Η Apple fixed a bug that suggested the Palestinian flag emoji when users searched for the word "Jerusalem" in the emoji keyboard.
On Tuesday, the company effectively addressed the problem encountered in the latest beta version of iOS 17.5, just days after it announced that it was actively working on a fix.
The last update of Apple took place on March 21, but the recent discovery of a bug caused some users on social networks to be upset. In a post on X, which received over 2.3 million views, a User of the iPhone wondered whether Apple was aware of the bug and whether it had introduced it deliberately. Apple responded by saying that the problem was accidental and had not been deliberately built into the keyboard software.
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The user, who indicated that she is Jewish, presented an extensive list of cities whose flags do not appear when searched in the emoji catalogue. It is possible that Apple, through machine learning technology, identified this particular emoji based on an extensive text analysis of millions of users. The history of this particular area is rich and complex, with the territorial claims of the ancient city adding to the complexity of this issue.
In 1967, Israel proceeded to occupy East Jerusalem, expanding its presence to other areas, and then formally annexed this area in order to unify the city as its undivided capital. However, this action has been widely criticised by the international community, which recognises East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory. Despite international objections, Israel continues to regard Jerusalem as its undivided capital.
In 2017, the US government under Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing decades of US policy.The proposal to add a Palestinian flag emoji to the "Jerusalem" search results, especially at a time when Israel is in conflict with Hamas, escalated tensions in an already explosive context of a long-standing dispute.
Source: edition.cnn.com
