Apple’s autocomplete restrictions include ‘Dictator Trump’ and ‘Sleepy Joe,’ researcher finds

Apple maintains a concealed list of tens of thousands of words and phrases that its iOS keyboard will not suggest or autocomplete, according to researcher Derek Kauffman. The list, which is not a ban, can still be typed manually but will not be recommended in most cases. Kauffman discovered the list in September while observing stuttering when swiping certain phrases.

He found that the list includes vulgar, offensive, drug-related, sexual, violent, and politically charged terms. Examples include "dictator Trump," "sleepy Joe," "right wing conspiracy," "Tibetan independence," and "United Ireland." The researcher estimated that around 100,000 words and phrases are on the list, though he did not disclose the exact number.

Non-English languages also have different flagged words or phrases, such as "Modi braggart" and "Rahul is Pappu" in Hindi, "immigration too high" in French, and "occupied territories" in Hebrew. Kauffman noted that Apple's list is a light-touch form of censorship that can have a significant impact on how users communicate. Apple did not directly comment on Kauffman's findings, stating that iPhone users can always override predictive text suggestions.