Apple stops linking woozy face emoji to stammering

26th July 2021

Following a uproar, Apple has stopped auto-suggesting the emoji which was seen to poke fun at people who stammer.

We are pleased to report that Apple has issued an iOS update to remove the link which auto-suggested a 'woozy face' emoji whenever the word stammering was typed (see our article 'Apple Devices Link 'Woozy Face' to Stammering').

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This happened in every language, affecting millions of people across the globe. It was demeaning and unacceptable. The climbdown by Apple has been reported in news outlets in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and more. 

Their lack of an apology, their failure to even respond to our complaint, shows they have a long road ahead to make good on that commitment to the stammering community across the globe."

Jane Powell, STAMMA CEO

The Apple Inclusion & Diversity policy states: 'Across Apple, we've strengthened our long-standing commitment to making our company more inclusive and the world more just. Where every great idea can be heard. And everybody belongs'. Yet they have not issued an apology, nor responded to our correspondence.

Jane Powell, CEO of STAMMA, said, "We are pleased that Apple have stopped the link between the word stammering and the woozy face emoji. Regardless of whether they intended to demean people who stammer, they did. Their lack of an apology, their failure to even respond to our complaint, shows they have a long road ahead to make good on that commitment to the stammering community across the globe."

Thank you to everyone who helped stopped this.

Read all about the Woozy Face story and how we responded to it in our Campaigns section.