Turn off autocorrect deleting entire words when I backspace

You are presumably using a hardware keyboard with your iPad, and not the virtual keyboard.

Historically, there’s been a conflict between backspace (often ^H) and delete going back most of forty years, maybe longer.

Here are the available iPad controls: Type with fewer taps - Apple Support

There is no control for (un)selecting backspace-as-delete, and there probably isn’t iPad handling for ^H, for those that are familiar with that.

At present, pending any potential future changes by Apple, you’ll need to use the hardware keyboard arrow keys where those are available. Or tap and hold the display (the magnifier will open) where you want to make the change. Or the trackpad present with most hardware keyboards. Or you can use the virtual keyboard and press and hold the spacebar to trigger the on-screen virtual trackpad. A hardware keyboard might have a mode to control the key behavior, too; of 0x08 versus 0x07F, in ASCII.

Log some feedback with Apple, as they may or may not read feedback here.

Product Feedback - Apple

PS: see the section “Backspace vs. Delete and ISO Standards” for some related history:

https://lowendmac.com/mail/07/0502.html

For more history:

https://vt100.net

This mess goes back a long way.

PPS: i was peaking around 60 WPM on a manual, well before Mavis Beacon. I don’t miss those keyboards. Or the jammed keys. Or the Liquid Paper.

I don’t know if anyone still needs a solve to this, but I toggled off “Predictive Text” in Settings -> General -> Keyboard. I’ve been testing this solution for a couple of weeks now and I no longer experience the highlight/delete annoyance. Could be a coincidence, could be a solution. Give ‘er a go and see if it works for you too.

I think I just figured it out. Doesn’t seem to be happening any more:

System Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Toggle “Smart Punctuation”

I believe I just figure it out,

if you are using silde-to-type mode,and having delete whole word after backspace once.You can go to the keyboard setting and shut the "Delete Slide-To-Type by Word" function

I’ve been having this exact same issue but it happens on my iPad Air and on my iPhone 14 Plus whether I’m using an external keyboard or not. It only happens on the Pages app or on Word. I haven’t checked if it happens on Google Docs but it’s extremely frustrating and seems to be a new feature because I never remember anything like this happening a month or so ago. It will highlight a whole word and I have to manually click elsewhere on the page or it will delete the whole word or if I continue typing without realizing that it highlighted the word, I’ll type with a word or two missing or a random space between two sentences. It’s very frustrating.

j_domin wrote:

So what happens when the same issue (highlighted word deletes when going back to add/edit punctuation) when using the native virtual keyboard on an iPhone? (I've never had an external keyboard)

That likely depends on whether the keyboard has a backspace key or a delete key or both keys, and on what each of the particular keys sends.

In general, I’d expect the same thing to happen as happens with the virtual (on-screen) keyboard.

I’ll look at the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad later today; when I can next access one.

I don’t have a full Apple Bluetooth keyboard I can borrow and pair, as most of the local keyboards are wired, or in use, or both.

The same thing happens, even moreso with the native Apple keyboard on iPhone or iPad because I make more mistakes typing normally and often need to backspace. I’ve also tried the Apple Keyboard for my iPad and the same thing happens. It only happens in the Pages app.

I just want to add to the dogpile of this irritating feature. I’m also mavis beacon old and I don’t get what’s gained by adding this feature or who asked for it. It’s extremely irritating to be on a roll typing and backspace to fix your error just for the entire word to delete and for it to happen repeatedly is such a waste of time and ****** me off a lot. I need that to not be a thing or at least something we can turn off.

You’re totally right!! We still need a solution. After I made the changes I posted, I wasn’t experiencing that annoyance for two days (must’ve been a coincidence) but last night while I was working it happened a dozen times!! I’m so frustrated! So yes if anyone can figure out the fix we still need it. My bad for posting wrong info.

OK. I did find a solution to the problem of dictation deleting the last word if I hit backspace.

For example, if I’m trying to say the word, “Daniel” the keyboard will deliver the word “Danielle.”

When I try to delete the last couple letters while the microphone is still on, it will delete the entire entire word. If I turn the microphone off, I can then delete one letter at a time.

THE FIX. WHEN I SEE THE PREDICTION COME OUT WRONG, IF I PUSH THE MICROPHONE OFF, I CAN THEN DELETE ONE LETTER AT A TIME.

Now it just capitalized my entire sentence above for no reason.

Thank you so much for this! I have been writing essays and have lost words without even realizing it! Couldn't sort out how to research the iss because I was not sure what that "toggle" was called. Thank you!!!

So what happens when the same issue (highlighted word deletes when going back to add/edit punctuation) when using the native virtual keyboard on an iPhone? (I've never had an external keyboard)

That works. Thank you so much for posting. I was losing my mind.

this didn’t help on mine and im gonna seriously lose it. anyone else have any tips? ipad pro 12.9 with apple magic keyboard. PLS!!

This is not working. I've tried to post here five different times and it keeps saying I'm timed out. I will be switching to Word from Microsoft if they don't resolve this right away.