It’s about time for alternative “default and button mapped” voice assistants, sue em, ready steady go!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Scrapped Plans to Let Users Use Siri to Make Purchases Due to Privacy Concerns
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I often wonder if anyone at Apple really uses Siri much
If so -- do they not notice how pathetic it is?
If so -- do they not notice how pathetic it is?
I wonder if privacy is the reason Apple takes away features too. Siri used to be able to search your photos to identify people and dogs and cats and things etc. That was very helpful to those of us with thousands of pictures. But if memory serves they took that function away sometime last year. I wish they would bring it back. But it probably is about privacy .
Siri needs a exact command to work, if you make a mistake with command string it fails to provide the right response. So if your accustomed to its limitations than your opinion might differ. It can not understand comments outside it’s algorithms.
Last edited:
My experience is mostly positive. But as I’ve mentioned elsewhere I’m really miffed that Apple took away the ability to search my photos. I suppose this is connected with the whole outcry against Apple scanning for child abuse endangerment but it needs to be definitely identified as two different things so Siri can get back to searching photos to help for those of us who have thousands of pictures. I use Siri a lot every day, and as a person of more than a certain age I need it to be able to work well and to do many things. I would love for Siri to be able to search and give the pollen count for my area for example. I would like for a Siri shortcut to be able to be set up to where she automatically comes on and tells me when there is a flood warning or a thunderstorm alert in my area. Things that Siri should be able to do without invoking the dreaded privacy issue, but increase accessibility and helpfulness.
I absolutley and genuinely love the irony in this comment!!! Coming from the Apple Knowledge Navigator.
Yeah, here’s the thing.
When Apple says they’re protecting your privacy, what they really mean is that they don’t want other companies to have access to their ridiculously valuable customer base, unless they’ve paid for it.
The reason that Siri is so restricted is because Apple hasn’t figured out how to charge other companies for access to you.
If Apple can convince every one of its customers to switch on Private Relay, they could name their price for other companies to get user details from it.
I'm fine with this. It would make me nervous if my kids could order stuff off my HomePod. Privacy is a big reason I use Siri and not the competition.
Quite possible.
It's not too laborious clicking "people" on the photos app sidebar though ...
Did find one thing Siri does better than anything else on the Mac though: "hey siri show me all files modified since yesterday"
Then what exactly are the AI's that Apple is putting in, or supposed to be putting in (like for text in photo).
Obligatory Siri bitch:
Today I asked both Siri on HomePod and Google Assistant on the Google Home Mini.
"Hey Siri, do they farm oranges in Mexico"
Approx Reply "Ive found multiple webpages for 'do they farm oranges in Mexico'. I can show you but you have to unlock your iPhone first"
"Hey Google, do they farm oranges in Mexico"
~Proceeds to tell me about orange farming in Mexico~
Today I asked both Siri on HomePod and Google Assistant on the Google Home Mini.
"Hey Siri, do they farm oranges in Mexico"
Approx Reply "Ive found multiple webpages for 'do they farm oranges in Mexico'. I can show you but you have to unlock your iPhone first"
"Hey Google, do they farm oranges in Mexico"
~Proceeds to tell me about orange farming in Mexico~
Yeah it would be stupid to use Siri for anything that requires accuracy or determinism.
This week's cock up:
"Hey Siri, add Flora to the shopping list" (it's margarine for the non UK people)
So I'm in the supermarket and wondering what the hell "Florence the Russian" is which is what it managed to write down.
I'm not sure what the privacy issue is. Siri can already complete personal requests based on your voice on a HomePod. Are we saying it's ok for siri to read my messages out loud through voice authentication but it's not OK for it to make a purchase for me? Both are pretty private tasks.
Siri reads my personal messages out loud to me all the time while i'm cooking. Works fine.
My wife listens better than Siri?♂️…which isn’t saying much for Siri?
Maybe for you -- great!
It's never been even close to good enough for me to use it beyond just "trying it out" here and there.
(a service like this has to be much better, for everyone)
Here is the bottom line.
New features on Siri mean NOTHING until such time as the existing features start working faster and more accurately.
It is beyond me that Apple was one of, if not the first, to make a voice assistant but now badly lags the likes of Amazon and Google and is NOT catching up from what I've seen, only falling further behind.
New features on Siri mean NOTHING until such time as the existing features start working faster and more accurately.
It is beyond me that Apple was one of, if not the first, to make a voice assistant but now badly lags the likes of Amazon and Google and is NOT catching up from what I've seen, only falling further behind.
I definitely prefer the overly cautious approach when it comes to Siri, its features, and privacy compared to other voice assistants. However, it does grow very tiresome seeing Apple continue to insist over the years that their privacy focused approach doesn’t have a negative impact on Siri innovation when it clearly does. Apple, you’ve chosen your approach for a reason. Just own it.
I personally would trade balanced privacy.
Allow me to decide where and what I want. Start with it locked down and let me make the decisions.
@mnsportsgeek
I played with having Siri read my messages, especially through my Air Pods Pro.
However trying to get Siri to execute any of the follow-up options was very hit or miss at best.
After a few frustrating days I gave up.