WatchOS5, Siri and the Workout App

[Akrapovic]

Is there some documentation somewhere about what commands you can use for Siri? WatchOS5 has changed it and so far it appears as though the functionality is actually worse.

WatchOS4: "Hey Siri, I'm going for a run" -> Started the Workout app and the run workout, straight to the 3 second timer.

WatchOS5: "Hey Siri, I'm going for a run" -> Starts the Workout app and then nothing. I've also tried "Start an open run", "start an unlimited run", "start a 30 minute run", etc. Nothing - it just opens the Workout app and that's it.

What can you say to Siri to actually make it start the basic run function now? And is there a list of things you can say with Siri. I feel like it's hit and miss, and now it's actually worse.

 

[CaptMarvel]

This morning I said “Hey Siri lets go cycling” and it gave a countdown and started no problems.

Not sure why I waited until WatchOS 5 to try that

 

[Akrapovic]

If I say "Hey Siri, let's go cycling", word for word the same as you, it opens the Workout app and filters the workouts down to indoor and outdoor cycling. So I'd then have to select outdoor.

For a run, no matter what I say, it just opens the Workout app and then does nothing. And Apple wonder why Siri never caught on - doesn't even give the same results to the same commands for different people!

 

[menace3]

I raised my wrist and said "let's go for a run" and the Nike app opened ready for me to hit start.

Then I said" let's start an elliptical workout" and the Workout app opened and began the countdown.

I will say, I updated and everything yesterday. Then I turned it off and on again this morning.

 

[Akrapovic]

Now that's very interesting - if I say "start an elliptical workout" then it DOES go straight to the countdown.

I did the updates last night and did a reboot (doing more now, as it can't hurt!). I don't use the Nike app, just the Workout app (syncs best with HealthFit). It's so close. If I say "start the run countdown" it asks for how long. I just can't seem to force it to go straight to an open outdoor run without further interaction.

 

[menace3]

Now that's very interesting - if I say "start an elliptical workout" then it DOES go straight to the countdown.

I did the updates last night and did a reboot (doing more now, as it can't hurt!). I don't use the Nike app, just the Workout app (syncs best with HealthFit). It's so close. If I say "start the run countdown" it asks for how long. I just can't seem to force it to go straight to an open outdoor run without further interaction.

So maybe you need to specify? Because I have the Nike watch, it defaults to that app. What happens if you state let's go for an indoor run or an outdoor run? The workout is not just "run". It should not matter, but the workout for Elliptical is just that. Can't hurt giving it a try.

 

[jhfenton]

I tested both "Hey Siri, I'm going for a run." and "Hey Siri, Let's go for a run."

On my S2 with WatchOS 5, both commands open the Workout app ("Exercice" on my French Watch) and begin an outdoor run. There is a brief pause on the workout selection screen before the countdown starts.

 

[Akrapovic]

"Hey Siri, I'm going for an outdoor run". "Hey Siri, let's go for an open outdoor run". Tried about 10 different variations of this, being very specific, and it just opens the app. Initially, I thought it was a delay, but it wasn't - digital crown scrolling works. This is an S3, I should say.

Is there a way to reset Siri? As it appears to be just me where Siri has gotten lazy.

 

[CaptMarvel]

If I say "Hey Siri, let's go cycling", word for word the same as you, it opens the Workout app and filters the workouts down to indoor and outdoor cycling. So I'd then have to select outdoor.

For a run, no matter what I say, it just opens the Workout app and then does nothing. And Apple wonder why Siri never caught on - doesn't even give the same results to the same commands for different people!

I think Siri’s response to my command may be in part because I always do outdoor cycling even though this was my first time starting a session with Siri...so it was probably more like, oh he normally does an outdoor cycling session so that’s what he wants to do.

 

[Akrapovic]

Good call Captain. I shall continue using the app this week the best I can and see if it can learn that I want to do an open outdoor run.

 

[Kermetajb]

Is there some documentation somewhere about what commands you can use for Siri? WatchOS5 has changed it and so far it appears as though the functionality is actually worse.

WatchOS4: "Hey Siri, I'm going for a run" -> Started the Workout app and the run workout, straight to the 3 second timer.

WatchOS5: "Hey Siri, I'm going for a run" -> Starts the Workout app and then nothing. I've also tried "Start an open run", "start an unlimited run", "start a 30 minute run", etc. Nothing - it just opens the Workout app and that's it.

What can you say to Siri to actually make it start the basic run function now? And is there a list of things you can say with Siri. I feel like it's hit and miss, and now it's actually worse.

Did you ever find a solution to this? I hate that it doesn’t give me a countdown anymore. It just opens the workout app. WatchOS 5.0.1 and series 3 watch.

 

[gsucyclist]

I have to say "Start an outdoor run" in order to get it to open up the app and start. Previously I could just say "start my run"

 

[Kermetajb]

I have to say "Start an outdoor run" in order to get it to open up the app and start. Previously I could just say "start my run"

I can’t even say start an indoor run. It just opens the app and then nothing. Maybe I need to turn Siri off and on again. Already tried hard resting the watch and unpairing/repairing. It’s a real bummer.

 

[menace3]

I can’t even say start an indoor run. It just opens the app and then nothing. Maybe I need to turn Siri off and on again. Already tried hard resting the watch and unpairing/repairing. It’s a real bummer.

and in your Siri & Search setting, in the Acitivity, both options are turned on?

I know it's a learned behavior from Siri and because I workout daily, it seems to know which apps (Nike or Activity) that I want to use and start right up.

 

[Kermetajb]

and in your Siri & Search setting, in the Acitivity, both options are turned on?

