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"Hey Siri"

T

Tech198

Cancelled
Original poster
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,152
Hi all, just reading reviews, but what is the major different behind Siri, vs the "Hey Siri" option in iOS8 .. Isn't it the same thing ? Any advantages, since the only disadvantage i can see is it requires plugging into charger to use.

If its the same thing anyway, no additional features, then whats the point in it ?
 
It's for completely hands free operation - if your phone is plugged in you just say "Hey Siri" and it wakes up and accepts commands.
 
ok,, so, its a solution for all those older cars that don't have CarPlay, a standalone solution for anyone running iOS8 to use siri in the car when plugged in via charger as well as normal use ?
 
yeah, that's definitely a valid use for it and I guess any other time it's plugged in (such as if you charge it overnight)
 
Tech198 said:
ok,, so, its a solution for all those older cars that don't have CarPlay, a standalone solution for anyone running iOS8 to use siri in the car when plugged in via charger as well as normal use ?
Click to expand...

Basically. "Hey Siri" is just another way to launch Siri.
 
I always dock my iPhone on my nightstand next to my bed each night to charge it (I use a TwelveSouth HiRise) and "Hey Siri" comes in handy if I ever need to ask Siri something.

If I have my phone plugged in to charge sometimes when watching TV however, sometimes Siri will think I said "Hey Siri" and it will listen for a command. That happened once or twice when I was listing to a podcast as well. Something must have been said that sounded close enough to "Hey Siri". So a few times I have turned it off.
 
darkfiber said:
I always dock my iPhone on my nightstand next to my bed each night to charge it (I use a TwelveSouth HiRise) and "Hey Siri" comes in handy if I ever need to ask Siri something.

If I have my phone plugged in to charge sometimes when watching TV however, sometimes Siri will think I said "Hey Siri" and it will listen for a command. That happened once or twice when I was listing to a podcast as well. Something must have been said that sounded close enough to "Hey Siri". So a few times I have turned it off.
Click to expand...

Lol I got this too. I was on the bed with iphone being charged and my girlfriend just came and said something nonsense but Siri just responded! I didn't know "hey Siri" at the time I thought my girl got some magic that can activate devices lol.
 
haha..... seems Apple should have put some more thought into just 3 syllables.
 
I'm not a keen Siri user, but the Hey Siri feature in the car is genius. Hey Siri, directions to... And boom maps is routing me. Hey Siri, play... And tunes you want to hear play. No hands. No fuss.

Anyone got any other uses for it?
 
Phil A. said:
It's for completely hands free operation - if your phone is plugged in you just say "Hey Siri" and it wakes up and accepts commands.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call it completely hands-free, as Siri frequently responds with web search results.
 
The "Hey Siri" feature is definitely cool, but who charges their phone all the time to ask siri for help that way. I think apple should develop a command that works regardless of charging or not, that would be neat.
 
TheDoubler55 said:
The "Hey Siri" feature is definitely cool, but who charges their phone all the time to ask siri for help that way. I think apple should develop a command that works regardless of charging or not, that would be neat.
Click to expand...

Having to constantly process audio would eat though your battery life. (Unless they stuck in a special low-energy voice processor, as HTC has done with one of their phones)
 
APlotdevice said:
Having to constantly process audio would eat though your battery life. (Unless they stuck in a special low-energy voice processor, as HTC has done with one of their phones)
Click to expand...

Yea I can definitely see it eating through the battery, but im sure that eventually they will come up with something that works like that.
 
It was changed because of the 'raise to listen to audio messages in iMessage' feature. Before you could raise to start up Siri if you wanted, but if they left that option, what would take precedence- listen to messages or start Siri?

I rather like how it's set up now. 99% of the time if I'm in the car, the phone is plugged in anyways. Anywhere else, the phone is either in my hand or close enough I can activate her manually. :)
 
What is the logic ?

If Hey Siri, is just Siri (hands-free, which required a plugged in iPhone (either to car or charger, and microphone is on always), how is that any different to Shazam app and the user switch AUTO on to keep the mic listening?

Both would drain the battery, yet the only difference with Hey Siri, is u need to plug it in.. Apart from that limitation, what other is there ?

I'm just thinking, apart from saving battery by keeping it plugged in, is it just the convenience factor that you know your battery won't die?


i can see why this would be good for driving cos it IS hands-free anyway, and your not likely to do it.

Why would u more likely to plug in a phone just to use this feature ? unless you were plugging it n to charge overnight?
 
The feature is half assed just like most other iOS 8 features. It works nothing like the Moto X for example where it will pick up the command from 10-20 feet away. I'm sitting right next to my phone and I have to scream at it for it to notice the command.
 
Tech198 said:
What is the logic ?

If Hey Siri, is just Siri (hands-free, which required a plugged in iPhone (either to car or charger, and microphone is on always), how is that any different to Shazam app and the user switch AUTO on to keep the mic listening?

Both would drain the battery, yet the only difference with Hey Siri, is u need to plug it in.. Apart from that limitation, what other is there ?

I'm just thinking, apart from saving battery by keeping it plugged in, is it just the convenience factor that you know your battery won't die?


i can see why this would be good for driving cos it IS hands-free anyway, and your not likely to do it.

Why would u more likely to plug in a phone just to use this feature ? unless you were plugging it n to charge overnight?
Click to expand...

What is the logic? Simple...

If the phone is charging, it's likely to not be in your hand. Thus a hands-free way of activating Siri is convenient.

If the phone is in your hand, then you can easily enough hit the home button to wake her up.

That's it. Not terribly complicated and I don't think it's supposed to be more than that.

Having "Hey, Siri" active full-time would certainly impact battery life. The Moto X has special hardware to manage its always-on "OK Google" feature. Some other Android phones listen for "OK Google" when you're sitting idle on the home screen, though that to me never seemed terribly useful -- if the phone is on and idle, it's likely to be in your hand. And that does have a battery impact as well.

And FWIW, I have a new Moto Hint bluetooth earpiece. Touching the Hint will activate Siri, which is also quite convenient.
 
I had the "Hey Siri" functionality turned on for about 10 minutes. Then I got in the car, put on some music and after a few minutes my music muted. It thought something in the music had said "Hey Siri" ... I do not think Bruce Dickinson says that during Number of the Beast, but I may be wrong.

Also, don't talk about Syria, cereal, or the new NPR podcast Serial when within earshot or else Siri will start acting like the elevators in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which are made by... OH MY GOD! The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation!

:eek:
 
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