Siri

Siri does more than ever. Even before you ask.

591 'Siri' stories July 2011 - July 2020

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Siri is Apple’s personal assistant technology that debuted in 2011 with the iPhone 4S. Apple purchased Siri in 2010. At the time, it was a dedicated app on the iPhone. When it became built into the iPhone, it could do basic things like play music and make phone calls.

Now, it can do things like integrate with third-party messaging apps. payments, ride-sharing service, calling app, set timers, get directions, add reminders, start TV shows on the Apple TV, make language translations, search for photos, open documents, interact with your smart home though HomeKit, and a lot more.

In iOS 12, it became integrated into more third-party apps through Shortcuts. Companies can build their own interactions for the service to work with.

Compatible Devices

Siri Remote for Apple TV

EU regulators announce probe into voice assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa

Chance Miller Jul 16 2020 - 8:43 am PT

A recent acquisition could help Apple make Siri smarter

EU competition regulators are in the early stages of investigating voice assistants including Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, according to a new report from Reuters. This comes as Apple faces a probe into App Store In-App Purchase rules and Apple Pay in Europe, as well.

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Alexa iPhone app handsfree

Alexa iPhone app can now operate hands-free — with a little help from Siri

Ben Lovejoy Jul 8 2020 - 5:45 am PT

The Alexa iPhone app can now be used completely hands-free — although it does need a little help from Siri to do so…

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All lives matter Siri

Siri

Siri and Google now address ‘all lives matter,’ but Google does a better job

Ben Lovejoy Jun 8 2020 - 5:59 am PT

One of the ways some people dismiss the concerns expressed through the phrase Black Lives Matter is to respond ‘all lives matter.’ Both Siri and Google Assistant now observe that this response misses the point, though Google does a much better job of it …

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Siri

Head-to-head test shows voice dictation on iPhone much slower than Pixel

Ben Lovejoy May 28 2020 - 6:10 am PT

Voice dictation on iPhone and Pixel

A head-to-head test of voice dictation on iPhone and Pixel shows that the Google smartphone is significantly faster than Siri at transcribing the speech into text.

The Pixel kept up with fairly rapid speech, while the iPhone lagged notably behind, as seen in the video below…

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Siri grading whistleblower goes public, says Apple should face consequences

Ben Lovejoy May 20 2020 - 4:10 am PT

Siri grading whistleblower Thomas le Bonniec

The Siri grading whistleblower who revealed that private conversations were overheard by contractors working on improving Apple’s intelligent assistant has today revealed his identity.

He has done so in a letter to the European Union, calling for Apple to face the consequences of its privacy failure …

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Siri sounds more natural in German

Siri

Siri sounds more natural in German, three years after the English upgrade

Ben Lovejoy Apr 29 2020 - 4:01 am PT

Siri sounds more natural in German today, almost three years after the English voices were give the upgrade with the launch of iOS 11 back in 2017 …

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Apple Watch Siri Spotify support

Spotify launches Siri support for Apple Watches running watchOS 6

Michael Potuck Apr 2 2020 - 5:51 am PT

After bringing the long-awaited feature to iOS last fall, Spotify has updated its app today to take advantage of Siri support on Apple Watch in watchOS 6.

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Siri

Siri

You’ll likely see headlines that Siri is racist; the reality is more nuanced

Ben Lovejoy Mar 24 2020 - 5:25 am PT

It’s likely we’re going to see headlines suggesting that Siri is racist, based on the findings of a study by Stanford University. The reality, however, is a little different …

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Neato adds Siri Shortcuts support to its robot vacuum cleaners

Bradley C Mar 23 2020 - 9:00 am PT

Robot vacuum with siri

Earlier this year, I was given an advanced look at beta firmware with the Neato D7. Inside this beta firmware was support for Siri Shortcuts. You might be asking yourself: why do I need a vacuum cleaner with Siri support? Since I’ve never used this robot without Siri support, I’ll explain some of the ways I am using it.
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Apple updates Siri with new CDC questionnaire for queries about coronavirus

Chance Miller Mar 22 2020 - 7:35 am PT

Apple has updated Siri to provide new responses to questions about COVID-19. As first reported by CNBC, the virtual assistant now includes answers from the CDC and other sources when asked about the virus.

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Siri

Apple pushes big Human Interface Guidelines update for developers using SiriKit

Michael Potuck Feb 20 2020 - 10:11 am PT

After Apple launched updated buttons, icons, and more for Sign In with Apple, Apple Health, and Apple Pay for developers last week, the Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) have seen another update with some big changes to the Siri resources of the Developer HIG.

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Siri how to set location-based Reminders iPhone Apple Watch iPad Mac

Siri: How to add location-based Reminders on iPhone, Apple Watch, more

Michael Potuck Jan 29 2020 - 12:01 am PT

Want to become more efficient with Reminders on your Apple devices? Read on for how to use Siri to set location-based Reminders on iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac, and HomePod.

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Macworld speculates that Apple bought Xnor.ai to make Siri smarter

Ben Lovejoy Jan 21 2020 - 4:09 am PT

A recent acquisition could help Apple make Siri smarter

While Xnor.ai was best known for its ability to detect people in smart camera feeds, Macworld suggests that Apple’s main motivation for buying the company may have been to make Siri smarter.

