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Has anyone ever got Hey Siri to work on a Mac mini with a USB microphone?

bkendig

bkendig

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 8, 2019
82
131
I know Hey Siri works on a Mac mini with a Studio Display, but I've never found anyone who was able to get it to work with an external USB microphone. (And it doesn't work on my M4 Pro mini, either.)

https://support.apple.com/en-by/guide/mac-mini/apdf7bb2fad4/mac says that "Hey Siri" should work "if your Mac mini is connected to a Studio Display or an external microphone". I'm wondering if that last part has been wrong all these years, and that the only way to use a mini with Hey Siri is to spend $1599 on a Studio Display.

Can anyone prove me wrong and say that yes, Hey Siri works with a USB microphone? (And if so - which microphone?)
 
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bkendig said:
I know Hey Siri works on a Mac mini with a Studio Display, but I've never found anyone who was able to get it to work with an external USB microphone. (And it doesn't work on my M4 Pro mini, either.)

https://support.apple.com/en-by/guide/mac-mini/apdf7bb2fad4/mac says that "Hey Siri" should work "if your Mac mini is connected to a Studio Display or an external microphone". I'm wondering if that last part has been wrong all these years, and that the only way to use a mini with Hey Siri is to spend $1599 on a Studio Display.

Can anyone prove me wrong and say that yes, Hey Siri works with a USB microphone? (And if so - which microphone?)
Click to expand...

I've tried one USB micro (got the Boya BY-P4U this week), and--while it performs excellently as a listen device (Voice Control is pretty cool)--Siri on my 15.1.1 '23 Studio is completely un-responsive.

I can activate the microphone icon in the drop-down input box that appears when I manually select the "Type to Siri" icon in my Menu Bar, but the only "Uh-huh?" response I get is either from the nearby iPhone/iPad, or the Homepod Mini in the next room 🤬

I have been sooo excited to experiment-with/use AAPL-I on my M2 Studio ;/

Unfortunately, the data I have recorded does not support your hopeful hypothesis.
 
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Naw, you supported my hypothesis: that Hey Siri doesn't actually work on a Mac mini unless you have an expensive Studio Display. Thank you for the data point!

Weird that it doesn't even work when you click the microphone icon in the Type to Siri field, though. That would suggest a problem with your microphone - except that it works with Voice Control, so, that's weird!
 
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This is so disappointing! Hey Siri would be handy on a kitchen computer, but I don't want an iMac particularly (it doesn't even have HDR!) I'd rather get a mini or Studio

Maaaaybe a Macbook Air or Pro stashed behind my monitor would pick up hey siri requests

I wonder if it can play/pause video like youtube in a web browser
 
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