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How to Disable or Turn Off the AutoCorrect Feature on the iPhone X

Key takeaways:

  • AutoCorrect can be frustrating when it changes words you don’t want changed
  • You can easily turn off AutoCorrect in the iPhone X’s Settings
  • There are alternative options to AutoCorrect like predictive text and spell check
  • You can reset the keyboard dictionary to erase custom AutoCorrections

What is AutoCorrect and Why Turn it Off?

AutoCorrect is a feature built into the iPhone X’s keyboard that automatically corrects misspelled words as you type. It uses the iPhone’s built-in dictionary to detect misspellings and replace them with the correct word.

While AutoCorrect can be very helpful for quickly fixing typos, it can also be frustrating when it incorrectly changes words you meant to type, especially proper nouns, slang, or technical terms not in its dictionary. Some common AutoCorrect fails include:

  • Changing “well” to “we’ll”
  • Changing “long” to “king”
  • Changing uncommon names to other words
  • Changing abbreviations to full words

If you find AutoCorrect is hindering more than helping your typing, you may want to consider turning the feature off. Luckily, disabling AutoCorrect on the iPhone X is a quick and easy process.

Step-by-Step: How to Turn Off AutoCorrect

To disable AutoCorrect on your iPhone X:

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Tap General
  3. Tap Keyboard
  4. Find the toggle for Auto-Correction and tap it to turn it off (should go from green to gray)

That’s it! AutoCorrect will now be disabled and your typing will no longer be automatically changed. You can turn it back on at any time by following the same steps and tapping the Auto-Correction toggle to the on position.

Alternative Options to AutoCorrect

If you don’t want to completely disable AutoCorrect, there are a few other keyboard settings you can adjust:

Check Spelling

The “Check Spelling” option will underline misspelled words in red as you type, but won’t automatically change them. You can tap on an underlined word to see suggested corrections. To turn this on/off:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard
  2. Tap the toggle for Check Spelling

Predictive Text

Predictive text shows word suggestions above the keyboard as you type, but doesn’t automatically insert them. You can tap a suggestion to insert it. To turn this on/off:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard
  2. Tap the toggle for Predictive

Text Replacement

Text replacement allows you to set up your own custom shortcuts that expand into full words or phrases. For example, you could set “omw” to automatically change to “on my way”. To create a text replacement:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement
  2. Tap the + button
  3. Enter your phrase and shortcut, then tap Save

Resetting the Keyboard Dictionary

Over time, your iPhone X’s keyboard dictionary learns words you commonly type, including misspellings and AutoCorrect changes you’ve undone. If AutoCorrect is changing words based on your past typing, you can reset the keyboard dictionary to erase everything it has learned:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Reset
  2. Tap Reset Keyboard Dictionary
  3. Enter your passcode if prompted, then tap Reset Dictionary to confirm

After resetting, the keyboard will revert to its default dictionary. This can be a good troubleshooting step if AutoCorrect is misbehaving.

Typing Without AutoCorrect

With AutoCorrect disabled, you’ll need to be a bit more careful with your typing, as misspellings won’t be automatically fixed. However, you can still take advantage of other typing aids:

  • Double-check before sending: Take a second to re-read your text before hitting send to catch any typos.
  • Use predictive text: Even with AutoCorrect off, you can use predictive text to quickly insert common words.
  • Create text replacements: Set up shortcuts for words you type often to save time.
  • Enable spell check: Underlined misspelled words can help you spot typos before sending.

With a little practice, you may find typing without AutoCorrect is no problem at all. And if you ever want it back, you can easily re-enable it in Settings.

FAQ

Can I turn off AutoCorrect for just certain apps?

No, the AutoCorrect setting applies to the keyboard across all apps. You can’t disable it for individual apps.

Will turning off AutoCorrect affect my other devices?

No, AutoCorrect is set on a per-device basis. Turning it off on your iPhone X won’t affect your iPad or Mac.

Can I delete individual AutoCorrect entries?

Not directly, but you can reset the keyboard dictionary to erase all learned words, including AutoCorrect entries.

Does AutoCorrect work for multiple languages?

Yes, if you have multiple keyboard languages enabled, AutoCorrect will work in each language using that language’s dictionary. However, it may not work well if you mix languages within the same sentence or document.

Can I turn off AutoCorrect capitalization?

Yes, you can turn off automatic capitalization separately from AutoCorrect. Just go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn off the “Auto-Capitalization” option.

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