Apple blames bug for iPhone voice-to-text glitch that replaces 'racist' with 'Trump'
Apple says a bug caused its iPhone voice-to-text feature to mistakenly replace the word 'racist' with 'Trump.' Here’s what Apple is saying about the glitch.
Apple is addressing a controversial iPhone voice-to-text glitch that has caught users by surprise. According to reports, some iPhone users noticed that when they dictated the word "racist", Apple's voice-to-text feature mistakenly transcribed it as "Trump".
In response, Apple has acknowledged the issue, attributing it to a software bug rather than an intentional design. The company has assured users that it is working on a fix, though the glitch has already sparked online debate. As speculation grows, here’s what Apple is saying about the unexpected voice-to-text error.
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Social Media backlash fuels controversy
The glitch gained widespread attention after a TikTok user demonstrated the error, prompting a wave of reactions from conservative media personalities, including Infowars host Alex Jones. Some critics accused Apple of political bias, while others saw it as a technical mishap.
Following the viral video, multiple NBC News reporters tested the issue on various iPhones and found that some devices displayed "Trump" before correcting to "racist," while others did not exhibit the glitch at all.
In response to growing speculation, Apple issued a statement confirming the issue:
“We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers Dictation, and we are rolling out a fix today,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Apple explains why the glitch happened
Apple clarified that its voice-to-text feature relies on speech recognition models that sometimes predict words with phonetic similarities before refining them based on context.
Apple says the voice-to-text glitch was not deliberate. Photo: The Wall Street Journal
"Occasionally, the software may temporarily display words that share phonetic overlap until further analysis determines the user’s intended word," Apple explained.
The company emphasized that the error was not deliberate, but rather a bug affecting multiple words containing the letter "r." Apple has since begun rolling out an update to fix the issue across affected devices.
Tech giants repeatedly accused of political bias
Apple’s voice-to-text glitch is the latest in a series of controversies where major tech companies have been accused of political favoritism or censorship.
- Meta Under Fire for Alleged Trump Promotion
Last month, Meta faced backlash after some users reported that they were automatically made to follow Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance's official pages after the presidential transition. Meta defended the move, stating it was part of their standard process during administration changes. - Instagram Search Bias Allegations
Meta also responded to complaints about Instagram seemingly blocking results for the hashtag #Democrat, insisting it was a broader technical issue affecting multiple political terms. - Amazon’s Alexa Sparks Political Debate
In September, Amazon faced criticism when its virtual assistant Alexa provided different responses when asked about Trump versus Kamala Harris. - When asked about Trump, Alexa stated it "does not provide content that promotes a specific political party or candidate."
- When asked about Harris, however, Alexa reportedly provided a detailed list of reasons supporting her candidacy.
These incidents highlight ongoing concerns over potential bias in artificial intelligence and tech algorithms, prompting increased scrutiny of Big Tech’s influence on politics.