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.
iOS 14.3 Lets Siri Replicate Sounds Like Lion Roaring
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
ah, the sounds of animals that humans make go extinct, so nice! 30 years later it will be "Siri, what does a human sound like?" but there will be nobody there anymore to ask Siri.. 😢 #vegan2020
Just to clarify for those who may not know, Google (at least first-party Google products like Nest) work exactly like Siri on the HomePod/Mini. The microphone is on but only listens for the activation phrase ("OK, Google" or "Hey, Google"); when that phrase is locally identified as having been spoken, the device listens then transmits the recording across the Internet. Until that activation phrase is locally identified as having been spoken, nothing is transmitted across the Internet. This is how Apple has designed their devices with "Hey, Siri".
So Google smart speakers are pretty much just as "private" as Apple's from an eavesdropping perspective. Google does keep a record of the requests (as does Apple) and you can configure your account to delete the activity after a period of time (shortest is 3 months but you can manually delete everything at any time). This really isn't that different than how Apple runs Siri.
Alexa, I cannot speak to how that works.
Edit: On my Google Nest Mini devices, there's also a physical mute switch on the back that allows one to disable the microphone entirely.
Edit 2: Based on this Apple support article the Siri requests are not directly associated with your Apple ID; however, it's pretty clear from that document that some requests could easily identify the user given the amount and type of data Apple says might be included in the request. After reading that article it doesn't appear it makes much of a difference that the request is associated with a random device ID since once that ID is removed all the request data is still there and retained for two years (i.e. it's the request data that would reveal who the user is depending on the user's inquiry).
Last edited:
That’s about right - Siri has the intelligence of a 3 year old. Seriously Apple, is this where Siri’s focus should be given she’s dumb as a sack of hammers?
Yeah, really. I've long given up on Siri. The thing is absolutely useless. It got to a point where the only thing I would use it for was to message my spouse. Even that took longer than my actually typing the message by hand because I often had to re-speak words or re-state to whom the message should be sent. (These days, I don't even turn it on. It's stays disabled because I activated it by accident too many times.)
Can we maybe focus on improving her ability to do literally anything else? She has barely had a real upgrade in years. Can barely make a fkn shopping list but ya mate, let's get her to roar for some toddlers.
So is there a difference between playing a sound and replicating a sound? just weird word choice.
Supporting multiple languages at once would be a much better use of developer time than replicating animal cries. It’s ridiculous that Siri can’t tell if I’m speaking English or another language, or to read a message in a certain language with the right (supported) language. Similarly, it’s silly that when I’m abroad and use maps for directions the road names are read with the system language rather than the language they’re written in.
I try Siri about once a quarter to see if it's something I should get in the habit of using. My most recent interaction with Siri:
I say: "Hey Siri, call Lauren Wilson." (someone I talk to nearly every day)
Siri transcribes: "Hey Siri, call Lauren Wilson."
Siri responds: "I don't have a number for Lauren Flowers. Who would you like me to call?"
So yeah, I'm stoked they're working on broadening their animal sound selection.
I say: "Hey Siri, call Lauren Wilson." (someone I talk to nearly every day)
Siri transcribes: "Hey Siri, call Lauren Wilson."
Siri responds: "I don't have a number for Lauren Flowers. Who would you like me to call?"
So yeah, I'm stoked they're working on broadening their animal sound selection.
“I found this on the web for Foreign Pilsner”...
Good point. The innovation we were waiting for but, c'mon. After the animation of album art in Apple Music, another sign that Apple is not focused anymore on the real needs of customers. An example? Alexa recognizes all the music I'm asking. Even the mixed language queries are solved like a charm. Siri? Siri? Siriii!
That could keep a toddler entertained for hours. The the AI would learn stuff and get more advanced.
Second thought don’t let AIs learn form toddlers
While you are correct that they need to fix those bugs, they will not be fixed by the Siri team. The Siri team only works on things related to..wait for it..Siri.
This has not been my experience. I find that they all have their flaws. Eventually, we'll be saying, "Siri's skin doesn't feel as realistic as Alexa's, but Alexa's hair is a lot less realistic"