I know it's a learned behavior from Siri and because I workout daily, it seems to know which apps (Nike or Activity) that I want to use and start right up.

Yes, both settings are on. Everything worked fine in WatchOS 4. This all started with WatchOS 5.

 

[Akrapovic]

Did you ever find a solution to this? I hate that it doesn’t give me a countdown anymore. It just opens the workout app. WatchOS 5.0.1 and series 3 watch.

Unfortatunely I haven't found a solution to this yet. I'm trying a different way of doing it every morning, including using the Siri watch face (which is terrible).

Similarly, for me, everything worked fine is WatchOS4 and my AW0. Then I moved to the AW3, Nike Edition, and shortly afterwards WatchOS5 and the functionality has disappeared. I'm assuming (but it is purely that - an assumption), that the "I'm going for [workout]" Siri command is now trying to launch the Nike app (which I don't use, because it's terrible), rather than the Workout app.

I'll keep trying, and keep trying to force Siri into learning. But frankly, I'd have more luck trying to teach my couch how to cook my dinner than teaching Siri anything useful.

 

[Kermetajb]

Unfortatunely I haven't found a solution to this yet. I'm trying a different way of doing it every morning, including using the Siri watch face (which is terrible).

Similarly, for me, everything worked fine is WatchOS4 and my AW0. Then I moved to the AW3, Nike Edition, and shortly afterwards WatchOS5 and the functionality has disappeared. I'm assuming (but it is purely that - an assumption), that the "I'm going for [workout]" Siri command is now trying to launch the Nike app (which I don't use, because it's terrible), rather than the Workout app.

I'll keep trying, and keep trying to force Siri into learning. But frankly, I'd have more luck trying to teach my couch how to cook my dinner than teaching Siri anything useful.

You could try uninstalling the Nike app on your watch to see if that helps. However, I suspect this is a software bug. It is also unfortunate that you cannot perform native shortcuts on the watch. So, you can’t create a shortcut that will launch into a specific workout for your watch. That would be a potential workaround. I guess all we can do for now is make some noise in these forums and hope that someone from Apple looks at them. I will also file a radar.

 

[Akrapovic]

I made the incorrect assumption that the Shortcuts would work on the Watch (for apps which exist on both), but was deeply disappointed when they did not. I wanted to make a Shortcut that'd be something like "I'm going for a run - Podcasts" and it starts the correct Overcast playlist, RunTempo (which will likely never support Shortcuts) and start the Workout app on the watch, but apparently this isn't possible at the moment.

I am uninstalling the Nike app and will try again during my run tomorrow. I'm possibly the best candidate for Siri because my runs are always 5 days a week, and at 5am and 12 noon. I rarely vary from this. Yet Siri still can't predict this, but keeps suggesting I repeat my last text message sent to the last person I messaged. It's shockingly bad now.

 

[menace3]

I made the incorrect assumption that the Shortcuts would work on the Watch (for apps which exist on both), but was deeply disappointed when they did not. I wanted to make a Shortcut that'd be something like "I'm going for a run - Podcasts" and it starts the correct Overcast playlist, RunTempo (which will likely never support Shortcuts) and start the Workout app on the watch, but apparently this isn't possible at the moment.

I am uninstalling the Nike app and will try again during my run tomorrow. I'm possibly the best candidate for Siri because my runs are always 5 days a week, and at 5am and 12 noon. I rarely vary from this. Yet Siri still can't predict this, but keeps suggesting I repeat my last text message sent to the last person I messaged. It's shockingly bad now.

That's just so insane. You run more than me and Nike opens right up when I say, let's go for a run. Hopefully uninstalling and reinstalling Nike helps. There was an update that messed up my settings and I did the same thing.

 

[Akrapovic]

That's just so insane. You run more than me and Nike opens right up when I say, let's go for a run. Hopefully uninstalling and reinstalling Nike helps. There was an update that messed up my settings and I did the same thing.

The difference is I don’t want to use the Nike app. I want to use the default Workout app. The Nike app doesn’t allow HealthFit to access the fitness data for exporting to Strava. The Workout app does, so you can have the prettiness of the Apple Workout app and the Strava segments.

If Nike allowed syncing of the fitness data with other clients then it may be a useable option, but even then Siri should work without the Nike app and doesn’t.

 

[Akrapovic]

Did you ever find a solution to this? I hate that it doesn’t give me a countdown anymore. It just opens the workout app. WatchOS 5.0.1 and series 3 watch.

Tried again today, still doesn't do it. The Siri Watch Face doesn't help either. At 10am the Siri watch face suggested a run, which looked promising. Come lunch time, that had disappeared and it wasn't on the watch face. So once again I tried "Siri, let's go for an outdoor run" and it just started the Workout app and sat waiting. No countdown.

Nike app was installed and uninstalled and it's no longer attempting to call the Nike app. So that's a tiny step forward, but still not as good as WatchOS4.

 

[Akrapovic]

Continuing to press on with Siri in the hope it learns how to do basic functions. Using the Siri watch face. I go for a run between 5:30 and 6:30 every day, yet the Siri watch face didn't suggest it in the morning. It simply said "Have a nice Tuesday".

I do the run, and then after I finish it tells me my recovery heartbeat...and suggested I go for a run. That's the most worthless suggestion it could come up with. That's a good couple of weeks I've been using this and it's learnt nothing useful.

 

[matrix07]

My situation is like the OP. Siri should know my habit very easily because I’ll always start a run by putting my AirPods on and play a Podcast. Shouldn’t be difficult to predict but Siri face could never do it..

.. until yesterday when I was on a treadmill and saw this..


Too bad it didn’t guess me correctly that I’ll always go for a 10 Km run. It just launches a workout app. Well..