When some people type “Jerusalem,” the iPhone suggests the Palestinian flag. Apple is working on a fix

CNN
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Apple is working on a fix for a bug in its latest iOS software that suggested the Palestinian flag emoji when some users searched for the word “Jerusalem” on the emoji keyboard.

The company told CNN it is aware of the keyboard’s predictive emoji bug and is working on a fix that will be available in the next iOS update.

Apple’s latest software, iOS 17.4.1, was introduced on March 21st, but a bug was recently discovered. upset some users on social media. In X’s post, which has been viewed more than 2.3 million times, one iPhone user questioned whether Apple was aware of the error and whether it was intentional. Apple said the issue was a mistake and was not intentionally built into the keyboard.

But the user, who said he was Jewish, provided a long list of other cities whose flags did not appear when he typed them into the emoji search box.

Apple’s machine learning technology may have determined the suggested emojis based on analysis of text from millions of users. Apple did not provide details about the cause.

The company did not say when the next update will be available.

The region’s history is complex, as are its territorial claims in ancient cities. In 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem along with other territories and later annexed it as part of Jerusalem in order to unify it as its capital, although much of the international community recognizes East Jerusalem as Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. . Israel, on the other hand, considers Jerusalem its undivided capital. In 2017, the administration of US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing decades of US foreign policy.

So suggesting the Palestinian flag emoji in a search query for “Jerusalem” could heighten tensions in the long-running conflict, especially when Israel is at war with Hamas.