Who is Siri? Best friend and personal assistant. Siri from Apple: what the program can do and how to use it
The role of smartphones in the lives of each of us is becoming much more noticeable. We spend most of our time with portable mobile devices, and therefore, one might say, we are constantly in touch as in mobile network, and on various social platforms, like Twitter and Facebook.
But what’s remarkable is that smartphones have become our assistants, organizing our workday, helping us set and achieve goals, and controlling our behavior (to some extent). One of the tools that makes a user's life easier is Siri. We will tell you in this article how to enable this “assistant” on your phone, what it is and how it works.
Siri technology
So, let's start with the fact that the technology on which the Siri system operates is, in fact, the experience of many years of development by a huge group of scientists. If you believe the official information, then about 40 years ago the developers worked to create a prototype artificial intelligence, which could collect, analyze and respond to information coming from environment. Siri, based on these technologies, has essentially absorbed these developments. And Apple, which introduced the platform to the market as an addition to its product, became one of the pioneers of the era of artificial intelligence in smartphones. And, in fact, thanks to the work of many scientists, today the user can work with Siri. What this is - we will tell you in more detail below.
Siri on iPhone
On an Apple smartphone - iPhone (from the 4S model to the latest - Siri is presented as simple application. It can be installed from the program catalog for devices running the operating system. iOS system, and start with a simple click of a button.
Besides the possibility additional loading Siri, iPhone has this program as one of the basic ones. Thus, even if the user does not know about the existence of the Appstore, he can use this “assistant” after purchasing the phone.
Although Siri works on the principle of detecting speech requests, this does not limit users from most countries in terms of language integration. This is achieved by the development company due to the fact that the program has up to 20 versions that work with different languages. Of course, there is also Siri in Russian, which is available in the Russian Federation.
Siri features
A user who has not yet encountered this application experiences logical question: What exactly is included in Siri’s functions? Actually, how can this program help the phone owner, and why is it needed?
The answer is simple: the application acts as a personal assistant. Its “responsibilities” (to use this word correctly in relation to the application) include recognizing user commands, processing them and, of course, reacting appropriately. This is how the main function of the application can be characterized.
As for the specific tasks that Siri works with, these are, in fact, the same tasks that your smartphone performs. Considering the iPhone, we can say that this application allows you to contact the phone with various requests and wait for it to complete the task.
Features of the program
Of course, technologies that would allow your iPhone to absolutely accurately “understand” you solely by your voice do not yet exist. Siri is just an attempt to create such a universal and working solution, but it’s not ideal either. Therefore, you need to know on the iPhone 5 (as, indeed, on any other model). In particular, you need to try to make the most correct requests (for example, “Call mom,” “Open a card,” and so on). You should not make calls to your smartphone in any form (especially if we're talking about not about English language, which Siri recognizes best).
Another feature, of course, is the clarity of speech and, in particular, the words you speak to Siri. What kind of phrases these will be and how clearly you will pronounce them is up to you. But remember that the degree to which the program recognizes your voice depends on this. For example, if you give a command in a noisy environment, the “assistant” will most likely “not understand” you.
Available languages
You may ask, which ones are available in Siri languages? We answer: these are English, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Danish, Chinese, Korean, German, Thai, Turkish and Japanese. Availability of language in this list means that people can make a request to the program on it, and it will “understand” what the user wants.
One thing to note is that each of these languages is not available on all versions of iOS. About half were added relatively recently, starting with modification 8.3.
How to work with Siri?
In this part of the article we will describe the procedure for what is needed to start working with Siri (how to enable the application, in fact). So, let's consider two possible options: if you have preset program(which comes immediately with the new device), then in this case there is no need to take any special actions. The program is launched, as mentioned above, by long pressing on Home button. If you do not use this function and do not want to call the “assistant” in this way, you can disable it in the settings.
Another option is when you, for some reason, don't have Siri and would like to install it from scratch. This is easy to do: just go to the Appstore and install it like other programs. Then you can access Siri from the desktop, launching it in normal mode.
