iOS 13 Censors Curse Words: Here's How to Fix That

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

If you’ve updated to iOS 13 or picked up a new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, you’re probably enjoying the perks of the latest software upgrade. Dark mode, a revamped Photo app, and ‘Sign in with Apple’ are some of the awesome features Apple just introduced. But thanks to a swear censor in iOS 13's swipe-to-type keyboard, you can only write about how ducking excited you are about them.

Should you attempt to swipe an expletive, your iPhone will autocorrect it to something more, erm, tasteful. Words like ‘ducking,’ ‘shut,’ and ‘as dole’ replace your beloved swears. See what I mean: 

(Image credit: Future)

Needless to say, this simply won’t do. As someone who has wished for a swipe-to-type on my iPhone since the day I got my first one, I refuse to have one that stifles my choice in vocabulary. And I’m sure I’m not alone.

MORE: iOS 13 Features You'll Want to Try

Luckily there’s a simple way to teach your keyboard your favorite cusses. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Select General, then Keyboard, followed by Text Replacement.

(Image credit: Future)

3. Tap the plus icon (+) in the top right corner. Type —don't swipe — the dirty word you’d like to say in both the phrase and shortcut boxes. Click save. 

(Image credit: Future)

Now your keyboard should stop censoring you. It might take a bit for iOS 13 to recognize the word you’re trying to swipe, but the right phrase should at least show up in the predictive text bar. 

Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She covers smartwatches, TVs and audio devices, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.