How to train your autocorrect to actually work

April 18, 2024

By Kim Komando

I bet you’re frustrated with how often autocorrect is auto-wrong. That’s why I wanted to walk you through a few steps to make yours work more accurately.

Even with some new AI features in the latest updates, autocorrect is still “ducking” annoying. Let’s fix that together.

Go cold turkey

Yes, you can just turn it off — no more bad guesses or awkward corrections. Just type what you mean letter by letter, like in the early days. (Note: Depending on your Android make, model and OS, your steps may vary. There are just too many variations for me to cover all of them.)

• On iOS: Tap Settings > General > Keyboard, then toggle Auto-Correction to Off. Follow the same steps to turn it back on later if you need it.
• On Android: Go to Settings > System > Languages and input > On-screen keyboard > Gboard >Text correction. Here, you can turn off Auto-correction and Show suggestion strip, which displays predictive text.

Team Apple: In iOS, misspellings are underlined. To turn it off, head to Settings > General > Keyboard again and turn off Check Spelling.

Team Android: Under your keyboard settings, flip the switches next to “Predictive Text” and “Show Predictions Inline.”

Add your own slang

If you’re feeling ambitious, program your phone to replace a phrase with your shorthand. Think turning “brt” into “be right there” or “1234” into “Four Score and Seven Years Ago.” Pretty slick!

• On iOS: Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement > Tap the + (plus sign), then add your word or phrase to the Phrase field (i.e., “On my way”). In the Shortcut field, type your slang of choice (i.e., “OMW”).
• On Android: Goto Settings > System > Languages and input > On-screen keyboard > Gboard > Dictionary > Personal dictionary > English and then tap the + (plus sign) in the top right to add a custom word. Put your own slang in the Shortcut box to trigger that word.

Pro tip: In iOS and Android, if you leave the Shortcut field blank, autocorrect will stop bugging you with alternate spellings.

Those are the big ones, but I’ve got a few extra tips for iOS and Android.

🤭 I used to be a programmer for autocorrect. They fried me for no raisin.