iPhone Siri Navigation Gone Wild

[outskirtsofinfinity]

I went "Hey Siri, directions to <restaurant name>", and she confirmed the name of the restaurant and started telling me which turns to take... I figured it would be about 25 minutes away, but after 50 minutes of following her directions I started worrying because I saw the City Limits sign fly by and it was getting kinda dark and I saw some goats on a hill by the side of the road. Not a good sign. I only then noticed the estimated arrival time: it was 32 hours away! She was taking me all the way to Texas. I'm in Canada. Good grief. The restaurant name was the same, with the exception of a "c" instead of an "s" in the name,... and she had assumed I wanted to go to Texas. Does that make any sense at all? (It's almost as insane as that creepy OSX System Alert that wakes me up at 3-4am yelling that battery is low... why not wait until normal waking hours? The system clock must be available from within whatever SDK they're using). My question: is there some way to tell Maps/Siri that when I ask for directions, I am asking for directions to a business within my own city, not in some different country? Or, at least set some of threshold... like: if I ask for a restaurant, and she calculates it is more than 30 minutes away (for example, 32 hours) it's by default not the right restaurant and she should ask me to try again. I'd due of hunger within 32 hours. It just makes no sense.

iPhone 8, latest iOS.

 

[campyguy]

Heh, funny, that. Yes, although my technique isn't always spot on. I travel locally, north to Seattle, south to Eugene, and west to Astoria/Warrenton regularly - a fairly regular stop for me is Costco Gasoline. I'm mentioning the "Gasoline" bit as it's differentiated from "Wholesale" and "Pharmacy" options and there's often (but not always) a better or separate exit for the gas station.

In town, there's 4 Costco locations, with one being not the closest but it's rarely busy like the other 3 in my area and there's a more-accessible exit than that facility's Wholesale entrances. The Costco address is in Camas WA, while there's two closer but their access is a PITA. My navigation request goes like this:

"Navigate to Costco Gasoline in Camas Washington."​

If I'm traveling, I'll dictate:

"Navigate to Costco Gasoline in Salem Oregon" or "Navigate to Costco Gasoline in Eugene Oregon" or "Navigate to Costco Gasoline in Tumwater Washington"​

And, throwing caution to the wind, I find that this type of option works very well too but it's a bit tricky due to the unusual spelling:

"Navigate to Koyote's Tacos in Monmouth Oregon" - it's pronounced as "coyote" but spelled with a "k", the first time I got options for several different businesses but Siri nailed it the second time I asked.​

Off topic, and not necessarily available via Siri is INRIX. Seeing you're based in Calgary - love the city, been going there occasionally since '76! - I travel to Kamloops and Nelson a few times each year for business during all four seasons. If you've been to Nelson you'll know that decent in on Hwy. 6 from the south can be a bit dodgy. INRIX has saved my bacon a few times due to nasty weather events, and they're tied to roadway sensors and connected cars - including my Audi A6Q that I opt for in snowy weather (but you don't have to be in a connected vehicle). INRIX's app alerts include weather events, unlike any other traffic/navigation app - free, no ads, and I have no affiliation with them - I've seen their staff working in DOT offices that are my clients, that's how I learned about them. And, they use Google Map's POIs. My 2¢.

I hope I've helped!

 

[outskirtsofinfinity]

I hope I've helped!

Hey, yes, that's very helpful, thanks! It has given me some ideas to try out. Yep, I know that road before Nelson, lol. Let me know next time you're in Calgary and I'll buy you a beer as a thankyou.