Skip to main content

Apple debuts new iPhone 6s ad featuring hands-free Siri with the Cookie Monster

Screen Shot 2016-03-16 at 23.50.55

Apple has launched yet another iPhone 6s advert, this time featuring a special celebrity guest: the Cookie Monster. In the ad, named Timer, the blue monster uses hands-free Siri on his iPhone 6s to time (you guessed it) the baking of his cookies.

Although hands-free Siri exists on all iPhones, the ability to say ‘Hey Siri’ out loud without having the phone being plugged in to power is exclusive to Apple’s latest handsets: the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Watch the minute-long commercial after the break …

Apple’s last round of adverts focused on 3D Touch and Live Photos. It did run a commercial late last year on hands-free Siri however, swapping the cuteness of a Cookie Monster for a more serious tone highlighting renowned film director Jon Favreau.

In the new ad, Siri is seen to perfectly understand the Cookie’s monster unusual accent, playing music playlists, setting timers and more. A large portion of the ad is dedicated to watching the Cookie Monster mess around with kitchen utensils whilst waiting for the cookies to be ready.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCbWyYr82BM

Seeing as Siri often struggles understanding many foreign accents, it’s a bit hard to believe the Cookie Monster would achieve perfect hit rate … Nevertheless, it’s a fun, light-hearted, commercial that cleverly makes use of a familiar face without falling back to the usual handful of celebrities.

Check the final seconds of the advert for a clever reference to Sesame Street: ‘The number of the day is 6 and the letter is S’.

Here’s a re-upload:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. “The number of the day is 6 and the letter is S”, nice touch.

  2. Marcelo Ávalos - 8 years ago

    Did you notice the small text at the end of the ad? “The number of the day is 6 and the letter is S.”

  3. Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

    That is funny.

  4. Jay Sheu (@JaySheu) - 8 years ago

    It’s funny my iPhone 6s’s Siri just stopped working on any clock related commands. Tried reboot/hard reboot/restore and even the Apple store couldn’t fix it…maybe the cookie monster broke my phone

  5. lkernan - 8 years ago

    If only she could figure out that “play music” does not mean I want Apple radio.
    Instead i need to remember to say, “play my music”

  6. RP - 8 years ago

    Lol. Very cute

  7. ⛷ROW (@skero) - 8 years ago

    Had my iPhone near my iPad when I played this commercial and it set my timer to 14 minutes, so yes, it does understand the Cookie Monsters voice. :)

    • 89p13 - 8 years ago

      Same thing happened to me when I played the commercial on my computer. It was like an echo between my iPhone and my computer! :)

      • michabailey - 8 years ago

        I watched on my phone. A couple seconds in, it stops. I’m trying to figure out what’s happening, and suddenly I see the Siri waves at the bottom. My phone heard the Hey Siri from… itself.

  8. Kenny Herrera - 8 years ago

    Such BullStuff! They can do this on the iPhone 6!

    • Robert Wilson - 8 years ago

      Only if it is plugged in. The 6s don’t need to be plugged in for hey Siri.

    • frikova - 8 years ago

      No. The iPhone 6 doesn’t have hands-free Siri when it’s not charging.

  9. Apparently he wanted freshly baked cookies. Ignore the 2 jars of cookies on the shelf.

    • Isitjustme - 8 years ago

      Detail, details, details……lol

  10. Tweegy Blink - 8 years ago

    I love this

  11. pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

    Why for iphone 6 do you need it plugged in, yet for iphone 6s you dont???
    What is the huge difference between these phones that make it possible on one and not the other…

    Although i really think it needs to be a programmable phrase — Siri isnt necessarily good enough to distinguish between different voices, nor good enough to recognise the correct only “hey siri”… i’ve had it where i am watching TV and randomly my phone speaks to me because it thought i said ‘hey siri’… i even had to turn the function off because if i was using my phone while charging and my friend wanted my attention, they would say ‘hey siri’ which would thus stop me doing what i was doing (highly annoying)

    So…can apple please change this… i should be able to have a unique phrase of my choice…such as “hey siri…are you listening?”

    • The reason the iPhone 6s can do this and the iPhone 6 can’t is because they added a lower power core in the M9 motion co-processor to the 6s and 6s Plus that has the ability to always listen and activate the main processor when a specific trigger phrase is heard and matched. The requirement for a low-power core is why the Motorola Moto X from 2013 had a custom version of the Snapdragon S4 Pro that included similar technology and was the first widely available always listening smartphone which triggered with the “Ok Moto X” trigger phrase.

      On the 6s and later, Siri is voice-trained to only recognize a particular voice, not just the trigger phrase. Since upgrade to the 6s Plus from the 6 Plus, my phone does not respond to “drive-by” trigger phrases.

      As far as features, on Android the trigger phrase can be configured for the Google Now “OK Google” trigger phrase. I hope at some point iOS supports this as well, because my wife and I have anywhere between 2 to 6 iOS devices in a room at a time. And while initially amusing, it can become annoying when you get a chorus of Siri’s answering and talking to one another. In the future it would be great to be able to say “Hey iPhone” or “Hey iPad” and dictate which device you get a response from.

      • pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

        Thank you for that :-)

        and yes – i can imagine walking into a room to communicate with one device but have all of them talk to you would be annoying, but funny at the same time (well, for the first few times at least…lol)

  12. Earl Jacott - 8 years ago

    Nobody thinking about a possible September 6 event?? Which falls on a Tuesday…and as we all know..Apple digs events on Tuesdays

  13. charismatron - 8 years ago

    Best Apple Ad. Ever.

  14. AeronPeryton - 8 years ago

    Will someone identify the song being played? I know I’ve heard it somewhere before.

  15. Holly Steffey - 8 years ago

    The commercial was recorded and on playback on the TV and my 4S started timing Cookie’s cookies!

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.