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Apple Launches Beta Version of New Siri Shortcuts App for iOS 12
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That is just one aspect of it — the Sirikit improvements will open things up within the third-party apps. These here are just user-assembled shortcuts layering actions from multiple applications into one command. However, Apple is doing a lot of work within the OS and Siri to make those actions something Siri can understand. Workflow is just the interface to layer the actions.
It’ll depend on HomeKit developers integrating with Shortcuts in iOS 12, but this should at least theoretically be possible through Shortcuts because it has support for scripting based on variables provided to it. (That said, you’d still need to invoke Siri or the shortcut to do it.)
I am so tired of hearing this crap reasoning, I'm not sure who started it and I keep seeing it repeated over and over again... Apple is perfectly capable of developing a competing voice assistant without compromising privacy. There is not one single current feature of any assistant that requires them having your private information and can't be accomplished on device. There is nothing so processing-intensive (besides the voice recognition itself) that it has to be performed or analyzed on their servers so far. Apple simply put the wrong people in charge of Siri and they have seriously dropped the ball.
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Recently, I was on holiday in the UK. Normally, when I get in my car and my iPhone connects to the Bluetooth I get a message on screen saying ‘X minutes to home’ (unless I’m at home already).
On holiday, we rented a flat with it’s own car parking space, and went for several trips using our holiday home as a hub. After a couple of days on holiday, when I got in my car it said ‘ X minutes to address’ where that address was a pretty accurate representation of our holiday home address. I had never told my phone this is where we were staying. The address wasn’t logged against any events. Siri had worked this out itself, on device, after just a handful of events.
I was impressed.
There are lots of things Siri fails at that have nothing to do with privacy. You’re right about the wrong people being in charge of Siri. I wonder why they can’t follow the model they’re now using for maps? From that tech crunch article it sounds like Apple is using data from the hundreds of millions of iOS devices to improve maps. Why can’t they do the same with Siri? My issue with with all the learning happening on device is how does my iPad learn from my iPhone and vice verse? There’s got to be a way for Siri to get smarter from the billions of queries. Unless there is stuff Apple is training Siri to learn server side?
Siri in the cloud shares info among your devices so it learns about you and how you use them. Data from other people's device don't help you like maps would (traffic, for instance). There have been two main drawbacks hamstringing Siri — the first hasn't been addressed (and probably never will be) and that is how Google serves web queries pulled directly out of their search engine. Apple is having to compile its own database of information from many sources and while that is great for many things, it will not be an answer for what Google does as it needs regular updating. Tough to know what that answer would be that wouldn't easily be broken by Google.
The second is where Siri is finally catching up and that is the broader adoption of Siri into third-party apps. The combination of the shortcut API (like skills, that any developer can now add into their app), Siri Suggestions (Siri learning about you and how you use your devices), and the Shortcuts App (giving the user the ability to take the shortcuts devs make for their apps, and stack them into complex commands) automatically opens up Siri's ability to really become a valuable personal assistant. Giving Siri more bulk data doesn't make Siri a better personal assistant — making it better positioned to understand you does, and that comes from being able to get into your apps and understand what you do with them. Apple is constantly improving Siri's ability to understand and act on information, but it doesn't actually have to know the information, just where to get it — and deep connections into user's apps is where to get it.
Your examples are something that should be accomplished via HomeKit automations, not via Siri Shortcuts.
You're getting confused with Skills vs. Workflows. Siri Shortcuts is not about teaching Siri new skills, but about bringing several skills together into a custom workflow designed around your personal needs. So rather than ask Siri to do 10 different things, you say one thing, and the workflow runs, which itself contains the 10 things to do. Make sense now?
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I'm curious why they didn't name it "Automator", like on the Mac. Guess the tie-in to Siri was too important for them. I just hope they don't remove Automator from the Mac in favour of Siri Shortcuts on that platform.
I guess ... however I cannot think of a single thing I do frequently enough to use this. My alarm has been set once 2 years ago and everything else is different every day
I've never used Workflow but I'm thrilled with how 'power user' this is!
Yes, for many users this is too complicated but that's why we also have Siri shortcut suggestions. Siri will make them for you with one tap based on Intents and activities it sees you doing. And then there's the ability to share your creations.
Yes, for many users this is too complicated but that's why we also have Siri shortcut suggestions. Siri will make them for you with one tap based on Intents and activities it sees you doing. And then there's the ability to share your creations.
and if you want Siri to learn something you just install a shortcut. That why there’s a gallery of ones that Apple made or other users.
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Someone getting the gist of it. The potential of this app/feature is far reaching.
I'm a developer and I work with business all the time to create software for them based on their always-evolving needs.
It's not complicated. You're just not getting it. Sounds like a "you" problem.
So is writing code, so I'm guessing users don't use Apps according to you... They'll use premade shortcuts, or those suggested to them by Apple (According to their existing workflow).
The odd thing about this app is that it allows you to choose 'shortcuts' from the Gallery for things that Siri can already do just fine. It's like Apple bought the Workflow app and didn't clean out the cobwebs first. Same goes for all the Siri Shortcut Suggestions I'm seeing on my lock screen - Siri can already do almost all of them without me creating a unique verbal request. Seems pointless.
As for the more complicated, concatenated requests... Siri should be able to do this out-of-the-box without any user setup. I don't think this App is going to be as good as everyone thinks it's going to be. I dunno...
Siri should be able to hear a request like, "How long will it take me to get home and message my wife the ETA" without me having to make a silly Automator Workflow. And, by being able to do this, it's more flexible. Maybe I want to send different people the ETA on different days. Workflow/Shortcuts is too restrictive.
As for the more complicated, concatenated requests... Siri should be able to do this out-of-the-box without any user setup. I don't think this App is going to be as good as everyone thinks it's going to be. I dunno...
Siri should be able to hear a request like, "How long will it take me to get home and message my wife the ETA" without me having to make a silly Automator Workflow. And, by being able to do this, it's more flexible. Maybe I want to send different people the ETA on different days. Workflow/Shortcuts is too restrictive.
Well let’s hope Apple don’t let Siri learn how to send our convos to our contacts like freaking Alexa