No activation or additional registration the program does not require it. This is the beauty of this development - with all the breadth of its capabilities, Apple presented it in the most simplified form. The interface ended up being simple and clear.
How to use?
And using Siri (what it is and how it works, in general, I think we figured it out) is very simple. Once you launch the application, you will see a new window showing a line (like in voice recorders). Besides, launch Siri is also accompanied by a characteristic sound (a specific “double” signal), after which the phrase “Hello, how can i help you?” is pronounced. in English (or “How can I help you?” in Russian). After that, you can say a phrase indicating the command you need: “Siri, show me the nearest restaurants,” for example.
After your speech has been recorded, the program will give another signal, followed immediately by a response.
Prospects and opportunities
In fact, all information about this application is general. We know how Siri helps. That this is a product that in the future will be able to “learn” to fulfill all our requirements without exception (and then it will become truly convenient).
I wonder if this development can somehow be applied in other areas?
Experts say that behind such software solutions, like Siri, the future of humanity. Perhaps one day artificial intelligence will be able to solve our most complex problems, make incredible calculations, and answer questions for which we, humans, have not been able to find answers.
There is also a theory that Siri is just a useless Apple gimmick that also doesn't recognize speech at the required level.
Be that as it may, in English (in the USA, in particular), people really use this application more actively than in all other countries. Here Siri is integrated into many other user online services released by Yahoo, Google, Yandex, Facebook and many others. The task of each of them is to make sure that a user working with his iPhone can perform any action “hands-free”, simply by issuing commands verbally. Perhaps such developments will actually lead to something interesting on the market.
Analogs on other platforms
Another thing to note is that Siri technology is not original or new to the market. mobile devices. In order to understand this, it is enough to take some advanced Samsung and find the function Yes, on devices of the Korean company such applications work less accurately than on smartphones with iOS; however, it is quite possible that at one point Apple will cede its leadership position to a technologically advanced company.
In addition, there are a number of lesser-known developments that exist in the form of small startups and are also working on voice recognition. So far, of course, there have not been any “high-profile” breakthroughs in this area, but it is also impossible to say that it is standing still. Using your voice, for example, you can already control the multimedia system in your car, which helps reduce the level of danger on the roads. A similar mechanism can be applied even in the most different areas- and it can really help improve our lives.
In the meantime, even the fact that your iPhone has its own “assistant” is encouraging. After all, two words are enough to call a loved one. Or maybe Siri was even able to save someone’s life?!
What to talk about with the girl on the phone.
Siri, a personal voice assistant, appeared on iOS devices in 2011. Since then Apple moment actively develops her ability to respond to the most difficult questions. Below is a list useful commands Siri you might not know about.
The following works on iPhone and iPad. Possibly on a Mac running the latest macOS Sierra beta.
1. Find the photos I took...
Siri can filter photos taken by location. Request “find the photographs I took in Moscow” allowed me to easily find the ones I needed among hundreds of photos from the Russian capital. The main thing is that the geolocation service is enabled in the photo application. You can also ask Siri to show you photos and videos from a specific date, month, or year.
2. Remind me about...
Siri makes it easy to create reminders. So much so that I stopped using it application of the same name. Request “remind me about the article when I get home” helps me personally, and you experiment, saving general structure phrases. Also, a reminder can be made not based on specific location, and by time - just mention the date in the format “remind me at 22:00”.
3. Turn on Bluetooth
Siri can do many things faster than you. For example, turn on/off network functions. For example, "turn on Bluetooth" or "Airplane mode". However, Siri will remind you that it will no longer be able to work without the Internet.
4. How much will it be...
The voice assistant can count. Say any calculation: "twenty-five thousand minus eighteen thousand two hundred and thirty-one", hear the result out loud. Siri also knows the number of days since specific date or before a certain event. Can even tell the distance to certain point. But the most convenient thing is the opportunity convert values. What is 300 feet in meters, 45 ounces in grams, and so on.
5. Read the latest message from...
Siri can find messages: just ask “read the latest messages from Artyom”. After this, he will offer to answer dictation. This is the best thing when you are driving or just in a hurry. Or if your hands are dirty.
