How To

How to Workaround the “i” Autocorrect Bug in iOS 11.1

Are you one of the iPhone or iPad users who are experiencing the iOS 11.1 autocorrect “stranger thing” where you type the lowercase “i” and autocorrect blithely replaces it with an uppercase “A” and a question mark symbol?

Fear not, help is on its way in an upcoming iOS 11 update. Until then, there is a workaround. Apple has posted the following in a new support document:

If you type the letter “i” and it autocorrects to an “A” with a symbol

If you updated your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iOS 11.1 and find that when you type the letter “i” it autocorrects to the letter “A” with a symbol, learn what to do.

Try setting up Text Replacement for the letter “i”

Here’s what you can do to work around the issue until it’s fixed in a future software update:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
  2. Tap .
  3. For Phrase, type an upper-case “I”. For Shortcut, type a lower-case “i.”

The bug is reportedly a combination text rendering and autocorrect input issue, and no one seems to know why some users are affected while others aren’t. Apple is recommending the above workaround until they release the fix in a “future software update.”

9to5Mac reports that workaround fix doesn’t seem to work for all users who are experiencing the issue. Some users report relief by disabling the emoji keyboard, as the bug appears to be somehow related to emojis.

For more tips and tricks that can help you make better use of your Mac, iOS device, Apple Watch, or Apple TV, be sure to visit the “How To” section of our website.

Chris Hauk

Chris is a Senior Editor at Mactrast. He lives somewhere in the deep Southern part of America, and yes, he has to pump in both sunshine and the Internet.