Textually challenged start petition to disable iPhone auto-correction feature

iPhone
Share

iphone_autocorrection.jpg

It seems that some of the Apple faithful are having a bit of trouble with their iPhones. Now that it’s available in so many new countries, English isn’t the only language its users are choosing to text and type in. However, the iPhone’s auto-correction feature — which pops up helpful words when a user’s chubby fingers don’t quite hit the right letters on the virtual keyboard – isn’t multilingual.

The same problem is happening when users try to use “txt spk” in text messages. It seems Apple would like us all to send well-composed, correctly spelt SMSs rather than persisting in the popular practices of dropping vowels and substituting consonants.

The problem has got so bad that someone has started an online petition to get Apple to add the option to switch auto-correction off.

It reads:

iPhone autocorrection petition

Hi Steve Jobs. We now updated to the new iPhone Firmware 2.1 and it definitely made things go much smoother! But we all still miss one feature: We’d like to be able to disable the annoying autocorrection! At the time it is really not Apple-like. Please let your developers make a simple switch button to turn autocorrection off (they probably will do that in 20 seconds, right?). Thank you very much!”

At time of writing, there are just over 12 days left to sign, with over 11,000 people already adding their name to the cause. Before you ask, there’s even a Facebook group.

Will a owruruib petition work? A similar public outcry is rumoured to have played a part in Canadian mobile operator Rogers’ decision to offer more reasonable tariffs for the iPhone, and of course we all know that a Facebook petition brought back the Wispa bar (right?), so perhaps it has a chance.

Please-Let-Us-Disable-AutoCorrection-Steve.com

Related posts: iPhone App Store growing | EyeCandy iPhone comic book

Andy Merrett
For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv