Apple users who are tired of that “ducking” autocorrect issue can now rejoice!
The tech company announced Monday at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference that iOS 17 will ensure that autocorrected words are temporarily underlined so users know what has been changed and can quickly change the word back to what they originally meant to type.
“Autocorrect is powered by on-device machine learning and over the years, we’ve continued to advance these models,” said Craig Federighi, the company’s software chief. “The keyboard now leverages a transformer language model, which is state of the art for word prediction, making autocorrect more accurate than ever.”
The autocorrect feature has been the subject of tweets, memes and other social media posts for years, often annoying already irritated people trying to drop a popular expletive by changing the word to “ducking.”
The new operating system comes with Apple Silicon, a series of processors that run as Apple customers use their phones. With Apple Silicon running, the phone can gain a better understanding of what works for each user, Federighi said.
“In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it too,” he said.
The upgraded operating system will be available on a variety of iPhones released over the past few years.
That pesky autocorrect:What the duck! If autocorrect is so smart, why are the corrections so wrong?
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Other new Apple products, features: Vision Pro, 15-inch Airbook, more
Other highlights include a mixed reality headset, which will allow users to watch movies, shows, and games with spatial audio.
Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset is also the company’s first 3D camera.
“Panoramas wrap around you − making you feel like you’re standing right where you took them,” the company said on its website.
A new 15-inch Airbook Pro is also coming to stores soon. The company will still sell the 13-inch model, but said the slightly larger Airbook Pro will be out on June 13.
Apple also announced FaceTime voicemails that can be left as video or audio messages.
Apple lovers can also look forward to live voicemails with the new operating system. If an unknown number calls and you’re not sure whether you should answer, you’ll now get a live transcription while they’re leaving the message.
“If it’s something you want to address right away, you can pick up the call to talk to them right then and there,” Federighi said.
“This is great for calls from friends and family too,” he said. “Imagine you get a phone call while in a meeting and want to know whether it’s something urgent or if it can wait until the meeting is wrapped. You’ll see the voicemail right on your screen so you can decide whether to step out and take the call.”
One feature that may come in handy for those who use their phones a lot is a tool that lets you jump to the most recent message you haven’t seen.
The tool will come in handy for days where activity in that family or friends group chat is at an all time high, said Kimberly Beverett, a senior program manager in internet technologies and user privacy at Apple.
She also said there’s a safety feature users may be excited about called “Check In,” which notifies family or friends when someone has reached a desired location.
“Whether you’re walking home after dark or going for an early morning run, you can start ‘Check In’ with a family member or friend to let them know when you get home safely,” Beverett said. “As soon as you arrive, ‘Check In’ automatically detects that you’re home and lets your friend know.”
If you don’t make it or something goes awry, the device will recognize that you’ve stopped moving to your destination and check in with you, she said.
“If you don’t respond, they can automatically share useful information such as your current location and the route you took,” she said.
Apple’s full announcement is available at www.tinyurl.com/WWDCNews.
