What is Siri: a review of Apple's interactive assistant and its analogue. How Siri works on iPhone

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Siri is a voice assistant or artificial intelligence. Who likes it more? This is a program that is built into all devices running under the operating system. iOS system. Before the release of the ninth version of the “apple” operating system Siri was more of an entertainment tool.

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Needless to say, its functionality was not up to par with its competitors from Microsoft and Google. But everything changed after the release of iOS9. Siri has gotten smarter and can now be used to solve your everyday problems.

How to launch Siri?

Launching the voice assistant is very simple. It is enough to hold the home button for about two seconds. You don't even need to unlock the device. It is enough that it is included. After sound signal An image of a microphone will appear on the screen. This means that Apple's assistant is ready to go.

Click on the image question mark. This will open a list of applications that can be controlled using Siri. Thanks to this voice assistant, you can save a lot of time when working with your device. Moreover, most importantly, Siri is able to adapt to the user’s pronunciation characteristics.

Sending messages

Probably the easiest way to use Apple's voice assistant is to read text messages. This will help you save time before typing them on the keyboard and at the same time increase your productivity. Which is especially useful when using a smartphone. Where is it even comfortable? virtual keyboard from Apple cannot always correctly “count” finger touches on the screen.

Dictate text notes, emails, messages for friends and colleagues in instant messengers, etc. using Siri. Two to three days using Siri and you can do it many times faster than using a keyboard.

Working with the calendar

Another one smart opportunity usage voice assistant on iPhone and iPad – working with a calendar. At the same time, many people rate the use of Siri for such “work” higher than dictation. simple notes. With Siri you can:

Find out what's planned on your calendar without activating the corresponding program
Reschedule the meeting to another time
Schedule a phone call
Make an appointment with a colleague or companion
Cancel meeting

All these actions can be performed simply by telling Siri to do it.

You'll love telling your phone the date, time, and location of a meeting, event, or visit—and finding it in your calendar. And if you have a situation in which two meetings overlap each other in time, Siri will immediately notify you about this.

Route planning

You can also ask Siri for directions to desired point. This is very useful in a new city where you have trouble finding your way around. In this case, you will no longer need your navigator, where the address is entered manually. Just say “Siri”:

“How to get to Lenin Avenue, building 37”
“Where is the nearest gas station or grocery store?”
"Where does Katya live"
“How long will it take me to get to the Koroleva microdistrict, house 24?”

It is very convenient, simple and does not take much time, as if you enter the address manually.

Reminders

Another feature without which it is impossible to imagine the smart use of a voice assistant is reminders. Human memory often fails. Especially when you don’t expect it from her. In order to better organize your life and minimize memory problems, we leave reminders. You can also do this using Siri. We simply tell our voice assistant:

“Remind me to buy printer paper.”
“Remind me to call Ira and resolve the supply issue”
“Remind me to go to the service center for diagnostics”

Create a few of these reminders using Siri and you'll see how convenient it is compared to writing in your diary.

Alarm clock and mail

Are you still setting your alarm clock manually? Ask them to do it for you smart Siri. Tell her:

"Wake me up tomorrow at 6:15"
“Turn on the timer for 15 minutes.”
"Tell me when it's 12:00"

Artificial intelligence Siri will help you find email from the desired addressee. Of course, you can use this electronic assistant to dictate and send email. But be sure to check such letters before sending. What if Siri understands something wrong?

Other examples of using Siri

“What films did Benedict Cumberbatch star in?”
"What is a decanter"
"Britain's First Prime Minister"

Proactive Assistant feature

IN new Siri The Proactive Assistant function has been implemented. This key innovation helped Apple's voice assistant, if not overtake its competitors, then certainly catch up with them. Using the Proactive Assistant mode, the voice assistant is able to predict the user's actions and help him carry them out.

Siri's self-learning intelligence will study the user's habits and predict them. If you like to listen to music in the morning, Siri will turn it on automatically. And if you like to check your email or browse Facebook during your lunch break, Siri's Proactive Assistant will help you do it without unnecessary reminders.

Safety

And in conclusion, I would like to say a few words about safety. Many people are afraid to use Apple's voice assistant for fear that their data will leak online. The developer assured that this will not happen due to the fact that Siri is not directly connected to the Apple ID. Therefore, all data will be controlled only by a specific user.

Video. Siri in Russian. iOS 9.2

Function " Hey Siri!", calling voice assistant, is one of the relatively few features that was blatantly snatched from the guys from a competing platform (“Okay, Google”). In this material we will tell you which Apple devices it works, why it is needed and how to turn it on with your voice and make some personalization settings. Instructions for beginners!

In contact with

Thanks to the Siri voice assistant, almost everyone iPhone owner(4s and older), iPad (3rd generation and older, and all devices iPad lines mini), iPod touch 5g and Apple Watch can call callers by voice, set alarms, write messages and even dictate texts. More detailed list useful commands you can read it.

And if previously you had to hold down the “Home” button to activate the function, now you just need to say the phrase “Hey Siri!” (the feature appeared on iOS 9 and also works on more later versions firmware). True, there are some nuances here too.

On which iPhones and iPads does Siri voice activation work?

Call Siri voice will work on supported devices as long as they are connected to a power source. The exception was top gadgets such as iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE and iPad Pro, which are almost always ready upon request “Hey Siri!” respond and execute a voice command.

How to activate the “Hey Siri!” feature on iPhone and iPad?

1 . Open Settings → Basic → Siri.

2 . Activate the " Hey Siri!", switching the corresponding toggle switch to the active position.