6. Turn off the lights in the living room
If your home is equipped with smart gadgets (for example, smart light bulbs), and the appropriate settings have been made in the HomeKit application, requests to turn devices on/off will click like nuts with Siri. If, of course, there is something to click - “set the temperature to twenty-two degrees” or “turn off the outlets in the living room”.
7. Set an alarm
It's a common thing when I go to bed. "Wake me up at 7 am" or “set the alarm for nine twenty-five”. The timer is also adjustable.
8. What song is playing
You don't have to turn on Shazam to find out the name of the tune being played on the radio. Just ask Siri about it, she will tell you: "What song is playing" or “what kind of track is this”. In addition, the assistant adds the found track to a special tab mobile version iTunes. You won't lose it.
9. Play some music
Simple query, simple result: "Turn on the music"- music from iOS player. In addition, you can ask to launch a specific playlist, selection, and genre. It is also possible to launch tracks of specific artists or albums. But be prepared to struggle with the pronunciation of their names, especially if they are English :)
If you are subscribed to Apple Music, the assistant will search for music among 30 million songs. A music lover's dream.
10. What's up with the weather?
Siri understands almost any weather-related request: "what's the weather like", "will it rain today", “Is it worth taking an umbrella”, “what will the weather be like in the evening”, “what is the temperature now”. Moreover, her answers are always slightly different, but clearly correspond to the request. He can tell you about the weather on a specific day of the week, he can answer whether you should wait for the sun, and so on.
This is far from full list possible commands - it is impressive and is constantly being expanded with new firmware. I'm glad that today you can really communicate with Siri, and it really saves time. What used to be in science fiction films has become reality.
Here's just one question:
Siri is an important and integral part of iOS, available for use on almost all devices Apple(iPad, including all models from the third generation, iPad mini, iPhone from 4S and above, Apple Watch and iPod 5g). Previously, Siri was introduced as an iOS application from the company of the same name. Apple later acquired Siri Inc, and this application was integrated into its products as a native question-and-answer system.
What is Siri
Apple positions Siri as a personal intelligent assistant that performs various actions in response to your requests. With Siri, you can use voice commands to send messages, dial telephone numbers, planning events and meetings.
At the same time, Siri is not a simple product software. Communication does not require memorizing different keywords or phrases like in others, similar systems. Siri can recognize natural human speech quite easily. Perhaps the communication style of Russian Siri is less laconic than English - but this is a matter of time.
How to start using Siri
Before starting our experiments, you must be sure that the corresponding function is enabled in your settings and that the device is connected to the Internet.
So, go to “Settings” -> “General” -> “Siri” and see what we have there and how. If the swipe is inactive, then move it to the right and thereby turn on Siri. Here you can activate the ability to call the assistant using the phrase “Hello Siri”, make sure that the Russian language for communication is set and set your data so that Siri can contact you by name.
Now that everything is set up, we can continue. We became familiar with the first way to call the assistant (the phrase “Hello Siri”) when we went to Settings. There is also a second one standard way, - for an alternative call to Siri, hold down the Home button until, after several beeps, the question “How can I help?” appears on the screen of your device.
When you speak, animated audio waves on the screen will let you know that Siri's question-and-answer system is hearing and processing your voice. In order to say the next line in an ongoing dialogue, wait for an answer, and then click on the microphone icon.
In addition, it is worth noting that to communicate with Siri you can use Bluetooth headset or ordinary headphones. When using headphones with a microphone or remote control, hold the center button; when using a headset, hold the call button for a few seconds.
Siri can also be used in the car. If your car has the “Without Looking” mode, you can use the program using the button for voice commands on the steering wheel.
Rules for communicating with Siri
The main rule is clear speech, do not forget to help Siri recognize it correctly if your communication takes place in a place with a high level of background noise. To do this, make clear pauses between words, and at the end of the remark, click on the radio wave icon. This way communication will be clearer, faster and more productive.
— Does intonation play a role when pronouncing voice commands?
No! Intonation plays absolutely no role. When communicating with Siri, you can use your natural speech pattern. Only if you dictate the text for a note or message, indicate punctuation marks. When you dictate the phrase “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” you should say “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today, comma.”
