Apple embroiled in anti-Semitism row after iPhone update shows Palestinian flag emoji when users type 'Jerusalem'
Daily MailApr 11
Apple to Fix Jerusalem-Palestinian Flag Predictive Emoji Bug
The Facts
Apple has blamed a software bug for a Palestinian flag emoji being recommended when some iPhone users type "Jerusalem" in text, adding that the next iOS update will fix the glitch.
The iPhone manufacturer responded after British TV host Rachel Riley took to X (formerly Twitter) to call on the tech giant to explain whether the predictive emoji suggestion was intentional.
The Spin
Narrative A
While emoji flags appear when iPhone users type a country's name, this feature doesn't usually extend to city names. So, when the word Jerusalem prompts a Palestinian flag emoji, it's hard not to see that as another example of antisemitic double standards — especially as emoji defaults in iOS require deliberate human intervention.
Narrative B
The outrage against Apple over the Palestinian flag emoji is nothing but a baseless tempest in a teapot. According to the company's support pages, its automatically generated predictive text features use machine learning and other technologies based on past conversations and visited websites.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2064, according to the Metaculus prediction community.