Apple is abandoning its popular Hey Siri program

The American giant wants to simplify the voice control system. However, the changes are not expected for several months.

Say Siri. These are two words that iPhone, iPad or HomePod owners know well. Since 2011, they have been able to respond to user requests via voice commands.

Calling a contact, sending an SMS, doing an Internet search … The possibilities of commands with Siri are many, but the practicality of the process has always been in question. So Apple wants to simplify the order taking process. And the solution is very simple: replace the famous “Hey Siri” with “Siri”.

technical challenge

This change may seem trivial but it is a huge challenge for Apple engineers. The main problem is the complexity of getting Siri to understand that a command is being sent to him simply by calling him by name. He was already more likely to understand the “Hey Siri” voice command system, regardless of the user’s language or dialect. Some Apple product owners, for example, can successfully activate Siri by invoking words remarkably close to the ear, such as “series” or “Syria”.

So Apple’s brand teams have been working for several months to train AI as much as possible to understand the commands sent on the first try. But also to understand them better.

Do you like competition

Apple wants to get closer to what its competitors have already been doing for several years. Amazon requires its users just a simple “Alexa” to activate its voice assistant. Microsoft has also simplified its recognition system by switching from “Hey Cortana” to “Cortana”.

Google, for its part, is still fighting back by asking its users to say “OK Google” or “Hey Google”. However, Brand Connected Objects can be reactivated for brief requests without having to repeat the activation magic formula.

That’s partly Apple’s goal with this sentence change: to be able to sequence commands without having to repeat “Hey Siri.” This could be especially useful for people who are equipped with home automation in their homes, who will no longer have to call the voice assistant multiple times to fulfill their requests.

And if we at Twitter and Elon Musk develop new features in a few days, at Apple, we take our time. The magic formula change should not be effective until 2023 or even 2024 according to Bloomberg.