— Are they required? presets or training to get Siri to work on the device?
No, none additional settings is not required on the user's part. The longer you use the program, the more it remembers information about you, and the better it recognizes your voice. This happens because Siri remembers the features of your voice and determines its accent.
In its work, Siri uses information from your calendars, contacts list, reminders and media library. Such a wide range of possible information helps to accurately answer questions. a large number of questions related to playing music, creating appointments, reminders and calls. If you want to clear Siri’s so-called “memory” of you and your voice, you need to turn it off and turn it on again.
Your iOS device initially uses standard voice. After the first connection to a network source, a more natural voiceover is automatically downloaded and installed.
The main features of Russian Siri
Russian Siri will help you make a call, find an establishment, create an appointment or reminder, find something on the Internet, identify a song.
In order to find out more possibilities, just ask - “What can you do for me, Siri?” After this, the screen will appear detailed examples possible requests.
— What programs does Russian Siri work with after iOS updates 8.3?
Thanks to its capabilities, Siri easily determines which program should be used when processing a request. Such programs include: Phone, Calendar, Messages, Weather, Alarms, Music, Twitter, Search on Wikipedia or the Internet, World Clock, Movies, Maps, WolframAlfa, Local Search and many others.
— How does Siri remember information about me?
The quality of the program improves as a result of storing data. To make sure Siri is on your iOS devices It doesn’t really remember the data, you just need to go to Settings and click My data.
Storing data is quite easy. Once you ask Siri to dial your sister’s number, she will already be aware of one of your loved ones. By asking her for directions on the best way to get home, or what restaurants are near your work, the program will already remember where you live and what company you work for. Further, in her answers to the questions posed, she will use existing data about you and your family.
— What languages does Siri support?
Siri can answer questions posed in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, Italian, Cantonese, and Russian (since iOS 8 update). The language can be selected regardless of the country in which you are currently located.
Features of the program
Russian Siri was a very long-awaited new product for iOS users devices. After the release of iOS 8.3 beta 2, this built-in program attracted a lot of attention.
Knowing some of the nuances, you can quickly make your work easier with this built-in assistant. The application allows you to assign appropriate names to names. Having once said “My sister is Ira,” Siri will process and save this information, and after the request, “Call my sister,” Siri will dial Ira’s number.
Example requests
Contact book
- Call your sister.
- What is Igor's number?
- Which email address at the boss's.
Phone calls
- Call Katya at Home.
- Call Katya on Mobile.
- Show your call history.
- How many missed calls do I have?
- Who did I call last?
- Who left me a message on my answering machine?
Text messages
- Tell Denis: “Sorry, I’ll be late.”
- Read all new messages.
- Read last message from Andrey.
- Write to the first person in my contact book: “Hello!”
Applications
- Upload a photo to Instagram.
- Turn on the camera.
- Launch the Application Name application.
Calendar
- Make appointments for 9am today.
- When is my meeting?
- Cancel the meeting with Yegor.
- Schedule a business lunch for Monday at 1:00 p.m.
The Siri function is available in Russian starting from iOS versions 8.3 and higher. This personal assistant, which can be controlled by voice. Positioned as the artificial intelligence of your IPhone, with which you can communicate and learn various information. In fact, this innovation also caused a lot of criticism and ridicule, especially due to the peculiarities of the Russian language.
You can fully configure and use Siri on iPhone 6 and higher. On older phones, as well as on iPad and iPod Touch it works with some limitations.
Setting up Siri
Before you start using Siri, you need to enable and configure it:
- Go to Settings on your iPhone and tap Siri.
- Turn all the sliders to the on position (Siri, On Lock Screen, Allow: Hey Siri).
- Next, the program setup procedure will begin. Follow the instructions on the screen. You will need to clearly pronounce the suggested phrases several times in order for the program to work correctly in the future.
Siri is available on iPhone 4s and above, iPad Pro, iPad Air and later, iPod Touch 5th generation and later. However, the voice calling feature only works fully on iPhone 6 and above; on older devices it only works if they are connected to a charger. On iPad, iPad2 and iPad mini function voice call not supported.
