Image source: Shutterstock
Apple has made many innovations so far in 2022 and they are about to bring another change with Siri function.
The tech giant is reportedly looking to drop the “Hey.”
The report
Apple is reportedly training Siri, its voice assistant, to pick up commands without saying the first half of the phrase “Hey Siri.”
The activation phase usually launches Siri on Apple products such as iPhone, iPad, HomePod, and Apple Watch.
According to Bloomberg, the change could come next year or in 2024.
Read also: Apple iPhone shipment to be impacted by China policy
Changes
Although the update is minor, experts believe that it is a sign that significant changes are coming and that extensive training in artificial intelligence is necessary.
Lian Jye Su, research director at ABI Research, said two trigger words allow the system to recognize requests more accurately.
Switching to using a word would rely on a more advanced AI system.
“During the recognition phase, the system compares the voice command to the user-trained model,” explained Su.
“‘Siri’ is much shorter than ‘Hey Siri,’ giving the system potentially less comparison points and higher error rate in an echo-y, large room and noisy environments.”
The move
Apple’s change would allow them to catch up with Amazon’s “Alexa” prompt, which doesn’t require a first activation word for the voice assistant.
In 2018, Microsoft moved away from “Hey Cortana” so that users only have to say “Cortana” on smart speakers.
However, product requests from Google still require users to use the phrase “OK Google.”
The shift from “Hey Siri” comes at a time when Apple, Amazon and Google are collaborating on the Matter automation standard.
The Matter automation standard allows automation and Internet of Things devices from different vendors to work together.
James Sanders, chief analyst at market research firm CCS Insight, said redoubling efforts to improve Siri functionality is likely Apple’s priority.
Read also: Flash report: Apple forced to start replacing the Lightning connector with USB-C after European Parliament reaches decision
Siri
Apple’s voice assistant was launched over twelve years ago in February 2010.
It started as a standalone iOS app in Apple’s App Store before the tech giant acquired it two months later.
Apple then integrated Siri into the iPhone 4S.
It introduced the ability to say “Hey Siri” without touching the home button in 2014.
Over the years, Siri has grown smarter by integrating third-party developers such as ride-hailing and payment apps.
It also supports follow-up questions, more languages and different access.
Despite improvements, Siri still has issues, such as user misunderstandings and wrong responses.
“While the ‘Hey Siri’ change requires a considerable amount of work, it would be surprising if Apple announced only this change to Siri,” said Sanders.
“Considering the rumored timing, I would anticipate this change to be bundled with other new or improved functionality for Siri, perhaps alongside a new model of HomePod and integrations with other smart home products via Matter, as a reintroduction to Apple’s voice assistant.”
Reference:
