Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

SIRI - Use outside of USA - Frustrating

DeepIn2U

DeepIn2U

macrumors G5
Original poster
May 30, 2002
13,047
6,983
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Siri ... an incredible invention and use of current technology ... but I'm wondering if its TOO advanced beyond thinking the simple things out. Why is Apple restricting Siri's GPS search data/query's beyond the USA?! Why even offer it at ALL if a person cannot use it properly?

Some example's I've found in the past month that has me frustrated:

1. "Play playlist house"
- SIRI takes on average 5-10seconds longer to understand my request and actually play the playlist vs the original iPhone 4 voice command!
PS: Yes I speak english as my only language (currently), and have for all my life.

2. "Siri, what time is it?" or "What time is it?"
- SIRI responds with "Sorry Dono I don't know what you're talking about" or states "I don't know what time it is on 134 Adelaide Street".
- First off I'm not on Adelaide (I'm 2 blocks north outside), and Secondly WHY on EARTH is SIRI by default trying to use GPS data (yes it was enabled in Settings) to find the LOCAL TIME?!!! Of not the local time on the iPhone 4S 32GB is determined by my network provider (Rogers Wireless). Why would Siri need to look for GPS data for the time already listed ON the device?! Really stupid!!

2B. "What time is it?"
- this is my second try in the stairwell leaving my apartment. GPS data is turned off, yet again a stupid setting in the SIRI algorithm is set to look for data that the device already has?!
- Siri's response is "Please connect to the internet". WTF!!! WHY?! I'm asking for the time that the device's internal clock ALREADY has!!

There is many more examples I'm experiencing here in Canada on my iP4S that is annoying but I cannot think of them at the moment.

ODDLY enough while in the stairs ... I was able to set a reminder (in example 2B above) for "take cab if its past 8:45AM ... sure enough SIRI set the reminder, and it alarmed for 8:45AM the time I set it for, so what gives?!

Anyone else have similar issues or better yet a fix for this?
 
roxxette

roxxette

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2011
1,507
0
Damm , im in Dominican Rep. , the simple questions like you say works fine and my english is not native so i dont know like siri say lol but i do have the location services turned off . Try turning siri off and on :/
 
V

Vapor matt

macrumors regular
Aug 8, 2010
190
0
UK
I disabled that stupid siri ages ago, what a load of crud that is. funny for about 5 mins then its boring and makes so many mistakes its like having a kid learning to speak for the first time.

Ai mmmmm na just a crap app:apple:
 
lewys

lewys

macrumors 6502
Jun 18, 2010
307
0
London
I am having problems asking it the time too.

I will say to it "siri what time is it" and he replies "i don't know what time it is in cardiff"

but if i say "what time is it in cardiff" he tells me.
 
B

blesio

macrumors 6502
Jun 9, 2011
278
21
Why it may be using GPS for time? Well suppose your not in the same timezone which you set the actual clock on the phone? If it gave you the time the phone is set the it would not be a right answer so it's using the gps signal to locate the phone and therefore figure out the timezone. So this is quite simple.
The only reason I would be using Siri is to type messages and maybe emails... Though I can't as I live in Poland and Siri doesn't understand Polish :(
I use the standard voice features though :)
 
3bs

3bs

macrumors 603
May 20, 2011
5,434
24
Dublin, Ireland
lewys said:
I am having problems asking it the time too.

I will say to it "siri what time is it" and he replies "i don't know what time it is in cardiff"

but if i say "what time is it in cardiff" he tells me.
Click to expand...

Yeah I always do the same thing. But I've also had some other annoying things happen like the OP and so now I rarely use Siri.
 
DeepIn2U

DeepIn2U

macrumors G5
Original poster
May 30, 2002
13,047
6,983
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Zcott said:
Can't say I've had any trouble with Siri, and I'm in Northern Ireland. Siri understands me perfectly as long as i speak clearly.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, I'm speaking very clearly - as anyone would to a toddler; sometimes more fluidly as a parent to a young tween (of which I am and have a tween).

