Siri Shortcuts Expands to American Airlines, Caviar, and Other Apps, Coming Soon to Airbnb

[stephenschimpf]

I admit that I didn't think Shortcuts would be useful for me, but yesterday my Dexcom app was updated and offered a Shortcut, so I tried it. Now whenever I'm home, even lying in bed in the dark, I can say "Hey Siri, what's my glucose?" and hear Siri tell me my blood sugar reading and trend from my HomePods out in the living room. That is very cool and very convenient.

 

[rom3o]

Quite the opposite. Shortcuts makes siri quite a bit smarter and gives it functionality beyond what anyone else has.

Does Apple analyse the Shortcuts we create to implement often used ones on the server side? That would be my understanding of Shortcuts making Siri smarter, constantly feeding its AI with new real-world use cases. Otherwise they are just 'dumb' presets that improve your personal experience but do not contribute to the evolution of Siri's general functionality.

btw: At least Amazon has something similar called Blueprints where users can create and share their own skills. Idk about Google put I guess they have this covered as well.

 

[archer75]

Does Apple analyse the Shortcuts we create to implement often used ones on the server side? That would be my understanding of Shortcuts making Siri smarter, constantly feeding its AI with new real-world use cases. Otherwise they are just 'dumb' presets that improve your personal experience but do not contribute to the evolution of Siri's general functionality.

They look at all data for all their services/devices. They can add them to the shortcut store, sure, but they don't have to though it would be more convenient. You can download ones people put out there. I've downloaded a bunch from the shortcuts subreddit.

 

[redneckitengineer]

I played with Siri shortcuts, hated it, deleted it. She's pretty stupid when it comes to making things happen. And Siri shortcuts doesn't open or respond to certain commands like id enjoy in conversation mode.

 

[0982786]

Siri works fine for my requests. If you forgot what you set it as that sounds like a you problem.

What does siri not do that I need it to? What do other assistants do that I need? I have several alexa and google home devices at home so I can test.

I used to have a couple Dots and a Google Home mini up and running. They're now in a drawer because Siri works just fine for me. HomeKit is much faster at turning lights on and off than going through whatever gateways Google and Amazon use.

 

[rom3o]

They look at all data for all their services/devices. They can add them to the shortcut store, sure, but they don't have to. You can download ones people put out there. I've downloaded a bunch from the shortcuts subreddit.

I know, I got some for Spotify from reddit. But having to import shortcuts manually doesn't make Siri as a 'smart assistant' ... smarter. Which is a shame because it could really shine if it would search through user-created shortcuts to respond to queries it can't do by default. I guess the biggest challenge with this idea is that Siri would have to understand what every single shortcut does before considering when to use which.

Amazon is working (or maybe has it already working, I read about it last year) on a feature for Alexa called 'name-free interaction' that automatically searches and launches skills from third-party developers without the need for the user to set those up before - it does it on the fly during a query. But in order for it to work, the developers have to detail precisely what information or functionality their skills contain, Alexa can't figure this out by itself. This is probably the critical point where user-created shortcuts might often lack the necessary quality of detail because their creators didn't care enough or - even worse - purposefully entered wrong information leading to useless responses. That is clearly something Apple doesn't wan't to happen.

An example Amazon has given for this new Alexa capability is if someone asks “Alexa, where is the best surfing today near Santa Barbara?”. Since Alexa does not have surfing information by default, it would use the new Name-free Interaction feature to find a skill that can answer the question. If a surfing skill exists that can answer the question, Alexa will automatically launch the skill and pass it the question.

(Source)​

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[archer75]

I used to have a couple Dots and a Google Home mini up and running. They're now in a drawer because Siri works just fine for me. HomeKit is much faster at turning lights on and off than going through whatever gateways Google and Amazon use.

Homekit is very fast. However support for homekit is very low. It can't control any of my smart switches or thermostat or access my cameras. I have 2 lifx bulbs that it can control and that's it. But yes, it is super fast at controlling them.
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I know, I got some for Spotify from reddit. But having to import shortcuts manually doesn't make Siri as a 'smart assistant' ... smarter. Which is a shame because it could really shine if it would search through user-created shortcuts to respond to queries it can't do by default. I guess the biggest challenge with this idea is that Siri would have to understand what every single shortcut does before considering when to use which.

