3 ms·

They have some nasty "dynamic tap zones" algorithm that dynamically resizes the hitbox for keys based on what it predicts you will type in order to reduce miss-

They have some nasty "dynamic tap zones" algorithm that dynamically resizes the hitbox for keys based on what it predicts you will type in order to reduce miss-taps. Anecdotally, it has just steadily been getting worse with every update. I swear I can be pressing the center of a key and it will select the next one over and immediately autocorrect to a completely different word than what I typed. I had the pleasure of typing something on an Android the other day and it was such a breath of fresh air when it actually accepted the keys I was pressing...

GreekPete 12d ago
Ah, so that’s why that happens? I was gaslighting myself.
- laweijfmvo 12d ago
  someone posted high speed videos a few months ago where the keyboard will popup the key you thought you pressed (therefore did press, as far as the UI is concerned) but iOS will insert a different character anyway.
  - teekert 12d ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45662685 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45662685
  - robocat 12d ago
    Some of those videos are misleading. They sometimes slide a finger off one key onto another: taps need to not move. Personally, I use the slyde to type rather than tapping to type and have gboard installed for when slyde doesn't work (I think the Apple algos are not quite as good as Google's).
- lynndotpy 12d ago
  Yep; this has been the case since the very first iPhone, it can't be disabled, and there is no feedback it happens other than the typos. It is very crazy making and mind boggling.
  - NetMageSCW 11d ago
    Except on the first iPhone it actually seemed to work.
- butlike 12d ago
  Same. Glad to know I'm not alone
rayiner 12d ago
What's hilarious is that typing was nearly perfect on my 3gs (with "iPhone OS 3"--back before it was even "iOS").
- HumblyTossed 12d ago
  Yes, it was a solved problem. Then they had to figure out how to utilize the ML features of their chips... and fucked it all up.
- meindnoch 12d ago
  That's because it used to be a simple Markov model back then. Today's implementation is using more advanced ML techniques ;)
  - kyleee 12d ago
    Compliments of product managers, engineers, etc making millions and millions of dollars to produce a much worse end user experience, if it wasn’t painful enough
  - PlunderBunny 11d ago
    Sounds like a third-party keyboard opportunity: “Just like the standard Apple keyboard but not ML”.
- pesus 12d ago
  It's been getting noticeably worse with every update. iOS 26 was a significant step down from whatever version was before that.
kayodelycaon 12d ago
Oh wonderful. That’s what’s happening to me. I’m an author and Apple‘s dictionary appears to be missing about half the more uncommon words in the English language. It’ll never recognize “prescient” in dictation for example. Some words it marks in red because it thinks it’s a spelling error. I know it’s not because I’ve used it, read it, and it’s in online dictionaries. At least I’m macOS I can use Talon instead of the system dictation.
HumblyTossed 12d ago
In addition to this, there is a delay in the suggested word such that when you see the options above the keyboard, decide you see the word you want, stop typing and move to select it, it changes right as you land your finger.
- laserlight 12d ago
  That drives me crazy. What's crazier happens when the suggested word is the one you are going to type. You hit the next letter in the word, recognize that it has already been suggested, yet right after you hit the letter, it decides to suggest another word.
- quasarj 12d ago
  OMG you're giving me PTSD just reading about it. It happens every single time!!!
  - HumblyTossed 10d ago
    I'm terribly sorry, but I had to post that to make sure it's not just ME!
- megablast 12d ago
  This happens everywhere. On menu items to. You would think they would invalidate a click id the item changes in the last 0.1 seconds. But no.
jhhh 12d ago
Thank you for putting a name to this phenomenon. I hadn't gone through my yearly attempt to figure out why iOS was terrible for text entry. I figured since I only have an iPad and not an iPhone, and infrequently type in it, that it just hadn't learned my habits or words. It's incredible that they've developed these kinds of algorithms that have made every facet of text entry from speech to text to spell checking to typing itself such a miserable experience.
bmurphy1976 12d ago
Interesting. Because I have a much harder time typing on my Pixel. In fact, I hate it. I wish I had a blackberry. When I use iOS devices, it feels better but I don't use them enough to have used them in anger. Ok, well, yes they have made me angry but for other reasons than the keyboard hence why I'm on Android lol.
- wffurr 11d ago
  I used a Clicks keyboard with a folded Moto Razr for a while and it was Blackberry-esque. The keyboard is a little narrow compared to the Blackberries of yore, though. I'm somewhat hopeful about the Clicks Communicator which is wider, but sadly still only a four row keyboard. http://clicks.tech/ http://clicks.tech/ To be clear, I only kind of recommend the keyboard. I stopped using mine after a while because of how awkward it was with the Razr unfolded and never actually found it faster or more accurate than the on screen keyboard.
pier25 11d ago
JFC I hate this so much. Why can't they simply add a setting to disable this.
techpression 11d ago
This explains so much... Never knew, just constantly gets frustrated because even if my thumbs are big, no way I press wrong that often...
Melatonic 11d ago
If you turn off swipe or whatever the hell they call it the keyboard is a lot better. Gboard on Android though is way better
ngcazz 11d ago
I had a second gen iPod Touch and from what I can remember the keyboard experience was vastly superior than the iPhone now
- Macha 11d ago
  Yeah, I’m not a dedicated iPhone user and my personal phones are androids so my iOS experience has been iPod Touch 2G -> employer owned iPhone 8 -> employer owned iPhone XR -> iPad Air M3. Each of those big gaps have seen the UI shift and the keyboard decline.
jwarren 11d ago
Try turning off slide to type. It's under Settings > General > Keyboard. I did it earlier this year. It seems to be much more accurate and confident with which key it thinks I want. I do occasionally miss the sliding but it's worth it overall.

