iOS 15 to Limit Siri Functionality With Third-Party Apps

[ant the ninja]

Siri is good for two thing, setting the clock or checking the weather. Other than that it’s completely useless. For me anyway, I asked her to play The Rolling Stones and she played Romancing the Stone.

I have to agree here. She is pretty useless especially if your phone is locked. It can’t really do…anything. I find Alexa much smarter and much more accurate. I mean with Alexa, when you ask it a question, she actually answers it with something other than a random item it found on the internet. There really is no comparison, Alexa is light years ahead of Siri. I get the whole privacy concerns blah blah blah, but in terms of actual functionality, Alexa wins.

 

[MrDerby01]

None of this comes at a surprise. Apple developed a very much closed echo system that does not favor competition at all. Luckily everyone has been starting to see through their smoke and mirrors and trying to do something about that now with their monopolistic behaviors. To little to late but still... trying is better than just letting them get away with it.

 

[Feyl]

It’s strange that Apple would deliberately cripple an already crippled feature. This is fishy. Maybe it has something to do with privacy. Let’s see.

 

[IllinoisCorn]

Can't wait for the EU and co to bring the anti-competitive lawsuits. *grabs popcorn*

EU to private companies: "Build your products the way we want you to, or we will fine you."

This excessive regulation is why you don't see a lot of innovations or companies like Apple, Tesla, Google or FB started in Europe.

 

[sinoka56]

Since Alexa and Google can essentially spy on you. Which is how it becomes a better assistant. By learning from that person. And Apple doesn’t allow that with Siri. I never thought Siri would ever amount to anything significant anyhow. Outside of basic commands.

Yeah ... https://www.macrumors.com/2019/07/26/siri-human-analysis-voice-recordings/

They just changed it to opt in recently / 1-2 years ago because they got caught.

 

[IllinoisCorn]

None of this comes at a surprise. Apple developed a very much closed echo system that does not favor competition at all. Luckily everyone has been starting to see through their smoke and mirrors and trying to do something about that now with their monopolistic behaviors. To little to late but still... trying is better than just letting them get away with it.

What is "competition?"

Kneecapping the powerful companies so little companies can "compete?"

Ok.

 

[MauiPa]

So being replaced with a better more consistent manner with more user control. Ok sounds great. Terrible there does not appear to be an auto migration process though

 

[DaSal]

Most likely it's because they made a start with offline Siri for certain commands in iOS15 and they intend to make Siri fully offline in future versions. They're probably removing commands that they don't think they will support/would be impossible offline (currently).

Since their focus is privacy it wouldn't surprise me if developers will not be able to process custom Siri commands through their servers going forward. They might only be allowed to use standardised offline Siri commands or in the future maybe custom online commands but through some sort of layer with Apple. I'm guessing there will be a new API for this at some later point.

 

[MauiPa]

Siri is good for two thing, setting the clock or checking the weather. Other than that it’s completely useless. For me anyway, I asked her to play The Rolling Stones and she played Romancing the Stone.

Speak more clearly? I use Siri for a lot of home kit tasks, works better for me than google

 

[Khedron]

EU to private companies: "Build your products the way we want you to, or we will fine you."

This excessive regulation is why you don't see a lot of innovations or companies like Apple, Tesla, Google or FB started in Europe.

You mean companies that use popularity to paper over human rights abuses that benefit a handful of billionaires with minimal contributions to society?

 

[IllinoisCorn]

You mean companies that use popularity to paper over human rights abuses that benefit a handful of billionaires with minimal contributions to society?

Yes, those very same companies. Also the ones creating wealth and prosperity and jobs in the application market and beyond and make it possible for you to hang out on a website like this and rage against the success of others.

No need to say "thanks." Just buy the next phone or Mac.

 

[Kid Red]

Apple had the jump on the whole assistant thing and hasn't done anything substantial with Siri in years. Now they are limiting functionality? Makes no sense.

 

[ignatius345]

I already have a Siri in a pretty small box, mentally. I only ask it to do things I know it can do, and rarely try anything ambitious because it's usually just frustrating. If I can still tell it to add something to Things or set a timer, I guess nothing is changing here -- which is lame, because it should be getting better and better over time. :/

 

[insomniac86]

Initially reading this I thought wtf Apple. But thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense as Siri gets confused with shortcut commands if you have an overlapping request in functionality. It’s far better for app developers to add this functionality back via shortcuts. The one thing I thinks a bad move is the reduced functionality in CarPlay.

 

[rforno]

For such a major removal of feature, you'd think Cupertino would give users a reason WHY instead of just decreeing its deprecation and p*ssing everyone off by not saying what will replace it. (Not that I use Siri, mind you)

 

[Shirasaki]

EU to private companies: "Build your products the way we want you to, or we will fine you."

This excessive regulation is why you don't see a lot of innovations or companies like Apple, Tesla, Google or FB started in Europe.

Yeah, just abandon all rights citizens have and give companies free reign of everything. That’ll do it. USA style.

 

[ian87w]

I don't understand why Apple wouldn't just explain the reasons. It might be privacy issues, or it could be as simple as "we need to iron out some bugs," but man, say something. Being silent will only portray Apple as anti-competitive. I don't get it. I thought they would've learned a thing or two about being transparent with antennagate and throttlegate. But no, they actually became more silent, as if they're sulking like a child.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Well... can someone point me towards a good write up on working with Shortcuts? I haven't ever really used them but my god, if I could just tell Siri to change the temperature in the Jeep I would have loved that.

Having looked at the dev page, at least I can still yell at Siri to use my thermostat in the apartment.

 

[ItchyRat2160]

Well if Siri wasn't already dead before iOS15, she is now.

 

[Psychicbob]

Not bothered by Siri or Alexa. I’d rather type it or do it. Otherwise I’ll end up looking like the spaceship passengers in WALL-E

 

[cesko]

How much more can you dumb down Siri?
Already trailing behind the competition, this new stick-in-the wheels sets it back even further, me thinks.

 

[Chrjy]

Siri really isn't that great from my experience. Shortcuts is the worst. I have shortcuts for my home lighting and when I tap on a shortcut it only works about 50% of the time and takes forever. The only way to my lights to work nearly 100% of the time is to go directly into the 'Home' app itself.

I haven't used Alexa or Google in a long time now for obvious reasons, but it does make me wonder if I should just consider changing to a more intelligent assistant even if privacy is a concern.

 

[Radeon85]

WTF Apple, your supposed to be making it smarter and not dumber. One thing they better not touch is Hue integration.

 

[Wildkraut]

Well, for me there was only one Siri usage: While driving my car I often tried to say "Hey Siri, play blah blah blah", but this usually took me 2-5 tries till i got something i wanted play, or i never got what i wanted to play.
With mainstream music it worked a bit better, but i don't listen to mainstream.

Talking to Siri while driving takes too much attention and makes me get pissed off, thats too dangerous.
Now i prefer to quick press on a playlist, or simply select the music before starting to drive.
Shizzliri is now off.

 

[Chrjy]

Speak more clearly? I use Siri for a lot of home kit tasks, works better for me than google

Now that's what I call jumping to conclusions!