Q: I cannot delete iPhone keyboard shortcuts.  They keep restoring.

Keyboard Shortcut returning solution

Wow it is insane the amount of people who are having this issue. The reason this error exist because of a corrupt backup/ local keyboard files. Your iPhone has created multiple folders for the keyboard shortcut and iCloud can't delete those and because of this your backups only delete on iPhone and not on iCloud because they are not in the proper folder. IMPORTANT: All your shortcuts are being uploaded to iCloud even the ones you can not delete. Once you attempt to delete them iCloud does delete them (Temporary because your iPhone has a corrupt backup that won't delete it and it just gets restore back)

The solution is very simple.

You could start from a scratch iPhone and lose all your information or you can modify your backup and delete the corrupted files. As I said earlier, your iCloud backup has all your keyboard shortcuts backed up so you won't lose any of them, make sure you do an iCloud backup.

Step one

Backup your iPhone to iTunes.

Step two

You will need a program that can read iTune's backup

Step Three

open the program and select your latest backup from the left hand side of the program

Navigate to

System files > KeyboardDomain

Once inside the Keyboard domain select > Library > Keyboard

Delete "CoreDataUbiquitySupport"

Before you delete it let me explain whats inside. Go ahead and open the coredata folder, there should only be two folders (By Default) in here, but as you can see you have more than two. This is all local and because of that your backups keep coming back because your iPhone keeps reading all the folders when it should only be reading the default one that iCloud gives you.

Step four

Restore your iPhone using iTunes and using this backup. Once your iPhone connects to iCloud it will download your keyboard shortcuts and in the corrupted folder there will only be two folders (Or how many your iCloud reads) making it corrected.

Should anyone have questions or answers please feel free to contact me. This modification is 100% safe as long as you delete what I told you to. Any typos or errors I apologize. I rather fix the issue than waste 1 hour explaining or fixing my typos. I came across this issue on a few iPhones at my company and I had to come up with a solution.

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Chris

<Link Edited By Host>

Absolutely works! For all people here: i do this first on iPhone, then on iPad. After restoring backups, i didn't touch anything yet, i went to keyboard shortcuts on my Mac to delete duplicates, and it changed right across all my devices; now all shortcuts are synchronized in all my devices, no more zombies shortcuts. Thanks a lot!

Can anyone else confirm his method works?

Thanks for going to all that trouble to write the piece, Chris!  If it indeed does work, you're a hero!

And does it survive a reboot and a couple of days use?

I have just downloaded his application he recommends and I will be attempting his fix.

I am a bit weary because the 'chris' signator and the user immediately following him have the same sort of strange English...

I apologize for my bad writing. As I stated I didn't want to spend a lot of time fixing my mistakes and errors because I was at work. The fix will survive a reboot because the iPhone will no longer be confusing itself reading the local shortcuts backups and thus it will automatically download the ones from iCloud. Once you perform another reboot it will load the local ones which are now in sync with iCloud.

I am glad I am able to put this issue to rest for all of you. I have performed this method on four people and they are all happy. Also keep in mind you can do more advance modification to your backups and it is not limited to just this. If anyone is having any sorts of other issues and you are not jailbroken you can solve them via this program. Once again my apologies for the rushed guide and errors.

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Chris

Will this also fix shortcut synching between iPone, iPad and Mac?

Your Mac should be fine, it was never the issue, as for your iPhone and iPad you will have to perform this method on them also as their local's are corrupted as well. It could just be your iPhone and not the iPad or vice versa.

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Chris

Chris,

sso, by erasing this folder within the backup data, you're essentially wiping the shortcuts clean, right?

wpuldnt it re-populate the zombiecuts after it syncs with icloud?

and another question, should sync with iCloud immediatley after restoring the altered backup file?

thanks chris!

I apologize for my bad english too. Chris' method works for me, even performing a reset. I repeat all the steps in both devices; then i finally could delete, add and edit shortcuts without making duplicates and zombie shortcuts. Again thanks Chris.

Every Time your iPhone starts up it syns with iCloud, and that is just the basic sync with things like "notes, reminder, keyboard shortcuts etc

Erasing this folder you are essentially wiping the local shortcuts clean. As I stated in the apparently not so informative, typo guide lol, your iCloud stores them in a different way than your iTunes does, iCloud is keeping all of your shortcuts even the "zombiecuts". But on the "Corrupted" device when you delete them, iCloud doesn't see that. Once you delete the "corrupted files" on your local backup your iPhone won't be reading these anymore and once iCloud syncs with your iDevice you can delete the "Zombiecuts" and iCloud will see it and it will update.

"another question, should sync with iCloud immediatley after restoring the altered backup file?"

We don't support iCloud backups at my company so I haven't tested thus far. My best answer would be as soon as your phone starts up and you check your shortcuts and they are all there, you should perform a iCloud backup and a iTunes.

Very important step that many should do is when you backup to iTunes make sure your apps are backed up and everything is in sync with iTunes. I don't want users complaining that they are missing apps because they never backed them up with iTunes.

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Chris

So, if we have other devices, what of them?

I have an iPad with the Zombiecuts on as well.... What are we to do with other devices when it comes to this hack?

Thanks..

PS: 'Your Company' wouldnt happen to be iCopyBackupBot, that you recommend, would it?? lol

Haha no I only recommend that tool because it kills two stones in one. Basically if you have mac you can use that, or if you have windows. I didn't want to explain how to use two different programs so that helps.

Its hard to say, because if the "zombieshortcut" exist in all devices you should perform it in each. But it could only be one of them causing the issues. Turn one off while you do it on one. Reboot the one you just did it on after all your shortcuts come back and if they work and you can delete and reboot again then you should perform it on your other device just to be safe.

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Chris

okay, trying this all now.

Its taking a while BC I am backing up all my apps to my PC, bc when I restore it I dont want to have to wait for them all to DL from iCloud...

Will report back if this is a fix or not...

Thank you, I hope you select "This helped me" when it indeed does help you. Also a nice review wouldn't hurt .

I want more people to be aware of it. I may even write an official guide with better direction but I don't think that will be necessary.

Thank you Panzershrek and have a good day.

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Chris