Things Siri still can't do after 8 years and 6 iOS releases!

[dk001]

Like I said before. To get Siri to google level needs to mine your data. I’m okay with siri being handicapped for my privacy.

I can ask Google about my upcoming trip and it can pull my drive to the airport, parking, my flight, my rental, my hotel and travel times. I can plan and execute my trip and get updates. From Siri you get far far less.

I guess it comes down to what you want to do with these “assistants”.

 

[dk001]

Today I asked Siri what time the election office closes and was given suggestions of laundry mats to patronize. Good times.
But seriously, and the above is true, why can’t I have an offline Siri that can set timers and alarms and appointments? I wouldn’t mind if it used 5,10,15gb, heck 20gb of storage! I want it to work, seemingly more than Apple does.
Also, why can’t I download offline maps in Apple Maps for...wait for it... offline navigation? Why do I need to use a 3rd party app to navigate with when offline when Apple Maps is the default? Does Apple really think most of us rarely venture outside of cellular and WiFi signals?
I could go on about how Apple chose to use inferior modems and doesn’t really offer anything pro in their “Pro” models but I’d be digressing. Siri sucks and Apple doesn’t care. Incremental UI improvements are sufficient for now, it seems.
Also, wah! I know I’m just telling the wind not to blow.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!
Same!!! Asked Siri the other day where the nearest ballot drop off was. Suggested several locations I could drop off my laundry.
I chalked it up to another Siri-ism episode.

 

[dk001]

They didn't have a head start. Google already had their. They just never marketed it since it was integrated with their search as part of Android.
Apple just decided to give theirs a fancy name and make it a selling point.
I remember the Android folks laughing about it when Siri was first introduced!

When Apple bought the Nuance version and took it away from existing iOS users, we all bitched but assumed it gave Apple the big leap to put it ahead of all others. Sadly Apple never took the time to really invest in it like others.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Yeah Siri is awful. It can't purely be privacy issues, since when you agree to the terms you agree that your recordings will be used to improve Siri.

You are absolutely right. Privacy is only a fraction of the reason why Siri is so absolutely completely crap. Apple simply don’t know how to fix it, or can’t be bothered. They are one of the few companies on the planet with genuinely unlimited resources. There is nothing that they cannot buy. Yet Siri is so far behind Alexa and Google it’s embarrassing.

It wouldn’t be so bad, in my opinion, if when you use Siri it was actually reliable, but half the time I get, wait a sec, on it, there is a problem et cetera. It’s laughable.

 

[thiskiwicanfly]

I have to agree! I’m an Apple fanboy, but I have to say Siri as a virtual assistant is... virtually useless (excuse the pun!). I will say, if the only few things a virtual assistant can do consistently well, is tell the time, set an alarm, and check on the weather… then I’m not particularly impressed. I mean, Siri “can” perform more complex tasks. But a lot of those requests require the user to learn and dictate a specific set of words, whilst speaking in a fake American accent (I’m not from the US), otherwise Siri loses the plot and then seemingly thinks it’s actually helping by offering to load a webpage on the subject instead. The most annoying part is when Siri requests are made from the other side of the room, and she then requires me to unlock my iPhone first before responding to even the simplest of requests. I mean if I have to unlock my iPhone first - then what’s the point of Siri? At that moment I might as well just use the iPhone! But, without sounding too harsh, some things I often do that Siri does quite well - is adding food items onto the groceries list (in Reminders) while I’m peering inside my empty fridge just before running off to the supermarket. And, asking Siri to tell me what’s my next appointment on the calendar. She’s good at that too. But, here’s the thing… immediately after telling me about my next appointment, if I then ask her how long will it take for me to drive to that appointment, she then responds… “What appointment?” Arrggg!!! In my opinion, if Siri can’t respond to simplistic contextual requests, and be able to understand different accents, then I think the whole idea of Siri as a virtual assistant is farcical at best.

 

[Bogstandard]

Siri apparently cannot reliably turn on/off my lifx bulbs.

 

[ian87w]

Today I asked Siri what time the election office closes and was given suggestions of laundry mats to patronize. Good times.
But seriously, and the above is true, why can’t I have an offline Siri that can set timers and alarms and appointments? I wouldn’t mind if it used 5,10,15gb, heck 20gb of storage! I want it to work, seemingly more than Apple does.
Also, why can’t I download offline maps in Apple Maps for...wait for it... offline navigation? Why do I need to use a 3rd party app to navigate with when offline when Apple Maps is the default? Does Apple really think most of us rarely venture outside of cellular and WiFi signals?
I could go on about how Apple chose to use inferior modems and doesn’t really offer anything pro in their “Pro” models but I’d be digressing. Siri sucks and Apple doesn’t care. Incremental UI improvements are sufficient for now, it seems.
Also, wah! I know I’m just telling the wind not to blow.