GreekPete 12d ago

Ah, so that’s why that happens? I was gaslighting myself.

laweijfmvo 12d ago
someone posted high speed videos a few months ago where the keyboard will popup the key you thought you pressed (therefore did press, as far as the UI is concerned) but iOS will insert a different character anyway.
- teekert 12d ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45662685 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45662685
- robocat 12d ago
  Some of those videos are misleading. They sometimes slide a finger off one key onto another: taps need to not move. Personally, I use the slyde to type rather than tapping to type and have gboard installed for when slyde doesn't work (I think the Apple algos are not quite as good as Google's).
lynndotpy 12d ago
Yep; this has been the case since the very first iPhone, it can't be disabled, and there is no feedback it happens other than the typos. It is very crazy making and mind boggling.
- NetMageSCW 11d ago
  Except on the first iPhone it actually seemed to work.
butlike 12d ago
Same. Glad to know I'm not alone

rayiner 12d ago

What's hilarious is that typing was nearly perfect on my 3gs (with "iPhone OS 3"--back before it was even "iOS").

HumblyTossed 12d ago
Yes, it was a solved problem. Then they had to figure out how to utilize the ML features of their chips... and fucked it all up.
meindnoch 12d ago
That's because it used to be a simple Markov model back then. Today's implementation is using more advanced ML techniques ;)
- kyleee 12d ago
  Compliments of product managers, engineers, etc making millions and millions of dollars to produce a much worse end user experience, if it wasn’t painful enough
- PlunderBunny 11d ago
  Sounds like a third-party keyboard opportunity: “Just like the standard Apple keyboard but not ML”.
pesus 12d ago
It's been getting noticeably worse with every update. iOS 26 was a significant step down from whatever version was before that.

kayodelycaon 12d ago

Oh wonderful. That’s what’s happening to me. I’m an author and Apple‘s dictionary appears to be missing about half the more uncommon words in the English language. It’ll never recognize “prescient” in dictation for example. Some words it marks in red because it thinks it’s a spelling error. I know it’s not because I’ve used it, read it, and it’s in online dictionaries. At least I’m macOS I can use Talon instead of the system dictation.

HumblyTossed 12d ago

In addition to this, there is a delay in the suggested word such that when you see the options above the keyboard, decide you see the word you want, stop typing and move to select it, it changes right as you land your finger.

laserlight 12d ago
That drives me crazy. What's crazier happens when the suggested word is the one you are going to type. You hit the next letter in the word, recognize that it has already been suggested, yet right after you hit the letter, it decides to suggest another word.
quasarj 12d ago
OMG you're giving me PTSD just reading about it. It happens every single time!!!
- HumblyTossed 10d ago
  I'm terribly sorry, but I had to post that to make sure it's not just ME!
megablast 12d ago
This happens everywhere. On menu items to. You would think they would invalidate a click id the item changes in the last 0.1 seconds. But no.

jhhh 12d ago

Thank you for putting a name to this phenomenon. I hadn't gone through my yearly attempt to figure out why iOS was terrible for text entry. I figured since I only have an iPad and not an iPhone, and infrequently type in it, that it just hadn't learned my habits or words. It's incredible that they've developed these kinds of algorithms that have made every facet of text entry from speech to text to spell checking to typing itself such a miserable experience.

bmurphy1976 12d ago

Interesting. Because I have a much harder time typing on my Pixel. In fact, I hate it. I wish I had a blackberry. When I use iOS devices, it feels better but I don't use them enough to have used them in anger. Ok, well, yes they have made me angry but for other reasons than the keyboard hence why I'm on Android lol.

wffurr 11d ago
I used a Clicks keyboard with a folded Moto Razr for a while and it was Blackberry-esque. The keyboard is a little narrow compared to the Blackberries of yore, though. I'm somewhat hopeful about the Clicks Communicator which is wider, but sadly still only a four row keyboard. http://clicks.tech/ http://clicks.tech/ To be clear, I only kind of recommend the keyboard. I stopped using mine after a while because of how awkward it was with the Razr unfolded and never actually found it faster or more accurate than the on screen keyboard.

pier25 11d ago

JFC I hate this so much. Why can't they simply add a setting to disable this.

techpression 11d ago

This explains so much... Never knew, just constantly gets frustrated because even if my thumbs are big, no way I press wrong that often...

Melatonic 11d ago

If you turn off swipe or whatever the hell they call it the keyboard is a lot better. Gboard on Android though is way better

ngcazz 11d ago

I had a second gen iPod Touch and from what I can remember the keyboard experience was vastly superior than the iPhone now

Macha 11d ago
Yeah, I’m not a dedicated iPhone user and my personal phones are androids so my iOS experience has been iPod Touch 2G -> employer owned iPhone 8 -> employer owned iPhone XR -> iPad Air M3. Each of those big gaps have seen the UI shift and the keyboard decline.

jwarren 11d ago

Try turning off slide to type. It's under Settings > General > Keyboard. I did it earlier this year. It seems to be much more accurate and confident with which key it thinks I want. I do occasionally miss the sliding but it's worth it overall.