3 . The assistant will prompt you to press the “ Tune” and repeat some simple expressions to better remember your voice, to further reduce the chance of others accidentally activating Siri on your device.

Note to owners of high-end devices in which you can activate Siri without connecting the gadget to a power source - time battery life will certainly decrease.

The voice assistant Siri has already become a familiar part of our Everyday life. But few people wondered where this name came from. Sostav found out where the names Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant came from.

When developers come up with a name for digital assistant, they check several things. First, the name should be unique but simple so that users can easily remember it. Secondly, it should be easy to pronounce, but not merge with other words. That is, the name should stand out. And finally, the name should fit the company's brand.

Most voice assistants have common feature: they have women's voices. Many experts believe that women's voices sound more pleasant. However, some see this as an unpleasant hint: only a woman can be an assistant, this is her usual role. Be that as it may, everyone is already accustomed to the fact that digital assistants are usually female.

In 2010 Steve Jobs and Apple acquired a startup developing a digital assistant. Even then they were going to call the assistant “Siri”. However, Steve Jobs did not like the name proposed by the developers.

“When it came to the name, we wanted to come up with something that was easy to remember. Something short and easy to pronounce, but not a common name. We also needed to save money on registering the name,” explains Siri co-creator Adam Cheyer. Steve Jobs didn't like the name. But many considered it ideal.

Dig Kittlaus, one of the creators of Siri, said that the name means “a beautiful woman who leads you to victory.” Cheyer liked that it meant “secret” in Swahili. In addition, the name echoed the history of the company (SRI International began developing the service). Jobs kept the name only because the team couldn't come up with anything better.

When creating this assistant, Amazon was inspired by science fiction. The goal, according to a statement by Amazon's vice president, was to create a device that replicated the computer from the series " Star Trek" This famous computer could respond to any command.

However, the name Alexa did not come from a fantastic future, but from the ancient past. The name, says David Limp, a senior vice president at Amazon, is meant to evoke the great Library of Alexandria from Ancient Egypt.

“We had a bunch of names to choose from,” Limp said, adding that the name helps build a personality for the formless artificial intelligence.

Since Alexa is a fairly common name in some countries, some problems may arise. People may accidentally call the voice assistant instead of each other. So Amazon came up with two more teams: Amazon and Echo.

Google Assistant

At first glance, the name of this assistant seems unoriginal and simple, but this is part of Google's global strategy. Google's goal is to promote its own brand, the entire package of services and technologies, and not just one assistant. The company prefers to present the voice assistant not as a separate product with its own personality, but as an extension of the search engine.

IN this review I decided to combine everything necessary knowledge about Siri. From the article you will learn how to set up Siri, how to use it, what it can do and why it is needed at all.

Who is Siri? What is Siri?

Siri (English: Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) - personal assistant and a question and answer system designed for iOS. Siri uses natural speech processing to answer questions and make recommendations. Siri adapts to each user individually, learning their preferences over time.

Siri's history begins in 2010, when voice application Fall into App Store from Siri Inc. On April 28, 2010, Siri was acquired by Apple.

Siri is available on the following devices.

iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, 6 Plus
iPad Mini 1, 2, 3, iPad 3, 4, Air, Air 2
iPod touch
Apple Watch

Siri on English language first appeared in iOS 5. Siri in Russian was released along with iOS 8.3.

How to turn Siri on/off?

Siri has not yet been selected in Settings separate section. So let's go to Settings->General->Siri. Turn on the Siri checkbox if it is not enabled.

After this, a message appears in the center of the screen, which warns the user that requests for Siri are being sent to Apple servers. Click “Enable Siri”

Below we see the Siri settings (we’ll come back to them later). We are interested in the item Language. Select "Russian".

Now click Home button on the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch and hold it without lifting your finger for a couple of seconds. The Siri start window appears on your iPad.

We ask our questions and receive answers or some actions from the system.

Siri Settings

Settings->General->Siri. Let's go through the specific options.

Allow "Hey Siri"- by enabling this option you can activate Siri if the phone is charging. To do this, I must say, you will never guess... “Hey Siri.”

Language- choice Siri language. Yes, you can talk to Siri in any language you know. Moreover, for some languages there are dialects to choose from.

You need to understand that phrases for Siri are spoken by a living person (announcer). This requires resources: that is why Siri still speaks Russian in only a female voice.

Audio review- the essence of this setting: make Siri silent if the phone is in silent mode. By default, Siri will always speak.

My details- this item allows you to select yourself from the Contacts program. Siri will address you as specified in the Nickname field (if available) or by name.

Let me add that Siri can understand human language and she is constantly learning. That is, she understands human phrases like “How are you?” and responds accordingly. Chat with Siri. :)

Siri also provides the most extensive capabilities in English. In Russian there are many additional options Not yet. In particular, the English Siri supports the WolframAlpha system. Translation into Russian is underway, but there is no exact time frame for the appearance of WolframAlpha support in our Siri.

Siri is built into CarPlay. CarPlay is modern way iPhone control in a car, when the most required applications, adapted for the driver.

Supported languages

English (UK, Australia, Canada and USA)
Spanish (Spain, Mexico and USA)
Italian (Switzerland and Italy)
German (Germany and Switzerland)
Japanese (Japan)
French (France, Switzerland and Canada)
Chinese (China and Taiwan)
Korean (South Korea)
Cantonese (Hong Kong)

Unfortunately, Siri is not yet available in Russian, but don’t worry, experienced programmers are already working on creating this directive.

Thank you for your attention and see you soon.