Apple could soon change 'Hey Siri' command to just 'Siri'
Apple wants to change the wake-up command for its voice assistant from 'Hey Siri' to just 'Siri.' According to a report by Bloomberg, the Cupertino-based tech company has been developing this feature for several months now. It might be rolled out next year or in 2024. Although it appears straightforward, it would still require a "significant amount of AI training and underlying engineering work."
Why does this story matter?
There are some perception problems associated with Siri. The virtual assistant has not always performed the correct task as per the user's request. In some cases, it also failed to respond to the user's voice, especially when multiple Apple products are in the vicinity. Apple has been actively working on resolving these persistent glitches. Recently, the company also changed the activation sound of Siri.
What is the reason behind this change?
Apple might be making this move in order to compete with other popular voice assistants. Amazon already allows the users to activate its virtual assistant with a simple 'Alexa' command. On the other hand, Google Assistant currently responds to 'Ok Google' or 'Hey Google.' Even Microsoft replaced its activation command 'Hey Cortana' with 'Cortana' before it terminated the service last year.
Siri will be trained to pick up different accents
Changing the wake-up command of the virtual assistant is not as easy as it appears to be. Siri will be trained to get acclimatized to the different types of accents and dialects. Notably, the current two-word activation cue 'Hey Siri' is better understood and is more easily picked up by the system when compared to the simplified phrase 'Siri.'
Siri will also offer other improvements
Siri will also boast other upgrades besides the change in activation command. The voice assistant will have a better processing ability of the users' requests. Further, it would be integrated with more third-party apps and services.
