iPhone's Latest Update Includes A New Bug That Has Users Unable To Type The Letter "i"

The new iOS operating system updates have met the ire of many users since iOS 11 was first released. Recently iPhone owners were complaining of significant battery depletion thanks to their new update; now it seems the bug lies with the letter “i.”

The system has been auto-correcting the letter to a capital “a” and a boxed-in question mark, though no-one knows why.

The bug is causing the letter “i” to be replaced by an invisible character, called Variation Selector 16. VS-16 is a code often used to merge two characters together into an emoji.

However, in this case, it doesn’t bring about a smiley face or unicorn. Instead, users are shown an offending A and ⍰. Other victims have seen the letter replaced with an exclamation point.

Anyone know how to fix an iPhone that sends symbols instead of the letter “i” when typing? It’s not a keyboard shortcut, I️ checked. See images below. #AskTwitter pic.twitter.com/UkTKG50P8H

— Bijan Peters (@AhBijBijBij) October 31, 2017

iPhone owners on Twitter were frantically trying to figure out why their device was acting up.

.@AppleSupport can you make this stop pic.twitter.com/LPr0iwSrFw

— deco fam supr sprt (@suprsprt) November 5, 2017

"I have a $1,150 [£877] telephone that can't read the letter 'i,'" wrote Mike Murphy, a technology reporter for news website Quartz, on Twitter as reported by the BBC.

So far Apple has offered a fix for the problem on their website, it involves editing the keyboard settings in iOS to manually adjust the character so that an upper or lower case “i” is used every time.

The company also confirmed that the bug would be fixed by the next update.

"For Phrase, type an upper-case 'I,' for Shortcut, type a lower-case ‘i,’” says Apple on their website.

iPhoneX

The problems started cropping up after the much-anticipated iPhoneX was sent out to pre-order recipients and stores on Friday. The phone almost sold out in pre-orders leading up to its release. The new phone, which is pronounced “iPhone ten” features facial recognition, edge-to-edge screen display, and a speedy processor. It also holds the distinction of being Apple’s most expensive phone ever made.

Apple Bugs in History

Probably no bug in Apple’s updating history will top the Apple Maps debacle of 2012. Apple decided to forego adding Google Maps app to their new iPhones and instead wrote their own mapping program.

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But in Apple's Maps whole lakes, train stations, bridges and tourist attractions were missing or mislabeled. Well-known landmarks like the Washington Monument were moved to another location; hospitals appeared where supermarkets now resided. Auckland, New Zealand’s central train station somehow made its way to the middle of the ocean.

It was a mess, and slowly the problem was resolved though it's pretty well known that many Apple users still use their trusty Google Maps.

Here’s to the bug in the next update.

Via: CNN, BBC, Scientific American.