Autocorrect may have been created to avoid spelling mishaps, but the function has also gained notoriety for facilitating embarrassing mistakes. For those who have had one too many autocorrect-related humiliations, Apple’s new concept might be able to help.
According to a recently published patent application from the company, Apple is toying with the idea of alerting individuals in a conversation when a word has been corrected. By creating a visual difference in words that have been autocorrected, the recipient can know when something was sent by mistake and the sender can potentially save face.
“An entered character string, which is part of a draft electronic message, is received,” reads Apple’s abstract. “The draft electronic message is modified by replacing the entered character string with a replacement character string. The modified electronic message is sent, and a transcript comprising the modified electronic message is displayed. The replacement character string is visually distinguished within the transcript from one or more other character strings in the transcript.”
The patent shows several different ideas for how Apple can implement this feature, reports Apple Insider. One idea is an “Accept Changes” button that lets the sender approve of an autocorrected message before they send it. Another idea shows a “Request Clarification” button that allows the recipient to convey when they’re confused by a given message. Alternatively, another idea is for the phone to offer suggestions when a message doesn’t make sense.
The U.S. Patent Application credits Christopher J. Hynes for the invention.
