Gurman: Apple May Announce Drop of 'Hey Siri' Trigger Phrase at WWDC
Apple may announce a major change to Siri that would move away from the "Hey Siri" trigger phrase currently required to invoke the virtual assistant hands-free at next week's WWDC keynote, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In a new tweet, Gurman reiterated that the change to the Siri trigger phrase may be among next week's announcements. In November, Gurman reported that Apple is working on a way for Siri to be able to understand and respond to commands without the need to use "Hey Siri" as a trigger-phrase. Instead, users will simply need to say "Siri."
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.
The change would bring Siri closer to Amazon's voice assistant, which can be triggered simply by beginning a command with "Alexa." At the time, Gurman added that Apple is also working on deeper Siri integrations with third-party apps and services to provide better assistance thanks to additional context.
Gurman initially said that the changes to Siri are expected to roll out sometime in 2023 or 2024, but his latest tweet suggests that it remains a distinct possibility for WWDC next week. Apple's mixed-reality headset is rumored to feature voice controls, so improvements to Siri would likely go hand-in-hand with the announcement of the new device.
Popular Stories
2024 is just a few days away, and there are many iOS 17 and iOS 18 features that are expected to launch throughout the year. Below, we have recapped new iOS features expected in 2024, including Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, AirPlay on hotel room TVs, app sideloading in the EU, next-generation CarPlay, roadside assistance via satellite outside of the U.S., RCS ...
Apple released the first beta of iOS 17.3 earlier this month, and the upcoming software update includes two new features so far. iOS 17.3 will likely be released in January like iOS 16.3 and iOS 15.3 were, but February is also a possibility if testing is prolonged. Below, we provide additional details about the new features in iOS 17.3 so far. Stolen Device Protection Earlier this...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Inverse's Raymond Wong today published an in-depth overview of Apple's increasing push towards high-end gaming on the Mac. The story includes commentary from Apple marketing managers Gordon Keppel and Leland Martin. One of the biggest reasons that gaming has improved on the Mac in recent years is the switch from Intel processors to Apple silicon, resulting in MacBooks providing...
Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are back in some of Apple's retail stores in the United States today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Select stores will have availability today, while all stores will have the Apple Watch models back in stock by December 30. Online sales of the devices are set to resume tomorrow by 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Apple is able to begin selling ...
Apple's iPhones include several headline camera features that are worth using, such as Portrait Mode and Photographic Styles. But if all you want to use is the standard photo mode, there are still several tools and settings that can improve the composition of your pictures and help you capture the perfect shot using more traditional techniques. Whether you are the owner of a new iPhone or a...
The ban on imports of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models has today been temporarily paused, meaning that the devices can now go back on sale for a short while longer in the United States. Apple filed an emergency request to the United States Court of Appeals following President Biden's decision to decline a veto on the sales ban, allowing it to take effect earlier this week. ...
Top Rated Comments
Also please please please can we have different phrases for different devices. So tired of wanting to talk to my HomePod and my phone or Mac then picks it up. So annoying.