iPhone Siri is still so inconsistent and it’s very frustrating

[Rogifan]

I do outdoor walks with my Apple Watch every day. I live in a cold weather climate so I have gloves on and use Siri to initiate the workout. I never get a consistent response from Siri.

• Sometimes it will start the workout on my watch.
• Sometimes it will just open the workout app but not start anything.
• Sometimes it will tell me it can’t do that functionality.
• And other times it will ask me which third-party app I want to open. Not sure why I would want to use a power nap app to initiate a workout.
• And when I tell Siri to end the workout sometimes Siri will say “Good job don’t forget to hydrate” and other times nothing. When Siri says nothing it forces me to look at the watch to confirm that Siri actually ended the workout.

To me this is the most frustrating thing about Siri. Siri needs to be more reliable and consistent.

 

[1193001]

coming from an android user that owns a Ipad pro 11. Siri is useless Google is way superior into AI side. Hate to also say it even Samsung's Bixby works better than Siri

 

[bransoj]

I only really use Siri via CarPlay when i'm driving. Its generally very good for making calls, reading and replying to messages, asking for directions to places and setting the navigation running and the other day i asked it to call a local car dealership as i didnt have the number and it searched, found it and then called it for me.

 

[steelhauler34]

Agree why I don’t bother with it. I don’t really have any use for it so I guess it probably frustrates you a lot more. I would just figure a way around it.

 

[badatusernames]

Right now the only thing I use Siri for is for setting timers.

 

[Juicy Box]

Siri has been an overall disappointment for me.

I do use it a lot, but it sometimes frustrates me.

This could be more of an Apple Maps situation, but I remember a few years back, almost running out of fuel in my car when I was trying to find a station in an unfamiliar area.

It directed me to a closed down gas station, yeah this stuff happens. I continued driving for a few miles and asked Siri again, it directed me to the same gas station for some reason. I didn't realize until I got there too.

I kept asking Siri stuff like "the next closest" or "additional" ones, but it kept directing me to that same closed down gas station. I even started asking for specific names of other stations, but still, it would take me to that same closed down one.

I just started driving toward an area that I was more familiar with, asking Siri every couple minutes, which it would give me the same result over and over again.

I finally got to an area that I was familiar with, and a gas station that I knew about.

I was sitting at the pump waiting for my car to cool down and figured I would ask again, and it still directed me to the same station.

I have a bunch of other examples of Siri acting nuts.

 

[MozMan68]

Siri has been an overall disappointment for me.

I do use it a lot, but it sometimes frustrates me.

This could be more of an Apple Maps situation, but I remember a few years back, almost running out of fuel in my car when I was trying to find a station in an unfamiliar area.

It directed me to a closed down gas station, yeah this stuff happens. I continued driving for a few miles and asked Siri again, it directed me to the same gas station for some reason. I didn't realize until I got there too.

I kept asking Siri stuff like "the next closest" or "additional" ones, but it kept directing me to that same closed down gas station. I even started asking for specific names of other stations, but still, it would take me to that same closed down one.

I just started driving toward an area that I was more familiar with, asking Siri every couple minutes, which it would give me the same result over and over again.

I finally got to an area that I was familiar with, and a gas station that I knew about.

I was sitting at the pump waiting for my car to cool down and figured I would ask again, and it still directed me to the same station.

I have a bunch of other examples of Siri acting nuts.

I would say that's more of an Apple Maps parsing problem...it's been an amazing improvement over the past 12-18 months since they started using their own data. POI's are updated or have been added so quickly. I've even had examples where Maps had POI's that Google didn't have...yes, I was dumbfounded.

But back to Siri...they's hired the best guy in the business from Google, so I imagine we will start seeing more Google Assistant type accuracy/understanding soon. They seem to be just dumping money at these type of things. I'm using Siri more and more since I went back to wearing an Apple Watch.

 

[steve knight]

even when siri gets the words right she does not seem to understand what to do. I used to be able to say siri remind me when I arrive at seridans fruit market and she would usually get it. Now she gets the words right but makes the location Sheridan oregon

 

[Rogifan]

Right now the only thing I use Siri for is for setting timers.

