As a long-time iPhone user, I have learned to appreciate the autocorrect feature that aims to fix typos and spelling mistakes as I type. However, sometimes autocorrect changes words I have typed correctly or makes incorrect assumptions about what I meant to type.
If you find yourself frustrated by autocorrect changing words unexpectedly, you may want to disable it on your iPhone. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to turn off autocorrect on your iPhone.
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Why You May Want to Disable Autocorrect
Here are some common reasons you may want to turn off autocorrect on your iPhone:
- Autocorrect changes words you typed correctly. For example, it may change someone’s name or correctly spelled slang words. This can be annoying to fix.
- Autocorrect makes bad corrections. Sometimes autocorrect will change what you typed into something completely different with an unintended meaning.
- You want more control over your typing. By turning off autocorrect, typos will still be underlined so you can choose to fix them manually.
- Autocorrect changes curse words. If you swear in texts, autocorrect will change some words which ruins the emphasis.
If any of these issues resonate with you, disabling autocorrect may provide a better iPhone typing experience.
How to Turn Off Autocorrect on iPhone
Turning off autocorrect only takes a few taps in your Settings app:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone’s home screen
- Scroll down and tap General
- Tap Keyboard
- Under All Keyboards, toggle the switch next to Auto-Correction to the OFF position
And that’s it! Now when you type in any app, autocorrect will no longer automatically change words it thinks are misspelled.
Here are some additional things to know about how autocorrect works when disabled:
- Words that may be misspelled will still be underlined in red. You can tap them to see suggestions or ignore the red underlining.
- Predictive text will still provide suggestions but won’t add them automatically.
- Other keyboard assists like auto-capitalization and period insertion on double spaces still work.
If you change your mind later, you can always re-enable autocorrect by toggling Auto-Correction back ON in Settings.
Customizing Your Autocorrect Behavior
If you don’t want to disable autocorrect completely but want to improve its behavior, there are a few customizations you can make:
Add Words to Your Dictionary
When autocorrect doesn’t recognize a word, it will change it. You can add custom words and names to your keyboard dictionary so autocorrect leaves them alone:
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard
- Tap Text Replacement
- Tap the + icon to add a new replacement
- Type your phrase in Phrase and the shortcut in Shortcut
- Tap Save
Now when you type the shortcut, your phone will replace it with the full phrase without changing it.
Reset Your Keyboard Dictionary
If your autocorrect suggestions seem worse than ever, resetting the keyboard dictionary may help retrain it:
- Go to Settings > General > Reset
- Tap Reset Keyboard Dictionary
This will delete custom words you added and reset autocorrect so it relearns word relationships as you type.
Use a Third-Party Keyboard
If you want smarter autocorrect, consider downloading a third-party iPhone keyboard like SwiftKey or Grammarly. These provide improved autocorrect and text prediction based on context.
Just download the app and enable Full Access for the keyboard when prompted. Then switch keyboards in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
Should You Leave Autocorrect Enabled?
Despite its flaws, autocorrect saves us countless hours fixing typos manually. Apple says iOS 17 will provide improved autocorrect to make this dilemma even smaller.
Here are reasons you may want to keep autocorrect enabled:
- It saves you time fixing typos manually
- New iOS versions improve accuracy over time
- Customizations let you reduce unwanted changes
- It learns words you commonly use like names and slang
- Third-party keyboards provide even better suggestions
In the end it comes down to personal preference. Try tweaking your settings to reduce frustrations. But consider leaving it on to benefit from the time savings on fixing typos.
Frequently Asked Questions About Disabling Autocorrect
Here are answers to some common questions about managing autocorrect on your iPhone:
Does turning off autocorrect affect predictive text?
No, disabling autocorrect does not disable predictive text. Your phone will still provide suggested next words but leaves whether to use them up to you.
Can I disable autocorrect in specific apps?
Unfortunately there is no setting to disable autocorrect for only certain apps. The autocorrect toggle in Settings controls its behavior globally across all apps.
What happens when autocorrect is off?
With autocorrect disabled, misspelled or unrecognized words will still have a red underline to indicate a possible mistake. But your iPhone will no longer automatically change these words without your input.
Will autocorrect still capitalize properly if off?
Yes, other keyboard assists like auto-capitalization of sentences and names will still function with autocorrect disabled. Only automatic spelling changes will stop.
Can I undo autocorrect changes easily?
On iOS 17, autocorrect changes show a blue underline temporarily, letting you tap them to undo the change. However, on earlier versions you must manually retype words that autocorrect changes incorrectly.
Key Takeaways: Managing Your iPhone’s Autocorrect
Here are some key points to help you decide if disabling autocorrect makes sense and customize it to work better:
- Turn off autocorrect in Settings if automatic changes become too frustrating
- Add custom words to your dictionary so they are not changed
- Reset the keyboard dictionary to retrain autocorrect suggestions
- Try third-party keyboards for improved predictions
- Weigh the time savings of fixing typos vs. unwanted changes
- Customize settings instead of outright disabling this useful feature
I hope this guide gives you the knowledge to better manage autocorrect on your iPhone. Proper settings can make it much easier to live with. But if you still find it too troublesome, now you know where to disable this feature.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!
