At the upcoming WWDC keynote, Apple may unveil an interesting change to its virtual assistant Siri. According to respected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the company is discussing doing away with the "Hey Siri" trigger that is currently required to activate Siri hands-free. This change could allow Siri users to address and give commands to the assistant using just one word - "Siri."
Siri has been one of the most distinctive features of Apple products since its launch. Voice recognition and control allow users to conveniently interact with their iPhone, iPad or other devices. Until now, however, it was necessary to say the phrase "Hey Siri" to activate the virtual assistant. Apple apparently plans to eliminate this trigger and simplify the Siri experience.
“Hey Siri” goodbye: Apple plans groundbreaking changes
Mark Gurman confirmed the possible abolition of the “Hey Siri” trigger in a recent Tweet and revealed that this could be one of the planned announcements for WWDC next week. Back in November, Gurman reported on Apple's efforts to evolve Siri so that it recognizes and responds to commands without the trigger phrase "Hey Siri." Users would then only have to say the word "Siri." This initiative by Apple goes hand in hand with omitting the "Hey" in the trigger phrase and improving Siri's usability. Although this change may seem minor at first glance, it is a technical challenge that requires extensive artificial intelligence training and fundamental engineering work. Siri must be able to understand and interpret the command "Siri" in different accents and dialects. The current two-part trigger phrase "Hey Siri" increases the likelihood of accurate signal recognition.
Alexa, who? Apple plans voice assistant upgrade at WWDC
This innovation would bring Siri closer to Amazon's voice assistant Alexa, which can only be activated with the word "Alexa". Gurman also emphasized that Apple is also working on more intensive integration of Siri with third-party applications and services. This should enable improved support through additional context. Gurman had originally predicted that the changes to Siri would not be introduced until 2023 or 2024. However, his recent tweet suggests that an announcement could be made as early as next week's WWDC keynote. It is speculated that these improvements to Siri may coincide with the launch of Apple's mixed reality headset, which is expected to have voice control. The further development of Siri and the elimination of the "Hey Siri" trigger could therefore represent an important step in improving the user experience with future Apple products. (Photo by DedMityay / Bigstockphoto)
