iOS 11 Predictive Text Bug Automatically Changes 'I' to 'A[?]' for Some Users [Updated]

Wednesday November 1, 2017 11:32 AM PDT by Juli Clover
A growing number of iOS 11 users have been encountering a strange predictive text bug over the course of the last few days, with the problem outlined on the MacRumors forums.

It seems some users are seeing "A[?]" as the first recommended predictive text word when using the iOS keyboard, and whenever "I" is typed, it autocorrects to A[?].


It's not clear what's causing the bug, but a fair number of MacRumors readers and Twitter users seem to be experiencing the problem. Not everyone is affected, though, and we have been unable to replicate the issue on our own devices.

It may potentially be linked to emoji, as a strange "I" character also appears under the frequently used emoji for some customers who are affected.


The problem seems to be affecting devices running both iOS 11.0.3 and iOS 11.1, and some users are also seeing the odd predictive text show up on Macs, too, as predictive text is available on all devices via iCloud.

Turning off predictive text is a reliable way of putting an end to the issue, as is using a third-party keyboard, but neither of these options are long term solutions for customers who want to use the full-featured built-in keyboard.

Resetting the keyboard dictionary does not appear to fix the issue, nor does a device restart or reset. One MacRumors reader who got in touch with Apple Support about the issue was told that Apple is aware of the problem and working on a fix.

Update: Apple's support staff is recommending customers affected by this bug use text replacement as a temporary workaround.

To do this, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Type in an uppercase "I" for the phrase, and a lowercase "i" as the replacement.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
68 comments


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iPhysicist
7 months ago
A[?] don’t have this bug!
Rating: 34 Votes
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zorinlynx
7 months ago
You should try punching the [?] as there might be a coin or maybe even a 1-Up in it.
Rating: 22 Votes
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DarrenC4
7 months ago
I have the issue on my phone. I added “I” as a keyboard short cut, problem solved for the time being.
Rating: 3 Votes
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marioguarneros
7 months ago
iOS 11 pretty much bricked my iPhone 6 (unresponsive screen), I am waiting for my new iPhone X but I am certainly worried about how the experience will actually be.

I’ve been on iPhones since the 3G, upgraded every year until I stopped on the 6, now going for the X as mentioned, I am genuinely concerned about this operating system release.

I don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories about Apple slowing down devices and all that which makes it worse because I definitely believe this is just poor quality programming or poor quality control.

iPhone and Apple was always about the best experience, not about specs that meant nothing, these days I’m not feeling it.

Let’s hope it was just a bump in the road.

Rooting for you Apple, I don’t want to change ecosystems, plus I believe in perpetuating and honouring Steve Jobs’ legacy with amazing experiences through Apple products.
Rating: 3 Votes
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RuffyYoshi
7 months ago
Seems the quality control team has been fired since Cook took over. At least when it comes to iOS.
Rating: 3 Votes
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budselectjr
7 months ago
This is the current state of the great AI people like Musk are scared of. Haha.
Rating: 2 Votes
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stephen1108
7 months ago
Thanks for making the post guys. The more attention this gets, the better.
Rating: 2 Votes
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AronDraws
7 months ago
Im not kidding you, ever since iOS 11 came out, Siri understands me far less than she did before. I have a lisp, but Siri used to do so well, and understood me. Now, she transcribes text correctly, and then "autocorrects" it to be very wrong. Same for when I type. Stuff autocorrects to incorrect things and i'm often trying 3-4 times to just type a simple sentence because everything gets changed even when I have typed it out correctly.

I absolutely hate iOS 11 and regret updating my devices. I hope this gets fixed soon.
Rating: 2 Votes
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theheadguy
7 months ago

You're making it sound as if iOS is a compete failure. They have the best operating platform of any smart phone. We know it's not perfect and has glitches, it's nothing Apple can't rectify through patches.

Not really. They're just making it seem like the quality control team was fired.

The inability to type "I" for a large number of users is a pretty significant flaw/bug to released in a GM version of an update. That's the main point. We're all already aware that things can be fixed with patches, or, guess what, better quality control in the first place.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Bustycat
7 months ago
A[?] would lA[?]ke to purchase some new A[?]Phone, A[?]Pad and A[?]Mac products wA[?]th the A[?]Cloud and A[?]Books servA[?]ces A[?] the future. A[?] mA[?]ss the A[?]Pod so much.
Rating: 2 Votes
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