I use it for reminders which works well. For me Siri’s inconsistency is worse than anything else. Sometimes when I ask Siri to start something on my Watch my HomePod takes the request but then says it can’t do what I asked. OK if the HomePod can’t initiate things on the Watch why doesn’t Apple’s ML/AI know NOT to send the request to the HomePod but instead send it to my iPhone? So frustrating.
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But back to Siri...they's hired the best guy in the business from Google, so I imagine we will start seeing more Google Assistant type accuracy/understanding soon. They seem to be just dumping money at these type of things. I'm using Siri more and more since I went back to wearing an Apple Watch.

The problem is people stop using it all together when it doesn’t work for them and then they never go back to using it. I’d love it if Siri did a limited number of things very well and did them the same exact way every time you initiate the request. Another example: I’ll ask Siri if it’s windy out. Siri will say “No I don‘t think it’s all that windy. About 11 mph“. Then another time I ask and Siri says “Yes it does seem to be a bit windy. About 9 mph”. So 9 mph is windy but 11 isn’t. But maybe tomorrow Siri would think 11 mph is windy. So frustrating.

 

[Juicy Box]

I would say that's more of an Apple Maps parsing problem...

I think it initially was an Apple Maps issue, taking me to a closed down gas station.

But, I forgot to mention that when I got to the gas station, I manually looked up gas stations on Apple Maps, and did not have the results that I got when Siri was asked.

I think it started out as a Apple Maps issue, but then Siri was just stuck on that one result.

It could also be the fact that CarPlay was being used, and while it has dramatically improved, CarPlay can be really buggy.

I’d love it if Siri did a limited number of things very well and did them the same exact way every time you initiate the request. Another example: I’ll ask Siri if it’s windy out. Siri will say “No I don‘t think it’s all that windy. About 11 mph“. Then another time I ask and Siri says “Yes it does seem to be a bit windy. About 9 mph”. So 9 mph is windy but 11 isn’t. But maybe tomorrow Siri would think 11 mph is windy. So frustrating.

I have experienced this as well.

It is really easy to notice this when using Siri on the tvOS.

For example, you can press the Siri Button and simply say "Nicolas Cage", and results would come up. Since it is crazy easy to accidentally close the results using the Siri Remote touch pad, when you press the Siri Button a second time and say "Nicolas Cage", sometimes it say that there isn't any results.

I have found that you can do a work around and just get a little more specific, and say "Movies with "Nicolas Cage".


In many ways, Apple is reminding me of Microsoft from the early to mid 2000's.

I used to say that Windows is consistently inconsistent. Over the past 5-6 years, Apple software has been a lot more inconsistent than it used to be.

 

[mspman]

Siri is a disaster because Apple basically stopped developing the AI necessary to drive it. Google Assistant is light years ahead of Siri.

 

[LBM4]

I would say that's more of an Apple Maps parsing problem...it's been an amazing improvement over the past 12-18 months since they started using their own data. POI's are updated or have been added so quickly. I've even had examples where Maps had POI's that Google didn't have...yes, I was dumbfounded.

But back to Siri...they's hired the best guy in the business from Google, so I imagine we will start seeing more Google Assistant type accuracy/understanding soon. They seem to be just dumping money at these type of things. I'm using Siri more and more since I went back to wearing an Apple Watch.

You won’t see any improvement in Siri until the user (or Apple) allows the AI more access. This is a catch 22 though for Apple. Users don’t want their privacy invaded, but then complain that Siri and Apple Maps is still way behind Google.

 

[nickdalzell1]

The reason Assistant is so far ahead is because it's violating your privacy to do so. Not worth the trade-off in my view. For that little additional peace of mind I'll continue using Siri. She does what I ask and that's all I need. At least she's not a complete failure ala Cortana. That one never even supported a smart home platform.

Personally Siri has come a long way since the era of "Tell me how to hide a body"

 

[adrianlondon]

You won’t see any improvement in Siri until the user (or Apple) allows the AI more access.

In some areas, yes, but not in all. I've often wanted to use Siri to add events to my calendar. I have multiple calendars and Siri doesn't support that functionality. It's standard iCal stuff and baked into Calendar on MacOS and iOS and yet Siri can't handle it. This is nothing to do with user privacy or AI, it just needs someone at Apple to care enough about Siri to at least enable it to handle the functionality in their default apps.

