of personal freedom, but then I realized Apple would probably get hit with negative press if “Sleepy Joe” popped up on her phone after telling everyone about her baby, sleepy Jeremy. Or vice versa for anything to do with Trump.

It’s not restricting anything except the autocomplete algorithm, which doesn’t offer the phrases as candidates unless you’ve used them at least once in the app. Same thing that autocorrects to “ducking” until you fix it once manually.

Who appointed Apple as a ducking governance body for autocorrect though? It’s supposed to be a good autocorrect, not judge what you’re trying to write or make it harder to write certain things.

Because bluehairs get upset when their phone shows naughty words. Blame Apple if you want, but it's a decision that goes back before smartphones.

Don't worry about it. The iPhone Duo is doubleplusgood!

Call me naive but I see this as the opposite. 1984 would be my phone downloading extreme opinions and suggesting that they be my own.

Maybe this isn’t the right answer, and in general the Apple walled garden is gross. But as an iPhone user this feels to me like my device is acting in my interests.

> He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.

Apple acts in Apple's interests. They want to autocomplete phrases, but they don't want those phrases to cause them PR problems.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com