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iOS 15 to Limit Siri Functionality With Third-Party Apps
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Why willfully suffer such embarrassment?
Meanwhile, Alexa just featured a Home Screen Widget called "Ask Alexa" in their last update!
There actually is an MDM command to disable Siri. It's part of the standard iOS Restrictions profile. If you don't have an MDM product to create the profile, you can use Apple Configurator to build one.
Not while you are in the back seat of a shaking car! Or stopped at a light and even some people while driving!
Looking at the list of APIs being deprecated anything HomeKit related is seemingly unaffected (at the moment).
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, haha.
Can devs ship pre-built shortcuts with their apps? If so that would be a reasonable compromise IMO. Removing functionality (that wasn't very discoverable) so that it is up to the user to develop their own shortcuts which are dependent on hooks added by the developers into their apps is compounding the problem and doing nothing to improve Siri's reputation/usage.
This is an honest question having watched YouTube comparisons between the digital assistants. What specific function does Alexa do reliably that Siri does not? Last I heard it was Google>>> Siri> Alexa= MS. There are lots of videos about this but I always see people talking about it like Siri does nothing that others do. But I don’t see it.
The problem is that shortcuts run on-device (some that need to open an app at least). So they are useless on say a Homepod. That REALLY limits their functionality. Like say a device that has no Homekit support, or part of it is not exposed to Homekit but has a Shortcut in the app you can select to still use it with Siri.
I just ran into this with Homekit and a Homepod mini. I cant access the IR blaster on the Aqara hub (for sensors) on the Homepod but the shortcut works on the phone to say turn off the TV or mute. Because, my understanding is, the Shortcut is opening the Aqara app to execute the function.
So I can't use it in my set bedtime routine to shut off the TV with the lights downstairs via Siri on the Homepod. Speaking to Siri on my phone I can.
So the Homepod Mini (luckily only $100) is basically just a hub to access Homekit outside the house to me. I cant use Siri on the Homepod over on the iPhone.
Just one of the stupid limitations on Siri/Shortcuts.
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I use it to its fullest capability, and daily at that - but Siri is a joke in so many ways compared to Alexa. I’d love to ditch my Amazon devices, but it just doesn’t seem like that will EVER happen.
I'll bet 99% of this forum crying foul about Apple's decision don't even use Siri for most 3rd party apps. I'd bet they are barely using Siri past reminders, timers and playing music. People just want to complain simply because it's Apple. So funny how people here are complaining about Apple's decision but then state that they don't use Siri because it sucks. The irony. SMH.
The biggest fail is that it still isn’t multi language. At least it should recognize what keyboard you are using for conversations with person XY and automatically know what language to use. I can never reply to anyone from my Apple Watch because my iPhone is set to German but I have contacts that I am writing with in Spanish or English. Same with listening to incoming messages via my AirPods, it just becomes gibberish if it is anything but German.
on the other hand I get it, Siri is bad enough at getting one language right. The amount of words I need to correct manually before sending out a message … I might as well just type it all together. I always end a message from my car with „sorry, this was sent with Siri“ to give a heads up
on the other hand I get it, Siri is bad enough at getting one language right. The amount of words I need to correct manually before sending out a message … I might as well just type it all together. I always end a message from my car with „sorry, this was sent with Siri“ to give a heads up
iOS 15 Siri accepts more complex commands like "turn off all the lights except for the Living Room" so I'm really happy about that.
Shifting focus on Shortcuts might turn out to be much better for devs and users than continuing to develop Siri intents. With Shortcuts, what Siri is doing is more transparent to the user for example.
Shifting focus on Shortcuts might turn out to be much better for devs and users than continuing to develop Siri intents. With Shortcuts, what Siri is doing is more transparent to the user for example.
My guess is this is related to on-device Siri which is coming in iOS 15. If this is true, the logic would be: on-device is the more important feature but including all the SiriKit options would have made it much harder/impossible to do enough things on-device to make Siri feel reliable.
I'd bet it will come back once the tech is at a spot where they can do it all on-device.
I'd bet it will come back once the tech is at a spot where they can do it all on-device.
Seems to be a mistake to me. Apple should be opening up Siri, not closing it. As it stands, Siri already does not compete with the likes of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Closing Siri even further does not seem to make sense unless Apple has given up on the platform and will make it simply an Apple-only feature.
But then 3rd party devs can just create sets of shortcuts and have users add them to the Shortcuts app, right?
It seems like this is a move to have users be more aware of what commands they are adding to Siri.
Very clunky execution if that's all they want from this change.
It seems like this is a move to have users be more aware of what commands they are adding to Siri.
Very clunky execution if that's all they want from this change.
The only viable solution today if one wants a voice assistant, add a device that supports either Google or Amazon. Then only use Siri for music and limited homekit, if that. I have a basic Amazon Echo Dot sitting next to my HomePod. Need to set a timer, ask Alexa, never Siri. Frustration free and inexpensive.
Of course, but relying on developers is laughable sometimes. Many many apps still have zero shortcut integration still; hell some apps haven't been updated in ages.
And no, when they are apps for the products they go with, switching apps simply isn't an option.
This seems like a move to make Shortcuts and Siri more streamlined and unified, and for users to get more users to make use of Shortcuts: Apple wants devs to add commands, and for you to customise them, through using Shortcuts. Devs can't build in Shortcuts for Siri to recognise voice commands without having you add them through Shortcuts.
It sorta makes sense.
I'm assuming this is also for users to have better understanding of what app-specific commands Siri is set up to recognise, instead of users having to go into apps or go online and look up what kind of Siri integration the app offers.
If a specific command bothers you or you want to change the wording etc., then there will be an easy-to-understand overview in Shortcuts? That's my guess.
I'm also assuming Apple will let apps prompt you with a "Do you want to add Siri Shortcut commands set for this app?" type questions in iOS 15.
This big issue here is that there are so many apps that are outdated and devs will never care to add Shortcuts. So a ton of apps will suddenly lose their already limited Siri integration, leaving users to create their own from scratch.
It sorta makes sense.
I'm assuming this is also for users to have better understanding of what app-specific commands Siri is set up to recognise, instead of users having to go into apps or go online and look up what kind of Siri integration the app offers.
If a specific command bothers you or you want to change the wording etc., then there will be an easy-to-understand overview in Shortcuts? That's my guess.
I'm also assuming Apple will let apps prompt you with a "Do you want to add Siri Shortcut commands set for this app?" type questions in iOS 15.
This big issue here is that there are so many apps that are outdated and devs will never care to add Shortcuts. So a ton of apps will suddenly lose their already limited Siri integration, leaving users to create their own from scratch.