Apple Says Coming iPhone Autocorrect Update Will Know You Didn't Mean 'Ducking'

Kike Calvo via AP Images

It's about ducking time.

The upcoming update to Apple's iPhone operating system, iOS 17, will be released later this year with a really ducking important improvement: figuring out that we absoduckinglutley do not mean "ducking."

The update was announced by Apple on Monday, as reported by The Washington Post's Jennifer Hassan, and "was met with a wave of apparent enthusiasm from the public, and calls of ‘duck yeah’ on social media."

@Apple FINALLY fixed a major complaint w #AutoCorrect allowing free speech. Never ducking understood why I couldn't type #duck? Its finally possible for #rap & #hiphop stars to share lyrics! Thank you for fixing the #ducking issue! Great bit calling it out also! #ducking… pic.twitter.com/ZmPvSLlKTB

— Chris Avants (@RockstarWifi) June 5, 2023

Autocorrect's predilection for suggesting one of the brethren of Daffy and Donald instead of the off-color term for fornication has spawned countless memes over the years, and the change isn't just a targeted software tweak but of an overall effort to provide "big updates to the intelligence" of the Apple device keyboard, according to Apple software chief Craig Federighi.

In Apple's announcement of the coming update, Federighi said the updated iPhone software would use the technology behind ChatGPT to make better and more personalized suggestions as users type on their phones’ keyboards or use the voice dictation feature.

"In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too," he said.

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Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe.