Using Siri for dialing

[GGJstudios]

When in reality Apple changes iOS on a yearly basis and changes small details just like this all the time because they know they don't get everything right the first time.

Yes, Apple is constantly improving their products, but not to meet the needs/wants/whims of a select few. If it's not something that impacts the majority of users, there is much less likelihood that Apple will address it. As you can see by the responses in this thread, not everyone shares your concern about speaking an extra syllable.

It's a software app designed to work FOR you. They (Apple/Google) are trying everything they can to make your life simpler.

See above.

If Apple wants to save some syllables, I could find much more use out of a one-syllable replacement for saying "exclamation point" while dictating. That would save 4 syllables, not just one, and I use that far more often than I use Siri to call someone. Yet, I'm not expecting Apple to change that. I just trudge on in the hardship of speaking the extra syllables.

 

[Jbenn425]

No, I'm saying you refuse to use the obvious solution by including the "cell" or "mobile" at the end for fear of looking foolish to other people you are around.

That was your initial reasoning behind not wanting to include what phone you want to call so I found it odd. If you don't like criticism then perhaps you shouldn't post on the internet or just obtain thicker skin? I dunno.... Have a nice day though.

I admit that maybe my solution is not the best. But the issue is definitely real. There is potential for the software engineers to look at this and find a solution that makes Siri more natural to talk to. Maybe she can learn based on your previous phone calls which one you are more likely to call. I still think the average user will always by default put the phone up to their ear and say "call mom" without specifying with phone number the first time.

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Yet, I'm not expecting Apple to change that.

I certainly am.

 

[liamry]

I don't agree your solution is elegant in any way. I'd prefer to dictate which phone I want to call at the outset.

Pretend you have a man servant walking behind you with a notepad and you turn to him and go, "Call my mom", his likely response would be "her work or cell?"

Are you going to go "I ALWAYS MEAN WORK UNLESS I SAY!!! GOSH!" or would it just be easier to say, "Hey, can you call my moms cell?"

That is, of course, after the crowd around you finishes laughing at you for saying "cell" at the end....or something....

hahahaha this is fantastic

 

[Tyler23]

I admit that maybe my solution is not the best. But the issue is definitely real. There is potential for the software engineers to look at this and find a solution that makes Siri more natural to talk to. Maybe she can learn based on your previous phone calls which one you are more likely to call. I still think the average user will always by default put the phone up to their ear and say "call mom" without specifying with phone number the first time.

Exactly, which is why it makes perfect sense to prompt whether you want to call home or mobile. With your solution, you'd get a lot of "Call Mom" - "Calling mom, mobile" - "Oh no no no I want home this time!"

 

[Smith288]

I admit that maybe my solution is not the best. But the issue is definitely real. There is potential for the software engineers to look at this and find a solution that makes Siri more natural to talk to. Maybe she can learn based on your previous phone calls which one you are more likely to call. I still think the average user will always by default put the phone up to their ear and say "call mom" without specifying with phone number the first time.

Im not disputing your solution. I don't necessarily agree with it since there's a pretty obvious answer to doing it right now with near 100% correct results. I would rather Siri understand my dialect a little better than I would want it to be molded into reading minds (which is essentially what's being asked). Sure it could probably be done with an algorithm with what did you call last time or most calls to which device but it's still not going to know and that's all fine and dandy but there's so many more things it needs to do before this that it would probably be on a sticky but is being used as a coaster for a starbucks latte in some conference room in Cupertino. There's no real "need" for that at the moment when there's already a pretty elegant solution now which is to just announce which device at the end.

 

[joejoejoe]

Get off your high horse. Who the hell are you to give life lessons? My point is that talking to Siri is supposed to be more like talking to a person. If you put your phone up to your ear and say "call mom" in public, it's a lot more natural looking than talking into your phone like a robot saying "call mom mobile". It's just a more elegant solution, and that's the point of Apple.

"call mom on her cell"

that's not weird or awkward.

 

[Smith288]

"call mom on her cell"

that's not weird or awkward.

I also told him to say "Call mom's mobile"...

 

[joejoejoe]

Says who? It's a software app, not a person. It can't read your mind and know which number you mean, and it's not like talking to a person.

There's no difference in putting your phoen up to your ear and saying, "call mom" or saying "call mom cell". It's just one more syllable. So you can't say "call sister", because it's an extra syllable?

Says Apple. The whole point of Siri having a sense of humor, telling jokes and being able to decipher conversational dialogue is so that it feels as natural as talking to a real person. Soon enough it will know which number we mean. Waze can guess with 90% accuracy where I'm going every time I open the app. Siri should be able to guess which number we want her to call, depending on time of time, frequency of using one number over another, etc.

And he's right, "Call mom mobile" is kind of weird, it's not proper english, and it reminds us we're using a machine.

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I also told him to say "Call mom's mobile"...

that's great to know thanks. you get 10 points.

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Actually, yours is not a more "elegant" solution. If you have a default set, so when you say "call Mom" it defaults to calling her cell, when you intend to say "call mom work" it may dial as soon as it hears "call mom" and call her cell, since that's the default. There is no way to tell Siri you intended to add a choice at the end. There is nothing inelegant about the current functionality. If you have a problem uttering an extra syllable to specify "cell" or "work", then the problem doesn't lie with Siri or Apple. If you're that self-conscious about using Siri in public, just don't. You can always simply tap the selection in your Favorites list.

you guys need to get off of his back. this forum disgusts me when people like you judge others this way. calling him self conscious? seriously? get over yourself! you're being rude, name-calling doesn't help anyone on these forums. this guy has a gripe with the software, let him talk about it. no one put you in charge to judge his qualms with the product he uses.

 

[Tyler23]

you guys need to get off of his back. this forum disgusts me when people like you judge others this way. calling him self conscious? seriously? get over yourself! you're being rude, name-calling doesn't help anyone on these forums. this guy has a gripe with the software, let him talk about it. no one put you in charge to judge his qualms with the product he uses.

I think people are just going off the OP's statement of "sounds stupid when in public." If one doesn't care about what others think, then they wouldn't make that statement. As if random strangers even care about what you say to Siri.

 

[GGJstudios]

Says Apple. The whole point of Siri having a sense of humor, telling jokes and being able to decipher conversational dialogue is so that it feels as natural as talking to a real person.

It's still not like talking to a person, no matter how sophisticated the app. Like any software, it has limitations that a person doesn't have. It will continue to do only what it's programmed to do, and it won't ever reach the point where it can read our minds and know what we mean, regardless of what we say. Yes, Apple has designed it to seem more human, but it's an illusion. Just ask Siri to tell you a joke and you'll quickly find it only tells the same few that have been programmed. It has standard responses based on programming, and doesn't think or reason or make assumptions.

The primary complaint of this thread, that you have to say "call mom's cell" rather than simply "call mom" has been addressed, with 3 possible solutions. Expecting Apple to reprogram every time someone has a complaint, criticism or request, even if such views are not shared by the mainstream of users, is unreasonable. Still, if you want to hope that Apple makes the changes you want, that's up to you. In the long list of bug fixes and feature requests needed, including the OP's other thread about attaching files to email replies, this one doesn't exactly rate in the top 10.

you guys need to get off of his back. this forum disgusts me when people like you judge others this way. calling him self conscious? seriously? get over yourself! you're being rude, name-calling doesn't help anyone on these forums.

No one is "on his back". This is an open forum. It is neither required or expected that every viewpoint will be shared by everyone reading or posting in a thread. No one is judging anyone, either, and identifying a self-conscious behavior like worrying what people will think when talking to Siri is not name-calling or rude. It's fact.

this guy has a gripe with the software, let him talk about it. no one put you in charge to judge his qualms with the product he uses.

Other people have a different viewpoint. No one put you in charge to judge whether those opposing viewpoints are valid or whether or not they should be expressed. If you don't want other opinions in a thread, don't start one.

 

[joejoejoe]

I think people are just going off the OP's statement of "sounds stupid when in public." If one doesn't care about what others think, then they wouldn't make that statement. As if random strangers even care about what you say to Siri.

who cares what he thinks and how he feels in public?

that's his life, not yours.

I see where he's coming from. Are you all going to come bash me and the way I live my life too now?

Get over it.

 

[Tyler23]

who cares what he thinks and how he feels in public?

that's his life, not yours.

I see where he's coming from. Are you all going to come bash me and the way I live my life too now?

Get over it.

I don't get why you're getting so upset. It's just not worth it to be so concerned about what others think all the time. No one's bashing anyone, just saying it's much healthier to live a life where you're not concerned about others' opinions. Maybe that's where your pent up anger is coming from? You're the one doing the most bashing here.

 

[joejoejoe]

It's still not like talking to a person, no matter how sophisticated the app. Like any software, it has limitations that a person doesn't have. It will continue to do only what it's programmed to do, and it won't ever reach the point where it can read our minds and know what we mean, regardless of what we say. Yes, Apple has designed it to seem more human, but it's an illusion. Just ask Siri to tell you a joke and you'll quickly find it only tells the same few that have been programmed. It has standard responses based on programming, and doesn't think or reason or make assumptions.

The primary complaint of this thread, that you have to say "call mom's cell" rather than simply "call mom" has been addressed, with 3 possible solutions. Expecting Apple to reprogram every time someone has a complaint, criticism or request, even if such views are not shared by the mainstream of users, is unreasonable. Still, if you want to hope that Apple makes the changes you want, that's up to you. In the long list of bug fixes and feature requests needed, including the OP's other thread about attaching files to email replies, this one doesn't exactly rate in the top 10.

No one is "on his back". This is an open forum. It is neither required or expected that every viewpoint will be shared by everyone reading or posting in a thread. No one is judging anyone, either, and identifying a self-conscious behavior like worrying what people will think when talking to Siri is not name-calling or rude. It's fact.

Other people have a different viewpoint. No one put you in charge to judge whether those opposing viewpoints are valid or whether or not they should be expressed. If you don't want other opinions in a thread, don't start one.

Get. Over. Your. Self.

You've attacked the OP with every single comment he's made on this thread. You have not been cordial. You have not been respectful. You've done no more than scoff at his viewpoint. You're allowed to have your viewpoint and you're allowed to express it, hell, you're allowed to do whatever you want. But when I see someone being disrespectful, I choose to say something.

It's fine that you don't agree with the OP, and you've made good points, but boy do you have a nasty way of expressing it.

And yes, you are judging him. Calling your subjective viewpoints of him fact goes to show how blinded you are by your own judgement.

Not cool man. Treat people here well. Please don't exacerbate the hate filled atmosphere we have on these forums. It's not fun for anyone, even if you yourself may get off on it others don't.

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I don't get why you're getting so upset. It's just not worth it to be so concerned about what others think all the time. No one's bashing anyone, just saying it's much healthier to live a life where you're not concerned about others' opinions. Maybe that's where your pent up anger is coming from? You're the one doing the most bashing here.

Because I've seen people bash others here on a personal level too often. It's not right. He didn't post a thread asking how to live his life healthier, he posted a thread which points to a part of Siri that still needs a lot of development. Instead of people part-taking in a healthy discussion about what virtual assistants are, A.I., data collection and analysis, people have resorted to making fun of him for how many syllables he wants to use, or how he feels others might be perceiving him when he's using the product.

How he feels, the number of syllables, are completely irrelevant to what this thread was built to talk about. Instead, you guys jump on him because in one sentence he mentioned how he feels talking to Siri in public. It's BS. There's room for a great discussion about technology here and everyone's getting hung up on how this guy feels in public.

 

[Tyler23]

Get. Over. Your. Self.

You've attacked the OP with every single comment he's made on this thread. You have not been cordial. You have not been respectful. You've done no more than scoff at his viewpoint. You're allowed to have your viewpoint and you're allowed to express it, hell, you're allowed to do whatever you want. But when I see someone being disrespectful, I choose to say something.

