Everyone's saying the same thing about the Trump 'racist' iPhone bug

iPhone 16
(Image credit: Apple)

Google has seen a spike in searches for the word 'racist' over the last twenty-four hours, and it turns out there's a peculiar reason. iPhone users have discovered a 'bug' whereby voice dictation is translating the spoken word 'racist' into the written word 'Trump' – and we're seeing the evidence of users testing it out. Apple has since promised to fix the issue (whilst offering a sort-of-explanation), but the whole affair has raised plenty of eyebrows.

“We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers dictation and we are rolling out a fix,” Apple announced, explaining that "phonetic overlap” between the words 'Trump' and 'racist' was causing the issue. But there's already plenty of speculation over whether this was a bug at all.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

TOPICS
Daniel John
Design Editor

Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.

Read more
The Apple logo on a background of clouds in a blue sky
iPhone and Mac users are upset over Apple's automatic AI photo analysis
Apple Intelligence
Is Apple Intelligence already doomed to irrelevance?
iPhone 17 Pro
Leaked iPhone 17 Pro design raises eyebrows
Images from an AI video showing Donalt Trump rebranding of Gaza
Trump's AI Gaza video is shocking supporters, but his branding is all over it
Apple Intelligence
Apple's U-turn on news alerts shows big tech is the biggest threat to AI
Apple billboard showing a Genmoji of a hot dog with a briefcase
Is Apple really losing its advertising touch?
Latest in Branding
Ford logo in two versions
The Ford logo is suddenly causing major confusion online
iPhone 16
Everyone's saying the same thing about the Trump 'racist' iPhone bug
Duolingo mascot on an orange background
The Duolingo owl is back from the dead – what now?
NASA/Apple/Nike logos with chrome effect
From Apple to Nike, I’m mesmerised by these hypnotising chrome logos
McDonald's billboard
From McDonald's to Kellogg's: Why are so many brands ditching their logo?
man with glasses and a pale shirt on a yellow sofa
"There's incredible typographic variety right now", Charles Nix reflects on type in 2025
Latest in News
Ford logo in two versions
The Ford logo is suddenly causing major confusion online
Still from new Shrek 5 teaser
The new Shrek 5 character design proves DreamWorks has lost its edge
Peppa Pig
3 creative questions Peppa Pig animators face after bombshell pregnancy announcement
James Bond gunbarrel
As a James Bond fan, I'm thrilled Amazon is taking over
The text, 'lowest price' sits next to a press shot of the Samsung Frame TV, all on a yellow background.
This 42% saving on the Samsung Frame TV is staggering
Monster Hunter Wilds; a bearded man eats meat
Monster Hunter Wilds is 'easy' – but why is that a bad thing?