Trying to sext in a hurry? Well, your Android smartphone might not be much help. It turns out that, in the latest version of Google’s popular operating system for mobile devices, the keyboard blocks words like “screwing,” “coitus” and “sex” from autocomplete and swipe-to-type.
You can still type whatever you want, but Android isn’t going to pitch in. Guess you’re just going to have to rely on muscle memory.
That’s according to Wired, which fished a list of filtered vocab out of the source code for KitKat, which is the saccharine name for the newest version of Android. Presumably, Google doesn’t want anything naughty popping up while a kid’s using the phone. The company also screens certain words from autocompleting on its search engine. And they’re not the only sensitive tech giant, either—Apple has a long list of words it won’t autocorrect, including abortion.
But Google seems to have a pretty expansive sense of what could be considered controversial. The 1,400-word-plus list includes some pretty innocuous lady-business terminology:
Taken as a whole, Google’s list suggests not only a surprising discomfort with sexuality, but also reproductive health and undergarments. Words like “panty,” “braless,” “Tampax,” “lactation,” and “preggers” are censored along with sexual health vocabulary like “uterus” and “STI.”
Admittedly, the term “preggers” probably should be stricken from the English language—but only because it’s annoying.
As Wired points out, though, the list is pretty inconsistent. “Morphine” is blocked, but not “marijuana” or “bong.” “Nazi” shows up, but “Klansmen” is off-limits. And some of the entries are just plain mystifying, like “LSAT.” Huh?
Google refused to tell Wired how it compiled the list, and you can always fiddle with your settings to turn off the filter if you absolutely must. One thing’s for sure, though: If your raunchy texts include the word “LSAT,” you should seek help immediately.
From ‘Preggers’ to ‘Pizzle’: Android’s Bizarre List of Banned Words [Wired]
Photo Credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images