Poll: Do you use/enjoy Proactive and Siri Suggestions?

[Traverse]

I was just curious about how many members here actually utilize Proactive because it seems I've gained little benefit from iOS 9 on my iPhone 6.

I disabled suggested apps because they caused lag when swiping down into Spotlight and they were just my last four used apps, not really suggested apps. That got rid of the contacts and nearby on the proactive screen. I hid the news section because it just cluttered the page, so not the proactive page is empty. I disabled Frequent locations as always because I don't want my phone tracking everywhere I go (though it probably does anyway) so I don't get "when to leave" notifications.

The only benefits I've seen, which are kind of neat, is that when I get up in the morning, I always check Reeder and now Reeder appears at the bottom of the app switcher. Also, when I plug in headphones, the Music app icon automatically shows up at the bottom left edge of the lock screen, which is handy.

So I'm just curious if you're using it and/or gaining much of a benefit? If you're just using some aspects, which ones? Suggested Apps, news, nearby, etc?

 

[gsmornot]

I have several apps that I open routinely in the morning for work. They are there waiting for me each day. Later in the day the apps switch up a bit and again are helpful. I don't use a ton of apps so its pretty easy I assume for the suggestions to offer up something. I use the location info when away from home and the news from time-to-time but generally read news via apps, not proactive.

 

[KALLT]

I disabled suggested apps because they caused lag when swiping down into Spotlight and they were just my last four used apps, not really suggested apps. That got rid of the contacts and nearby on the proactive screen. I hid the news section because it just cluttered the page, so not the proactive page is empty.

Same here. I think the problem with these suggested apps and contacts is that I don’t know how to incorporate them into my existing workflows. When I unlock my device I already know which app I want to open so it doesn’t really add anything for me when I have to go to Spotlight first. I can imagine that it helps people who rely on Spotlight all the time, so that they can tap on the shortcut instead of typing, but I rarely enter Spotlight myself unless I really have to. There is no incentive for me to open Siri Suggestions, because I don’t know whether the app I want is listed and since it is currently a representation of my first page or Dock, it doesn’t add anything for me anyway.

I don’t have location suggestions, so I can’t comment on those. I disabled the news section as well, because it showed me (1) headlines I wasn’t interested in (2) from sources I’d rather not read. As for the suggested app on the lock screen, I noticed that I’m almost always unlocking my phone too quickly for it to really matter. The monochrome icon doesn’t really stand out and the swipe from the corner is just too much of a hassle in that regard.

Sometimes my Music app opens on the lock screen when I plug in my headphones or connect to my car’s bluetooth radio, but I haven’t figured out what kind of playlist it starts and how it selects it. The result is that I always have to unlock my phone anyway to get a playlist I want, so the feature doesn’t help me.

I haven’t noticed anything else. Never received a notification that shows how long my drive home will take and asking Siri to remind me when I reach my car doesn’t work (the reminder will just never execute).

Overall, a pointless feature.

 

[Traverse]

I haven’t noticed anything else. Never received a notification that shows how long my drive home will take and asking Siri to remind me when I reach my car doesn’t work (the reminder will just never execute).

These are my sentiments exactly. I jump back and forth too much between playlists for proactive to really help there.

And like you said, when I unlock my phone I know what app I want. I do you Spotlight semi frequently, but the suggested apps just added lag and clutter. And the news feed seemed to ignore my favorited subject and sources and just pull from local news (which I really don't care about.)

 

[dmnc]

The apps I open every morning are already waiting for me on my home screen. What makes Proactive useless for me is that it shows me the last 4 apps that I opened. It changes every time, so I actually don't know what's going to be there.

 

[KALLT]

It changes every time, so I actually don't know what's going to be there.

Exactly. It’s a grab bag. When you know what you want then it doesn’t make much sense to check there, unless you were already planning to type the app name into Spotlight.

 

[gsmornot]

The apps I open every morning are already waiting for me on my home screen. What makes Proactive useless for me is that it shows me the last 4 apps that I opened. It changes every time, so I actually don't know what's going to be there.

I have taken the path of keeping the home screen default with the exception of moving things around a little. All apps on my home screen are native. My installed apps are in folders on page two organized by the category used on the App Store. Ok, strange to some, but I like the organization. I use Spotlight to find and open the app quickly and rarely ever leave the main page because of this. Swipe down, type a couple of letters (sometimes just one) and click the app to open.

My proactive Siri, as stated above, is the same each morning now. During the middle of the day its random based on my recent use but its learning more and more. Not perfect and I do still search for what I need in Spotlight but some parts of the day are covered. I can't sell the service to anyone because it has some learning to do to really be the answer but I can share that I have been successful with parts of it and enough of it to make use of the tool.