The most obvious reason for Apple’s acquisition of Xnor.ai was to improve people detection in HomeKit Secure Video. But as we noted at the time, the company’s tech has broader applications …

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Reviews
Siri

Review: Ekster smart wallets offer Siri and great storage with sleek designs

Michael Potuck Nov 29 2019 - 4:28 pm PT

Ekster smart Siri wallet review

Ekster wasn’t on my radar until just about a month ago when I got to test out the company’s smart wallets and I’ve found myself very impressed with the design, build quality, and functionality of the offerings. Read on for our full review of Ekster’s smart wallets and what sets them apart from the rest of the market. And, yep, the company is also doing a Black Friday promotion with a 40% off deal.

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How to check timezones iPhone iPad Apple Watch

How to check timezones on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch

Michael Potuck Nov 21 2019 - 12:00 am PT

Want to quickly check what time it is in another city, state, or country? Follow along for how to check different timezones on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch

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Walmart adds integration with Siri as it expands Voice Ordering feature

Chance Miller Nov 12 2019 - 4:08 pm PT

Walmart has announced that it is integrating with Siri on iOS to allow shoppers to easily add items to their cart. The new Voice Order feature allows you interact with Walmart by simply telling Siri to “Add to Walmart.”

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iPhone and HomePod vulnerable to line of sight attacks using lasers

Michael Potuck Nov 4 2019 - 12:45 pm PT

Light commands iPhone HomePod vulnerability

A new laser-based hack discovered for devices with MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) microphones makes iPhone, HomePod, Google Home, Amazon Echo, and more vulnerable to line of sight attacks from up to several hundred feet away.

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Siri
iOS 13

‘Announce Messages with Siri’ feature returns for AirPods owners in iOS 13.2

Benjamin Mayo Oct 2 2019 - 10:57 am PT

Announce Messages with Siri

The ‘Announce Messages with Siri’ feature was originally promised for iOS 13 but was delayed to ‘later this year’ as Apple hurried to ship iOS 13 in time for the iPhone 11 release. It did not make it in iOS 13.1 either, but it has returned in the just-released iOS 13.2 developer beta.

You need to be an iPhone and AirPods user to take advantage of the feature. With the AirPods in your ears, you will be able to listen and respond to incoming text messages. Siri transcribes the message so you can hear the text without looking at your phone or watch. You can then ignore or immediately reply without having to say ‘Hey Siri’.

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Siri
iOS 13

Siri will no longer default to using Apple messaging and phone apps

Ben Lovejoy Oct 2 2019 - 5:14 am PT

Siri won't always use Apple messaging and phone apps

Siri will no longer default to using Apple messaging and phone apps after an iOS update later in the year, revealed the company.

Instead, Siri will intelligently choose the appropriate text or voice messaging app based on your past communication with each contact…

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You will soon be able to ask Siri to play Spotify music on iOS 13, feature currently in beta

Benjamin Mayo Sep 27 2019 - 6:00 am PT

Spotify is currently beta testing integration with the new SiriKit audio APIs introduced in iOS 13. As demonstrated by The Verge’s Tom Warren, the current Spotify beta build lets you ask Siri to play music on Spotify.

This OS-level support has not been possible until iOS 13, a point which Spotify previously brought up to the European Union. It’s nice to see that Spotify is moving relatively quickly to adopt the new functionality.

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Pandora Dark Mode Siri

Pandora Music now works with Dark Mode, Siri on iPhone, HomePod, and CarPlay

Zac Hall Sep 18 2019 - 2:40 am PT

Apple showed up new features coming to CarPlay back at WWDC in June including the ability to control Pandora and Waze with Siri. We’re still awaiting the big iOS 13 update from Waze, but Pandora has just released the new version of its music player for iPhone.

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Nike’s futuristic FitAdapt lacing ‘Adapt Huarache’ shoes are controllable with Siri and Apple Watch

Zac Hall Aug 29 2019 - 7:34 am PT

Nike has unveiled the latest edition of its Huarache sneakers, marking the most futuristic version yet of the shoes the originally debuted in 1991. Nike Adapt Huarache uses the company’s FitAdapt lacing system — this is the future we were promised — only this time there’s a Siri and Apple Watch connection…

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Privacy
Siri

Apple publishes FAQ page addressing Siri privacy and common concerns

Chance Miller Aug 28 2019 - 8:40 am PT

siri privacy

Following the announcement that the Siri grading program will return, Apple today has published a new FAQ document further outlining its privacy policies around Siri. The support document offers more detail on the Siri grading program, as well as other steps Apple is taking to protect user privacy.

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Privacy
Siri

Apple says Siri audio grading program will return later this fall, with privacy-focused policy changes

Benjamin Mayo Aug 28 2019 - 8:05 am PT

How to stop Apple from listening to Siri recordings

Apple today announced that it will be reinstating the Siri audio program later in the year with some new policy changes. Apple apologized for how it previously handled user data.

The company says it will no longer retain audio recordings by default. Users will have to opt in if they want Apple to use voice samples, and Apple will aim to delete any recordings that are inadvertent activations.

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