I vividly recall the unveiling of the iPhone 4S. Being a high school senior at the time, it felt as if the future had arrived in the persona of Siri – a smart, virtual personal assistant that Apple had persuasively marketed as the dawn of a new era.
While Siri was a groundbreaking introduction at the time, the first mainstream voice virtual assistant on a significant smartphone, it fell short of perfection. More than a decade has passed since then, with the development of more sophisticated and natural-sounding AI assistants that readily outperform Siri.
Despite its limitations and the derision it often attracts, I’ve found myself unexpectedly impressed by Siri’s capabilities on several occasions. Here are a few instances where Siri demonstrated its value, despite being considered an underdog in the realm of voice assistants.
One of my primary uses for Siri, apart from querying about the weather, is to identify currently playing tracks. This comes in handy when I’m driving, dining out, or streaming music from my own phone.
While on the topic of music, I often command Siri to add songs to my favorites. This feature proves particularly convenient when I’m on a run and shuffling through my “Discover” playlist, as manually doing so can be cumbersome.
Another surprising capability of Siri is its ability to adjust brightness and sound volume to a specific percentage. I’ve found this feature useful in scenarios where I’m unable to manually adjust these settings.
Despite being considered basic features, Siri’s ability to convert units and currencies, perform simple mathematical calculations, and set reminders has been surprisingly beneficial. I’ve also frequently used Siri as a dictionary and a tool to convert written content into a sort of podcast.
One of the most useful features is Siri’s ability to remember where I’ve parked my car, especially in unfamiliar locations. Additionally, Siri’s capability to log details like weight and medication in the Apple Health app greatly simplifies the process.
Apple is reported to be preparing one of Siri’s most significant upgrades ever, with a fully re-architected version in the works. This includes testing a chatbot system, Veritas, as the foundation for the revamped assistant.
The new Siri will reportedly integrate more deeply with Apple Intelligence and include AI-driven “agents”, hinting at the evolution of Siri into a more personalized coach. There are also plans to allow third-party assistants to use the iPhone’s side button in certain regions, suggesting a shift towards a more flexible approach to voice assistants on the iPhone.
If these upgrades materialize as expected, Siri could transition from being the underdog to a genuinely intelligent assistant in the coming year.
What are some surprising capabilities of Siri?
Siri can identify currently playing tracks, add songs to a user’s favorites list, adjust brightness and sound volume to a specific percentage, convert units and currencies, perform mathematical calculations, set reminders, remember where a user has parked their car, and log details in the Apple Health app.
What are the plans for Siri’s future?
Apple is reportedly preparing a significant overhaul of Siri, including a fully re-architected version that incorporates a chatbot system, deeper integration with Apple Intelligence, and the introduction of AI-driven “agents”.
Can Siri integrate with third-party assistants?
Apple is testing a framework that allows third-party assistants to use the iPhone’s side button in certain regions, suggesting a move towards a more flexible approach to voice assistants on the iPhone.
