Tag: siri
Apple might be changing the ‘Hey Siri’ wake word on your iPhone
Apple reportedly wants to swap the ‘Hey Siri’ trigger phrase for just ‘Siri’
Apple’s looking to change Siri’s trigger phrase from “Hey Siri,” to just “Siri,” according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This means you would just need to say “Siri” followed by a command to activate the smart assistant.
As noted by Gurman, Apple’s been working on this feature for the past several months and is expected to roll it out next year or in 2024. But Apple will have to put in a “significant amount of AI training and underlying engineering work,” to get the feature to function properly, as the smart assistant will need to understand the single wake word in multiple accents and dialects. The current, two-word trigger phrase, “Hey Siri,” increases the chance of Siri picking up on it.
Switching to a single wake word…
Gurman: Apple Working On Revamped Siri Experience That Doesn’t Require ‘Hey Siri’ Trigger Phrase
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple is working on a way for Siri to be able to understand phrases and commands without the need to use the “Hey Siri” trigger phrase but instead simply saying “Siri.” Gurman says the change is expected to roll out sometime next year or in 2024.
The company is working on an initiative to drop the “Hey in the trigger phrase so that a user only needs to say “Siri”—along with a command. While that might seem like a small change, making the switch is a technical challenge that requires a significant amount of AI training and underlying engineering work.
The complexity involves Siri being able to understand the singular phrase “Siri” in multiple different accents and dialects. Having two words—”Hey Siri”—increases the likelihood of the system properly picking up the signal.
Gurman also reports today that Apple is working to further integrate Siri into third-party services and apps to provide more context and assistance to users.
This article, “Gurman: Apple Working On Revamped Siri Experience That Doesn’t Require ‘Hey Siri’ Trigger Phrase” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Mac and iOS security flaw could expose your Siri conversations – but there’s a fix
Apple TV Getting New Siri Voice Recognition Feature With tvOS 16.2
The new feature allows Siri to recognize your voice and switch to your Apple TV user profile, play your music, and provide personalized recommendations for videos, with support for up to six family members, according to Apple. The feature will be available for all users when tvOS 16.2 is released later this year — likely in December.
As noted by Screen Times editor-in-chief Sigmund Judge, it is possible to associate your Siri voice profile from your iPhone or iPad with your Apple TV. Judge shared a preview of the feature on Twitter, but it is not fully functional yet in the beta.
Here’s the setup process on iOS 16.2
Still plenty of questions to be answered. Unfortunately the feature doesn’t seem to be fully functional as of beta 1. pic.twitter.com/e7x80SAb63
— Sigmund Judge (@sigjudge) October 25, 2022
Apple released tvOS 16.1 earlier this week with a new compact Siri interface and added support for “Hey Siri” voice commands via AirPods on the Apple TV.
The Apple TV 4K received a spec bump last week, with new features including an A15 Bionic chip, HDR10+ video support in compatible apps, up to 128GB of storage, a Siri Remote with a USB-C port for charging, a thinner and lighter design without an internal fan, and more. Pricing now starts at a lower $129 to $149 depending on the configuration.
This article, “Apple TV Getting New Siri Voice Recognition Feature With tvOS 16.2” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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New Apple TV No Longer Includes Charging Cable for Siri Remote in Box
The new version of the Siri Remote announced today is equipped with a USB-C port for charging instead of Lightning, but there is no USB-C cable included in the box with the new Apple TV 4K. Apple also no longer includes a charging cable with the Siri Remote when purchased separately for $59 through its online store.
Apple today began selling a one-meter USB-C cable with a woven design for $19.
Apple stopped including a charger with the iPhone 12 and newer and touted the environmental benefits of the decision. However, iPhones still ship with a Lightning to USB-C cable so that the device can at least be charged with a Mac or other device, whereas the Siri Remote now ships without any included charging accessory.
The new Apple TV 4K is available to order beginning today and launches Friday, November 4 in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries. Key new features include the A15 Bionic chip, HDR10+ support, a lower $129 starting price, up to 128GB of storage, a thinner and lighter design without a fan, and the updated Siri Remote.
Update: Apple is still including the cable in Brazil, a country that fined the company for no longer including a charger with iPhones.
(Thanks, Dan Bratt!)
This article, “New Apple TV No Longer Includes Charging Cable for Siri Remote in Box” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Deals: Apple TV HD With New Siri Remote Hits All-Time Low of $79
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As of writing, shipping is delayed on the Apple TV HD, with delivery dates estimated for early November. You can still lock in this all-time low price today ahead of those dates, and Amazon may ship sooner if more stock is made available.
This is a particularly steep discount on the Apple TV HD, and the best price we’ve ever tracked to date. The Apple TV HD lacks support for 4K resolution and other features, which you can read more on in our comparison guide, but it’s still a solid streaming device for those okay with 1080p resolution, especially at this price point.
For the newer models with 4K, the 32GB Apple TV 4K is $109.99 on Amazon, down from $179.00, and the 64GB Apple TV 4K is $129.99, down from $199.00. Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
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Shazam Update Adds Songs Identified by Siri to Music Recognition History in Control Center
Apple added Music Recognition feature to the Control Center back in iOS 14, and there has long been a history of songs identified if you long press on the Shazam Control Center icon. Songs listed here were shown if you used the Control Center button to identify music content, but not if you asked Siri to identify a song.
“Hey Siri, what’s the name of this song?”
Songs you identify using Siri on iOS 16 now sync to your Shazam App library and Music Recognition History View in Control Center.
With the update, the Music Recognition History list and the App Library in Shazam will show songs identified through Siri or through the Music Recognition tool.
Apple purchased Shazam in 2018 for $400 million and has been integrating the service into its devices since then, in addition to adding a number of improvements. Apple last year said that its Music Recognition feature in Control Center had surpassed one billion cumulative recognitions over the course of a year.
This article, “Shazam Update Adds Songs Identified by Siri to Music Recognition History in Control Center” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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The 2021 Apple TV Siri Remote Almost Had a Finger Rest
The finger rest would have been above the Apple logo on the Siri Remote, but Apple eliminated this design element before introducing the accessory. The version that launched has a smooth back with no finger rest cutout at all.
Interesting… 2021 Siri Remote submitted to the FCC had an indent on the back, presumably for resting your finger. Wonder why this didn’t make it to the final model pic.twitter.com/fFnQv85zy6
— Michael Burkhardt (@tme_michael) October 1, 2022
There are also some other small design differences, including a different design for the IR sensor at the top of the remote and some slight changes to the icons on the buttons. It is not clear why Apple decided to eliminate the divot at the back of the remote, but removing it must have been a last minute design decision.
The updated Siri Remote is a marked improvement over the original Siri Remote, featuring a larger aluminum body and a touch-enabled clickpad with gesture support instead of a smooth touch surface. There is a dedicated power button that was a welcome change, as well as a Siri button on the side of the device.
Multiple rumors indicated that Apple could add Find My to the Siri Remote, but that also did not happen and there is no sign that it was an intended feature in the FCC filing.
This article, “The 2021 Apple TV Siri Remote Almost Had a Finger Rest” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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