It's fine that you don't agree with the OP, and you've made good points, but boy do you have a nasty way of expressing it.

And yes, you are judging him. Calling your subjective viewpoints of him fact goes to show how blinded you are by your own judgement.

Not cool man. Treat people here well. Please don't exacerbate the hate filled atmosphere we have on these forums. It's not fun for anyone, even if you yourself may get off on it others don't.

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Because I've seen people bash others here on a personal level too often. It's not right. He didn't post a thread asking how to live his life healthier, he posted a thread which points to a part of Siri that still needs a lot of development. Instead of people part-taking in a healthy discussion about what virtual assistants are, A.I., data collection and analysis, people have resorted to making fun of him for how many syllables he wants to use, or how he feels others might be perceiving him when he's using the product.

How he feels, the number of syllables, are completely irrelevant to what this thread was built to talk about. Instead, you guys jump on him because in one sentence he mentioned how he feels talking to Siri in public. It's BS. There's room for a great discussion about technology here and everyone's getting hung up on how this guy feels in public.

And myself and others have also discussed the implementation he wants to see and how it's no better than how it currently is. I'm all for a better solution but so far no one, OP included can seem to come up with one.

 

[jrswizzle]

Wasteland.

If adding ONE WORD to the solution bothers you this much, get an Android phone.

It's much less awkward saying "Ok Google" than "call mom cell".....

I'm right there with you though.....can't wait until Siri can read my mind. Gonna be a great feature I'm sure no one will complain about.

 

[Smith288]

that's great to know thanks. you get 10 points.

I was merely stating it's not robotic to say "Call Mom's Cell". He made it sound like I said "Call mom cell" which does sound stupid (though would work)

 

[GGJstudios]

You've attacked the OP with every single comment he's made on this thread. You have not been cordial. You have not been respectful. You've done no more than scoff at his viewpoint.

I have made exactly zero "attacks" and I have not been disrespectful. It's not disrespectful to challenge someone's position. Just because someone doesn't agree with your point of view doesn't mean they're "bashing" or "attacking" or "rude" or "disrespectful". I have no emotional attachment or interest or investment in these forums, but obviously some others do.

How he feels, the number of syllables, are completely irrelevant to what this thread was built to talk about.

On the contrary, they are completely relevant. The OP is suggesting a change in the Siri app used by millions, solely to accommodate the fact that the OP either doesn't feel comfortable using Siri in public, or is unwilling to pronounce one extra syllable. It's extremely relevant, and the proposed solutions are far more realistic and simple than having Apple make changes to Siri, simply because a few don't want to use it as designed.

 

[Yptcn]

Siri remembers...

I must say I don't understand this tread . My husband has 3 phone numbers under is name and I have 4 people with the same first name in my contacts.

The first few times Siri asked which contact I wanted to call then which phone number. After a few times , maybe 3 or 4 , Siri figured out that when I say "Call D..." it means it must call my husband on his cell ...and that since iOS6 .

 

[cmChimera]

This thread has made my whole life better. Thank you.

 

[C DM]

Yeah but that sounds stupid when in public, it's a clunky solution.

You do realize this is where the thread got essentially derailed. If you simply focused only on the part about it all simply being more useful/user-friendly (at least in your mind) to be able to set a default for Siri somehow, this thread would have more than likely been much shorter with on-topic meaningful responses.

 

[xdhd350]

The obvious solution is for the OP to make his mother disconnect her land line so there won't be any confusion on Siri's part.

Just kidding... trying to lighten the mood in here.

In all honesty though, I don't think the solution put forth by the OP is technically feasible at this point as Siri would probably not 'guess' correctly most of the time.

IF self conciousness in public is an issue, one can ask Siri to call mom's cell in a more natural way such as, "Can you dial mom's cell for me please?" That's more like how you would ask a human to do you a favor. More syllables yes, but sounds much less geeky.