Amazon is working (or maybe has it already working, I read about it last year) on a feature for Alexa called 'name-free interaction' that automatically searches and launches skills from third-party developers without the need for the user to set those up before - it does it on the fly during a query. But in order for it to work, the developers have to detail precisely what information or functionality their skills contain, Alexa can't figure this out by itself. This is probably the critical point where user-created shortcuts might often lack the necessary quality of detail because their creators didn't care enough or - even worse - purposefully entered wrong information leading to useless responses. That is clearly something Apple doesn't wan't to happen.

That's great and all but keep in mind, the VAST majority of people don't use a smart speaker/assistant to do anything beyond setting a timer, getting a weather forecast, turning on a light or asking for unit conversions, setting reminders, adding to a list. You can look up the statistics on that. Those who need much more complex functionality from these devices are very much in the minority. That's all I use it for at home, and playing the news and music/podcasts. There simply isn't a lot of need for more. Most people want something because it's neat at first but quickly lose interest. But what do you really need?

The beauty of shortcuts is it gives me control over things beyond what the developers maybe would have designed or considered. So I can quickly and easily do some pretty cool things. This makes siri quite a bit more powerful.

Like I said, I have a variety of smart devices. 1 google home, 3 home minis, 1 echo dot, 2 sonos(with alexa, soon to get google assistant). So I can test and do a variety of things on them, but like most people they get only basic usage.
I can also make requests on my 2 ATV's or my Nvidia shield. So far all I've done is ask it to skip ahead 3 minutes.

I do use carplay and siri has no issues texting, getting directions, pausing or skipping songs/podcasts, which is what I use it for in the car.

 

[Octavius8]

"Apple limit that Shortcuts can only have “Play music” command from Apple Music apps only"

A simple task of trying to play X artist, or X song or X playlist, or all your music not in a playlist is an exercise in frustration between Siri and Spotify. It is not "it just works", quite the opposite: "it just does not work, so only use Apple Music".
How many persons actually use the Shortcuts app?, it feels like an Android app from 5 years ago or Dragon díctate from the 90s, really.

 

[jeffe]

I've been trying to give Siri the benefit of the doubt and use her more but wow, she still really frustrates me. Coming from Android, I find her feature set and use scope really limited compared to Google Assistant but I'm getting a better experience as I'm starting to understand her limitations and what she is good for. Having said that, I'd replace her in a heartbeat with google assistant if I had the chance. Fortunately, I can access that with a Shortcut and I hope more apps add shortcuts as it does provide a means to get around *some* of her limitations.

I hope in the future Shortcuts can run more so in the background and without having to unlock my phone, maybe they can check if I'm nearby with my watch.

 

[ipedro]

Siri Shortcuts. Apple’s way of giving up on making Siri smarter. Prerecorded sentences are not the way.

So I presume you think the same way of Alexa Skills and Google Assistant Actions that also require strictly worded commands as also giving up on making their assistants smarter?
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It’s not because Siri is the holy grail for you and is everything you need, that it’s perfect. For most people, Siri is too limited because it’s not “smart” enough. If Siri doesn’t understand the question, because the user didn’t use the proper syntax, she already failed.

Technology should be transparant, especially according to Apple’s philosophy. Siri Shortcuts is exactly the opposite. I need to hunt for Add to Siri buttons in apps, record and remember sentences, etc. It’s far too cumbersome for the vast majority of iOS users. Siri should acquire knowledge in the background when a Siri enabled app is installed. Hopefully that’s the next step. But it’s probably a long way off.

Siri doesn’t need strict syntax.

It’s Google who often doesn’t understand casual speech where Siri understands what I’m asking of it, even if I didn’t issue a strict command. See this (examples start at 2:20):

 

[trunten]

I have to say, the phrasing of a lot of Siri shortcuts is just horrible and clunky. I appreciate that we are probably decades from being able to speak to our devices naturally, but surely we can do better than this?

 

[sidewinder3000]

Seriously... what?
If you came from or have actually used other "assistants". Then you would not have wrote this...
Like most Apple users, we try to give Apple's apps a chance before trying others...
Just like Apple Maps, Siri is not getting better comparatively speaking.
This same questions, other assistants gives you direct answer, Siri would just direct you to a web search

I try to use it every couple months, weeks, or when I see a related update. Still have yet to see any real progress.

*I do use it with Homekit... that's about it. Don't think it need to be smart to turn on the lights when I ask it to.

Seriously... yeah! I do use other assistants and I still would “have wrote this”.

Your original question was rhetorical and snarky. Of course millions of people use Siri every minute of every hour of every day. And as I wrote, if you are actually paying attention and not guilty of confirmation bias, you’ll notice that Siri is improving relatively quickly, especially as compared with the past.

And I’m not just saying this anecdotally, like you are. Of course I consider my own experience, because I use Siri 30 times a day and have noticed a marked difference over the last year. But I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Take a look at Loup Ventures annual survey of digital assistants from 2018, where they compare Google, Alexa, Cortana and Siri using a common set of 800 questions/commands. Siri is now ranked second behind Google Assistant, answering questions correctly 78.5% of the time, as opposed to 66.1% last year. And Siri’s comprehension was up to 99% from 95% the previous year.

Facts are facts, data is data. Siri’s functionality is up considerably from the previous year, and the trend gives every indication of continuing upward. Regardless of your hot take.

https://loupventures.com/annual-digital-assistant-iq-test-siri-google-assistant-alexa-cortana/
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Do you think your anecdotal experience with Siri carries more weight than someone else's? Or your opinion of Siri's capabilities somehow more relevant than someone with a lower opinion of it's capabilities?
Siri is okay. Not using Siri on a regular basis is more than okay. Suggesting otherwise is silly. Opinions amirite?

I absolutely think my experience with Siri carries more weight, than someone who doesn’t use it, someone who barely uses it, or someone who made their mind up about it a long time ago.

My opinion of Siri certainly doesn’t automatically count more than someone with a lower opinion of it. But I do think it counts more than someone who has such a comically distorted view of Apple’s assistant that they openly wonder if anyone actually uses it. And I think that’s fair.

Obviously people can use Siri, or not use it, or use Conrtana, or do whatever the hell they want. I never suggested anything to the contrary.

But going beyond anecdotal experience or opinions, there’s this 2018 annual study of digital assistants by Loup Ventures that shows in a research study of 800 quarries, Siri’s response accuracy was up from 66.1% to 78.5% in just one year, with a query recognition rate that’s now up to 99%. That not only makes it second only to Google Assistant, it represents serious progress in a short period of time. It’s clear with the addition of John Giannadrea, Apple is finally serious about making Siri the world class digital assistant it should be.

https://loupventures.com/annual-digital-assistant-iq-test-siri-google-assistant-alexa-cortana/

 

[Abazigal]

I have to say, the phrasing of a lot of Siri shortcuts is just horrible and clunky. I appreciate that we are probably decades from being able to speak to our devices naturally, but surely we can do better than this?

Are you able to decide on what phrase you want to assign to a particular shortcut?

 

[checker2010]

Does anyone actually use Siri?

Yes. Multiple times a day.

 

[djlythium]

Anyone know if it still has that stupid ‘wait’ bug (where the wait command doesn’t work past 170 seconds)?

 

[jeffe]

Take a look at Loup Ventures annual survey of digital assistants from 2018, where they compare Google, Alexa, Cortana and Siri using a common set of 800 questions/commands. Siri is now ranked second behind Google Assistant, answering questions correctly 78.5% of the time, as opposed to 66.1% last year. And Siri’s comprehension was up to 99% from 95% the previous year.

Progress is progress but Siri still completely fails when it comes to seeking random information. I recently asked google and Siri a series of questions based on a single subject and I think Siri was only able to answer 1 out of the 20 questions google assistant was able to answer, thanks to google’s knowledge graph. This is the one place I see myself using Siri way less than google assistance. And considering Google states 15% of the searches it sees each day are brand new, I really hope Apple tries to fill in this gap. A less limited Siri is a better Siri.

 

[sidewinder3000]

Progress is progress but Siri still completely fails when it comes to seeking random information. I recently asked google and Siri a series of questions based on a single subject and I think Siri was only able to answer 1 out of the 20 questions google assistant was able to answer, thanks to google’s knowledge graph. This is the one place I see myself using Siri way less than google assistance. And considering Google states 15% of the searches it sees each day are brand new, I really hope Apple tries to fill in this gap. A less limited Siri is a better Siri.

I agree 100%. Apple needs to get their **** together when it comes to general queries.

I remember reading years ago, when Siri came out, how it was a great opportunity to take a chunk out of Google’s dominance in search, since it was essentially a way of circumventing google search. It’s very frustrating that Apple has essentially done zero in all the years since to build a viable search function, even if it’s just a back end to Siri.