Also I'm in the same timezone EST that the carrier time is set to. Irregardless if I wasn't its set to auto update time as per carrier, thus if I switch timezones or another carrier while roaming it would auto update the time within less than 5mins (its a priority on ALL carriers before calls take place - else billing would be incorrect and carriers could have the potential of LOOSING $$). Either way even if roaming and time did NOT change, SIRI should be looking locally at the device for the time - NOT the internet nor GPS location for association of the time.

thewitt said:
Go buy an Android phone.
Click to expand...

LMAO ... I've tried 4 times (1wk Samsung SGS Captivate, 1wk SE Xperia Arc, 1wk LG Optimus LTE, and 1.5wk Moto Droid RAZR). Although I've tweaked smartphones in the past (BB's, S60's or UIQ devices) Android is still a bit arcane to my thinking. That along with I don't have time to tweak a smartphone, install a handful of apps to configure, and set the smartphone the way it should be from first power on. I may try HTC Sensation 4G on the cheap until the rest of the world gets a version of the Verizon Rezound. Switching smartphones at retail is getting SERIOUSLY expensive.
 
J

joudbren

macrumors regular
Apr 13, 2007
244
1
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Turn off the location services for Siri and then it will give you the correct time. Siri offers no location based stuff outside of the U.S. presently so I found disabling Siri's location services fixed a whole bunch of things with Siri.

Go to "Settings" then "Location Services" and scroll down to "Siri" and make sure it is toggled off. You'll find Siri much easier to live with now outside of network issues once in a while which cause delays in responses or errors. You can turn the location services back on if and when Apple announces the availability of those services outside of the U.S. Cheers!

James
 
S

SplicedBanjo

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2011
109
0
I know you're sick of hearing the "B word" (as in, the second letter of the Greek alphabet), but Apple has specifically stated that international support is something they intend to improve for the final release. This is, essentially, a known issue.
 
L

LeeM

macrumors 6502a
Jan 1, 2012
603
0
Is Siri seriously only a beta product? It's marketed as such a big selling point! Whenever I've tried it it's been unbelievably terrible
 
B

brsboarder

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2004
763
15
A: yes its Beta

B: its also very frustrating in the US. I get SIRI can't perform this all the time
 
TeamHotch

TeamHotch

macrumors member
Mar 21, 2011
75
0
North east
the one time i tried Siri was less than impressed. Didn't understand my accent, and didnt even come close to what i was trying for.

Not in any hurry to bother with it til its more friendly outside the US. My thumb is quicker than arguing.
 
S

sneaky butcher

macrumors 6502
Nov 8, 2011
345
0
Carl Sagan said:
It's amazing that people still don't get that this is just a beta...
Click to expand...

apologists for the unreliability of voice recognition should really stop saying this.

you think siri will come out of beta and be perfect? or even close to being reliable? it wont. they will have to keep it in beta for decades before it comes close.

google have been doing it 3 years, they have audio transcribe on you tube to help them improve it and you can associate your google account with voice commands so it actually learns the way you pronounce words.

guess what? it still sucks lol Maybe better for americans but people in the UK with diffirent accents its basically useless. Still it makes for funny youtube videos like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBsCYQqLVUw
 
Jare

Jare

macrumors 65816
Jun 17, 2010
1,190
1
Canada
beta

Seriously, it's beta software. If you don't like it, don't use it instead of crying in a thread for attention.
 
S

sneaky butcher

macrumors 6502
Nov 8, 2011
345
0
Jare said:
beta

Seriously, it's beta software. If you don't like it, don't use it instead of crying in a thread for attention.
Click to expand...

are you upset because people are realising its an unreliable gimmick?. I guess its not good for apple since they pimped it so hard in their adverts to sell the 4s.
 
Jare

Jare

macrumors 65816
Jun 17, 2010
1,190
1
Canada
sneaky butcher said:
are you upset because people are realising its an unreliable gimmick?. I guess its not good for apple since they pimped it so hard in their adverts to sell the 4s.
Click to expand...

Buy an Android phone then? How about Windows Phone 7. Meego maybe?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom