Apple maintains hidden list of words iPhone keyboard won't suggest
What's the story
A new study has revealed that Apple's iOS maintains a "gray list" of over 4,500 phrases it won't autocomplete. The term is what researcher Derik Kauffman calls a "gray list," who discovered the list while investigating why his phone seemed to avoid certain words and phrases, Reuters reported. The research was done using OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code.
List details
What's the gray list?
The gray list is a compilation of words and phrases that iOS will not suggest in most cases, regardless of how often they're used.
Kauffman noted that if a word or phrase appears on this list, "predictive text never offers a phrase on the list, even when it's the obvious next word."
He termed it a "gray list" instead of a blacklist because while iOS doesn't autocorrect individually typed words, it also doesn't assist in using them.
Company stance
Apple responds to findings
In response to Kauffman's findings, Apple acknowledged that its keyboard is designed to avoid offering potentially inappropriate or offensive suggestions.
However, the tech giant didn't clarify why certain phrases were included in this list.
The company did stress that users have the freedom to type anything they want and can override predictive text suggestions.
List contents
Examples of gray list entries
The gray list features a variety of phrases, from slurs and insults to politically charged terms.
Some examples include "son of a bitch," "Tibetan independence," and "united Ireland."
Interestingly, there are also language-specific entries such as "العدوان الإسرائيلي" (Israeli aggression), "השטחים הכבושים" (the occupied territories), and "台独" (Taiwan independence).
Other examples were politically charged, including "dictator Trump" and "sleepy Joe."
Kauffman found these entries after noticing his swipe-typing would stutter over certain phrases but not others.
Communication influence
Kauffman's thoughts on potential impact
Kauffman said Apple's gray list could subtly shape how people communicate.
He described it as "a very light-touch form of censorship," but emphasized that at Apple's scale, even a light touch can have a significant impact.
This discovery sheds light on how tech companies like Apple balance user experience with the need to avoid offensive or politically charged suggestions.
Kauffman has also published a website itemizing the list of these flagged words and phrases.