Ways to contact an assistant:
- Clearly say “Hey Siri” (if supported).
- Press and hold the Home button and question options will appear on the screen. Or you can set your own. Depending on the model, you can simply say, or you may need to click on the microphone icon on the screen each time. If Siri is ready to accept commands, then on the screen you will see a colored horizontal bar depicting sound wave.
- If you have a headset with a remote control, press and hold the center button or the call button until sound signal. After this you can speak commands. For AirPods headphones Just double-click on the surface of one of the headphones.
- For vehicles equipped with technology: Press and hold the voice command button on the steering wheel or, if vehicle equipped touch screen, press and hold Home. To improve perception in noisy conditions, the program will speak commands for confirmation. Click on the sound wave if you want to indicate that you have finished speaking.
You can also customize the language, audio feedback and call announcements. For some countries, voice selection is available, but for the Russian language only female has been developed so far. To enable call announcements, go to “Settings”, then “Phone”, “Call Announcements” and select the desired option.
Siri is integrated into many applications. This can be allowed or prohibited in the appropriate paragraphs. For example, if you move the screen to the right, under the usual search bar you will see “ Siri Suggestions"and a panel with icons. These are the most necessary programs, in her opinion, but this does not always coincide with your opinion. To disable these offers, do the following:
- Go to “Settings”, “General”.
- Select Spotlight Search.
- Move the Siri Suggestions slider to the Off position.
- While you're at it, you can see if you need Spotlight Suggestions in your search.
- Here you can configure which applications will not be displayed in the results.
If you don’t need not only suggestions, but also the electronic assistant itself, then you can turn it off completely by moving the slider in the “Settings” menu - Siri. Removing audio feedback means disabling Siri in silent mode. By default, this option is activated along with the assistant itself.
Using Siri
The most interesting thing is what features the electronic assistant offers. The developers have endowed the application with wit and a friendly communication style. It’s hard to say whether they use it for convenience or, rather, for entertainment and lifting the mood.
Here basic commands, with which Siri will help you control your phone or tablet:
These are just example commands to show areas of opportunity. Pronounce commands clearly and ask for clarifications. Siri often asks for confirmation whether she understood the command correctly. And you can also ask her general and tricky questions. Just for fun, try asking the following:
- Siri, are you smart?
- What's wrong with Apple?
- Who made the best computer?
- I want to sleep.
- What came first, the egg or the chicken?
- How old are you?
- Tell a joke.
- Tell me a story.
- Okay Google.
Ask tricky questions several times and she will have a variety of answers. Like this interesting feature available on Apple devices. Allows you not only to control your phone using your voice, but also to have a little fun and lift your spirits. If you know more interesting teams and unusual Siri responses, give your examples in the comments.
She managed to become for many users not only a faithful assistant, but also a pleasant interlocutor, with whom, if she knows how to find the right approach You can exchange a few words. But not everyone knows that this technology has existed for a long time and is not own development Apple. In this series of articles, based on materials from the Huffington Post, we will follow life cycle the most charming and attractive product of artificial intelligence technologies.
For the first time, a wide audience saw the same round icon with a microphone when Apple arranged iPhone presentation 4S. That morning, the then vice president of the company took the phone in his hands, pressed the button and asked:
“I am your humble personal assistant,” replied female voice to approving laughter from the audience.
Over time, it became clear that Siri’s place in the lives of users will no longer be so modest. Meanwhile, this virtual assistant was first released in early 2010 as third party application for iPhone. The app was also called Siri and was developed by a 24-person startup that would later be acquired by Apple.
At the time, Siri had a bolder demeanor and a richer feature set. Like science fiction writers dreaming up a character in a novel, Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus and design expert Harry Saddler carefully crafted the girl's personality and backstory. She had to be “out of this world,” “vaguely familiar with popular culture,” and possessed of “veiled sarcasm,” Kittlaus recalls.
For example, when asked about the gym, Siri could quip: “It wouldn’t hurt you to go there, your grip is not the same.” And if you ask “What happened to HAL?” (brainy talking computer from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, she would say things like, "I don't want to talk about it." And at that time, the word “fuck” was present in Siri’s vocabulary.