 

[cynics]

I know we all love to hate on Siri but isn't this user error? Honestly I didn't think that would ever work. Four times in a row should have been some sort of clue right?

I could be wrong but I think the workout app is exclusive to the Apple Watch right? I use "Hey Siri start an outdoor run" to the watch daily and it works nearly every time. The times it doesn't work are when my phone hears the Hey Siri request and takes priority over the watch.

If you can't do something on your phone/watch then Siri can not do it either (barring an exception or two built into her AI). All she is doing is pushing the buttons for you.

 

[Juicy Box]

I know we all love to hate on Siri but isn't this user error?

No, it isn't user error.

If it was user error, Siri wouldn't ever work, but if the user does the same thing and gets different results each time, it is that Siri is just inconsistent and unreliable.

 

[1193001]

The reason Assistant is so far ahead is because it's violating your privacy to do so. Not worth the trade-off in my view. For that little additional peace of mind I'll continue using Siri. She does what I ask and that's all I need. At least she's not a complete failure ala Cortana. That one never even supported a smart home platform.

Personally Siri has come a long way since the era of "Tell me how to hide a body"View attachment 886708

and you think apple doesn't violate your privacy

 

[nickdalzell1]

Not to the extent of Google, no. If the phone in the San Bernadino case were an Android phone the FBI would have no trouble at all getting into it. Lord knows Google wouldn't have stood their ground against them since they are in bed with the NSA, and are not afraid to hide it, either.

 

[Rogifan]

I know we all love to hate on Siri but isn't this user error? Honestly I didn't think that would ever work. Four times in a row should have been some sort of clue right?

I could be wrong but I think the workout app is exclusive to the Apple Watch right? I use "Hey Siri start an outdoor run" to the watch daily and it works nearly every time. The times it doesn't work are when my phone hears the Hey Siri request and takes priority over the watch.

If you can't do something on your phone/watch then Siri can not do it either (barring an exception or two built into her AI). All she is doing is pushing the buttons for you.

Sometimes it does work for me, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the Watch takes the request and it works perfectly. Sometimes the iPhone gets the request and it works perfectly. Other times not. It’s not user error, it’s Siri being inconsistent. Just this morning on the way to work I asked Siri what day Martin Luther King Jr day was. Siri said March 1. I knew that wasn’t correct so I asked again and the second time Siri said January 20 (which is correct). Again too inconsistent.

 

[jbachandouris]

It is beyond ridiculous how bad Siri STILL is after all these years.

On HomePod, it's an absolute joke. Ask for music that's in your playlist and you don't have a Apple Music subscription, forget it. My son is confused as this is an INTERNET CONNECTED device. Find the song!

In CarPlay, the respond to text is so bad sometimes that I just grab my phone and text. Thanks for nothing Siri.

Machine learning my a***.

 

[Gusher]

I’ve found the more I use Siri the better it gets.

 

[ram130]

Just say “start a outdoor walk workout” and it will get it every time then look at your watch. No need to say watch or anything.

In most of your pics you’re saying things different each time. Hence the replies varying.

 

[Rogifan]

Just say “start a outdoor walk workout” and it will get it every time then look at your watch. No need to say watch or anything.

In most of your pics you’re saying things different each time. Hence the replies varying.

There’s one picture where I said start a workout instead of start an outdoor walk. The rest all were the same. I’ve done this enough times now to know it’s not user error. If it was user error it would never work. But it does work maybe half of the time.

 

[ram130]

There’s one picture where I said start a workout instead of start an outdoor walk. The rest all were the same. I’ve done this enough times now to know it’s not user error. If it was user error it would never work. But it does work maybe half of the time.

Well stay consistent and try that phrase. Lessen your frustrations each time. I agree Siri should be more smart. But hey. Nothing we can do on the user side than find workarounds and hope Apple keeps improving Siri.

Or we can always waste time and complain until Apple magically sees it.

 

[Rogifan]

Here’s another example of Apple inconsistency (though this isn’t Siri). Same artist, same album cover. Different album name. The first one which happens to be what saved to my library only ever presents 4 songs. The second one (via search) presents the whole album. The first is obviously bogus as Earth, Wind and Fire couldn’t possibly have a greatest hits album in 1971 that contained songs written well after 1971. This kind of crap is what’s so frustrating about Apple and software.