Imo it’s the “Silicon Valley” bias off Apple’s own engineering team, where they are making things based on the “luxury” they have over there (eg. Good wireless signal and coverage, WiFi everywhere, everybody have complete Apple ecosystem like iPads and Apple Watches, all servers have closer proximity, etc).

Just look at how Apple doesn’t even have the physical dual SIM iPhone available in SE Asia, despite hardly any carriers in the region support eSIM. Only China gets the special treatment and focus to their needs because it’s China.

Going back to Siri, Siri is getting better imo. It can recognize my voice and commands more accurately, although what it can do still far behind Google. So it’s getting better, but still have a long way to go. Google has an immense advantage in data via search, Google Voice transcription, Google translate, etc.

 

[jdoyle]

Siri is very primitive still. I find it frustrating more than anything else. Last Amazon Prime day I bought an Echo Dot as they were so cheap. Just for some fun. Alexa is excellent. It responds from across the room. Understands everyday english and is actually useful.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

We have an Echo device as well, and the difference between it's performance and Siri's is huge. Alexa is easily 10x the voice assistance that Siri is.

But people underestimate how frequently Alexa is listening to what's happening in your home. Alexa is always listening, so long as it's plugged in.

Let me give you an example: I asked Alexa to play "We Will Rock You" by Queen, it provided a newer remix I wasn't interested in. I tried again, being more specific, and it still played the newer remix. I then told it to stop, and used Hey Siri. I only have the old version in my iTunes, so Siri couldn't fail to get it right.

So far so good.

But when I asked Alexa to play that song again later on in the day, without specifying the version, it then played the one Siri had. Quite simply it had listened while i was using another device and adapted its response.

Yes that's an improved user experience, but the eavesdropping is concerning.

In the small print for Alexa's terms and conditions, you agree to it "listening" at other times to improve its performance. This improvement includes sample recordings being listened to by staff at Amazon to see if their program is understanding you correctly. All of which is a sophisticated way of saying that things said in your home, when you're not using Alexa, are recorded by that device and sent to staff at Amazon listened to to check if their devices have recorded it correctly. It's not everything you say, of course, but you never know when the sample is being taken.

I'm not always happy with that. But most of the time it's a tolerable compromise for the improved performance. But I do pull the plug on it if I want to talk about certain subjects.

 

[Zazoh]

We have an Echo device as well, and the difference between it's performance and Siri's is huge. Alexa is easily 10x the voice assistance that Siri is.

But people underestimate how frequently Alexa is listening to what's happening in your home. Alexa is always listening, so long as it's plugged in.

Let me give you an example: I asked Alexa to play "We Will Rock You" by Queen, it provided a newer remix I wasn't interested in. I tried again, being more specific, and it still played the newer remix. I then told it to stop, and used Hey Siri. I only have the old version in my iTunes, so Siri couldn't fail to get it right.

So far so good.

But when I asked Alexa to play that song again later on in the day, without specifying the version, it then played the one Siri had. Quite simply it had listened while i was using another device and adapted its response.

Yes that's an improved user experience, but the eavesdropping is concerning.

In the small print for Alexa's terms and conditions, you agree to it "listening" at other times to improve its performance. This improvement includes sample recordings being listened to by staff at Amazon to see if their program is understanding you correctly. All of which is a sophisticated way of saying that things said in your home, when you're not using Alexa, are recorded by that device and sent to staff at Amazon listened to to check if their devices have recorded it correctly. It's not everything you say, of course, but you never know when the sample is being taken.

I'm not always happy with that. But most of the time it's a tolerable compromise for the improved performance. But I do pull the plug on it if I want to talk about certain subjects.

I think the fine line here is is “Mike” listening to Obi Won or is “Mike” listening to a voice and quality checking that. Feels less creepy. All devices listen all the time. Apple was on the negative side of the public for not disclosing they listened for improvement purposes. Now, you can opt out. Or at least flip a switch that may or may not do anything. If I get better service, I’m all for it. If I want secrecy, I’ll go for a walk and not take a device, tho there are spy devices that can record sound at a remarkable distance.

Much of the privacy we take for granted isn’t there at all. Car dealers have been slammed for listening to couples talk finances when the sales person runs off with the paperwork. To me, I care more about that, than other types of non malicious listening.

 

[hrMACnstuff]

the recent changes to ios make the simple tasks more complex. why when asking siri/homepod whats the weather today she now asks in which city when she never asked that before. she just gave the local weather.
why when i ask my apple watch how much charge is left on my battery, siri tells me she can't do that when she used to do it just fine.

 

[wonderings]

Like the rest I am not impressed with Siri and use it only for the most basic commands. My house has Echo devices all over so I use Alexa regularly. It is light years ahead. The big thing that makes Alexa the best in my opinion is the skills and what you can add. I don't believe Google has this and Apple certainly does not. Having an app like store for just about anything you can imagine is fantastic. I love old time radio dramas, I search in the Alexa app and find ones that I like and add to my skills. After that I just say the command and I am listening to what I want. It is flexible and expandable by me the user, I don't need Google or Apple to add for me what they think I will like.