Strange new 'mic' icon on watch appears when I put it on since WatchOS 8

[nickdalzell1]

After updating to WatchOs 8.1, any time I put my watch on after I've left it on the charger this odd microphone icon shows for a second then vanishes. It's not Siri since Siri has an actual interface that comes up, and It's not raise-to-speak since just raising my watch to my face doesn't make this symbol appear. It's only done this since the 8.1 update, and I've never seen it before. bug?

 

[justywusty]

After updating to WatchOs 8.1, any time I put my watch on after I've left it on the charger this odd microphone icon shows for a second then vanishes. It's not Siri since Siri has an actual interface that comes up, and It's not raise-to-speak since just raising my watch to my face doesn't make this symbol appear. It's only done this since the 8.1 update, and I've never seen it before. bug?

View attachment 1921588

I’d try a restart of the watch.

 

[SisterBlue22]

 

[nickdalzell1]

Yeah but in your screenshot it has the actual Siri interface (the bubble thing and the mic shows on the upper right corner as it should)

This particular icon is inside an orange circle and shows on the watch face randomly, specifically when I place the watch on my wrist, and it goes away a second or so later. It is also in the top center where notification dots and various status icons appear (such as focus or Do Not Disturb mode). Nothing happens and it only shows for a moment but it obviously doesn't take voice commands or try to.

I've had the watch since WatchOS 6, and I had 7 on it for a long time, and this specific icon did NOT start showing until WatchOS 8.1

Quite a big difference between this:



and THIS:

 

[ajm222]

I've noticed the same thing. Happens randomly from time to time. I just assumed I did something that triggered my watch to try and hear something that it thought it should be listening to. I imagined there were a number of things that might do this, though I don't know exactly what. Knowing it's always listening for various things like the sound of running water, perhaps it heard something that it thought was that and started the process of maybe doing the handwash count and then realized I wasn't moving and then turned it off. Who knows. But long story short, I have seen the same thing several times and can't quite figure out what it's doing or what it's trying to hear or if it's indeed just a strange bug. The mic will pop up just like yours for a couple seconds then vanish with no other indicator about what it's doing.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I used the handwashing timer today, and that icon didn't display (although the handwashing interface did). Using raise-to-speak doesn't do it either (just produces the Siri listening interface without having to ask 'hey siri' first). It shows and vanishes so quick that If I blink I'd miss it. It won't display long enough to tap and see what comes up.

I can't imagine what it's doing. It usually happens when I put my watch on first thing in the morning or after recharging it, like it's starting up some backgrond service (the hey siri service maybe?) I just never saw it until WatchOS 8.1.

It could be the noise measurement thingy but one would assume I'd see it when I'm watching TV or listening to music, not just when putting the watch on or shortly after a restart.