Researcher decodes hidden list of thousands of phrases the iPhone keyboard won't suggest
The list includes slurs, sex terms and political phrases such as "dictator Trump" and "make America great again." Typing them letter by letter still works.
The iPhone keyboard carries a hidden list of thousands of phrases it will never suggest or let users enter by swiping, according to researcher Derik Kauffman, who decoded the list from the keyboard's own data files. He has published it on his website, Swipeblocked.
How the keyboard uses it
Predictive text, the row of suggested next words above the iPhone keyboard, comes from a language model, software that guesses likely next words. Swipe typing lets users slide a finger across letters instead of tapping. Before offering a word, the keyboard checks whether it would complete a phrase on the list and drops it if so, Kauffman found. When swiping, it may pick an unlikely word instead, or change a word already entered.
In iOS 27.0, the English list blocks 4,525 phrases from suggestions and 2,794 from swiping, he wrote. Apple keeps similar lists for 27 other languages and scripts.
What is on it
Besides slurs, sexual terms and drugs, the English list includes political phrases such as "dictator Trump," "sleepy Joe," "illegal immigrant" and "make America great again," and events such as "school shooting." Some pairs are lopsided: "bad girl" is blocked but "bad boy" is not. The Chinese list blocks phrases such as "Taiwan independence" and the name of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.
Limits
Typing a phrase letter by letter always works, and slightly different wording can get through, Kauffman wrote. The list shows what is blocked but not why, and many entries look machine-made from templates, he said. Apple does not publish the list or say how it is chosen, according to Kauffman, who posted code that lets others repeat his work.