When did this rude woman get into Apple hands, her mouth was immediately washed with soap, depriving her of several old functions and enriching them with new ones. Siri, which Apple acquired for an undisclosed sum believed to range from $150 million to $250 million, was subsequently able to learn multiple languages. She came to the service of millions of people, even though she was programmed to work all over the world. She also gained a voice, whereas previously she only answered questions through written messages. In addition, it was integrated into the iPhone, which allowed it to interact with more functions operating system.
However, no matter how impressive these abilities are, many users do not know what is in Apple's Siri versions It's missing many of the features it was originally equipped with. After all, this was not just an iPhone application, but the result of an initiative funded by the US Department of Defense aimed at creating a virtual assistant that could think and learn.
IN original version, dating back to 2010, Siri was able to communicate with 42 different web services, from Yelp and StubHub to Rotten Tomatoes and Wolfram Alpha, providing the user with a single response that included the most important data received from those sources. She knew how to buy tickets, make restaurant reservations and call a taxi, without any need to open separate application, register in special service or carry out phone call. In addition, it very efficiently and intuitively adapted to the user's tastes and wishes in order to fulfill queries and produce results that would best suit him.
At a 2010 technology conference, Siri co-founder Tom Gruber demonstrated how the technology works. He said, “Find me a romantic place near my office that serves Italian food.” In response to the request, he received information that contained the most necessary data from Citysearch, Gayot, Yelp, Yahoo! Local, AllMenus.com, Google Maps, BooRah and OpenTable.
According to the creators, Siri was supposed to become an “active mechanism” that allowed people to talk with the Internet. While the search engine used selected keywords to generate a list of links, the active engine could engage in dialogue and then make a decision and act on that decision. Have you had too much alcohol and want to get home? The ability to interact with Google's search engine to find help is unlikely to help you out on its own. But if an active mechanism comes into play, it can transform your incoherent "I'm drunk, take me home" into a command that goes to a taxi service located in the nearest area.
The startup's goal was not to create a better search engine, but to become pioneers in shaping an entirely new paradigm for interacting with the Internet. This paradigm implied that intelligent system provides a person with answers to his questions, rather than simply loading relevant search results, from which he must independently choose the most suitable one. If search engines recognized as the second generation of the Internet, then, as the Siri developers were sure, the active mechanism was supposed to become its third generation.
The active mechanism was designed to be a part of your life that is always at your fingertips. Such an assistant should anticipate your desires and fulfill them before you even think about them. For example, the creators of Siri planned (it did not go further than plans) to develop a way to provide assistance to passengers whose flights were delayed or cancelled. The digital assistant could quickly search for flights of other companies, the nearest trains, as well as car rental services where this moment there are free cars.
Paradoxically, this Siri of the past contained hints about what Siri functions might look like in the future and how artificial intelligence technologies will actively permeate our lives. The global goal of the project was to expand a person’s capabilities by adding an assistant into his life, compensating for the limitations of our brain and eliminating the need to perform unnecessary and boring tasks.
People who were familiar with Siri before 2011 know that Apple versions The system's potential has only been partially realized. “The creators of Siri saw the future, defined the future, and built the first working version of the future,” said Gary Morgenthaler. This man was one of the first venture investors who believed in the success of Siri and supported the project with money.
“As members of the original team, we are extremely disappointed in how slowly this technology has moved to market since it was acquired by another company.”
But today, with multiple virtual assistants vying for space in our lives, Apple must use the technology it has to turn Siri into a powerful assistant that can bring real value to people. From the history of Siri, it is clear that a fantastic future of digital assistants is coming. And if today Siri is just a technology that flies into the market from the springboard of the iPhone, then it is possible that in the future the iPhone itself will be remembered only as the phone in which the greatest Siri technology debuted.
“There is no doubt that this kinder, more gracious version of HAL will one day become part of the mainstream,” Kittlaus states. “Today she’s just a cover story, but she’s definitely capable of more.”
Based on materials from Huffingtonpost.com