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Siri still sucks
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turtle777
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Sep 17, 2016, 07:24 PM
 
I was trying to give Siri a chance. After all those years and big talk, I thought Apple was making progress.



"Send text message to my wife" works, and Siri correctly picks my wife's cell phone number and asks for the message that I want to send.

But when I say "Send text message to [my wife's name]", Siri just gives me this shit:



Never mind that my wife's cell is in my favorites (see star next to it), and it's the only phone number in her address card that's assigned cell/mobile/iPhone.

This is just stupid.


Next: I receive a text message.

"Siri, reply to text message" - Siri: "Ok, to whom?"
"Siri, reply to LAST text message" - Siri: "Ok, what do you want the message to say, and who do you want to send it to?"
"Siri, respond to LAST text message" - Siri: "Who do you want to text?"
"Siri, respond to LAST text message that I received" - Siri: "Who shall I text?"

I mean, WTF ? This is basic stuff. Aaaargh.

-t
     
OAW
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Sep 17, 2016, 09:13 PM
 
I agree that dealing with Siri for beyond the most rudimentary of tasks is often more trouble than it's worth. But have you tried "Send text message to [my wife's name] mobile?" Texts can be sent to multiple devices so that command needs more clarification? It's silly I know. But it's with a shot.

OAW
     
turtle777  (op)
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Sep 17, 2016, 10:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by OAW View Post
But have you tried "Send text message to [my wife's name] mobile?"
Yes, that works. Sigh.

I thought the advantage if Siri was supposed to be that you didn't have to learn a specific syntax.

Originally Posted by OAW View Post
Texts can be sent to multiple devices so that command needs more clarification? It's silly I know. But it's with a shot.
Sure

But in my case, the other two listed numbers are a Home phone (landline) and a Fax.
Siri should exclude them from any choices for text messages.

Despite what Apple Marketing is trying to tell us, artificial intelligence seems to be more artificial than intelligent.

-t
     
subego
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Sep 18, 2016, 01:41 AM
 
FWIW, I just asked Siri to text to someone who has a mobile, home, and work numbers. She just asked what I wanted to put in the text. No clarification needed.

Since you have "hey Siri" enabled, maybe she heard you shit talking her.
( Last edited by subego; Sep 18, 2016 at 01:53 AM. )
     
turtle777  (op)
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Sep 18, 2016, 02:23 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Since you have "hey Siri" enabled, maybe she heard you shit talking her.
That's a possible explanation, I guess...

-t
     
subego
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Sep 18, 2016, 02:36 AM
 
I'm using iOS 9, so maybe it's one of those things Apple "improved".
     
turtle777  (op)
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Sep 18, 2016, 02:42 AM
 
It's inconsistent.

With some contacts, it works just fine.
With others, Siri thinks a Fax is a viable destination for a text message. What gives.

-t
     
OAW
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Sep 18, 2016, 10:32 AM
 
I agree that Siri should be smart enough to know that the home and fax can't receive texts. But email addresses can texts too. Maybe it got hemmed up on that? Hell I don't know. Like you said it worked fine when you said text my "wife". I'm thinking the algorithm is smarter when you explicitly define a relationship and use that instead of the generic contact name approach. Whatever the reason I can understand your frustration.

OAW
     
OAW
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Apr 7, 2017, 06:08 PM
 
I want to know if this is only happening to me. So we can activate Siri with the "Hey Siri!" command right? But for me sometimes she'll respond with the "beep" and then a spoken response. And other times she'll respond with just the "beep". I have the "Voice Feedback" preference set to "Control with Ring Switch". But I swear even when my ringer is on it's still inconsistent in how she responds. So I find often find myself in one of these situations ...

1. "Hey Siri!" ... hear the "beep" ... start to give a command ... and she responds "Yes?" and doesn't hear it.

2. "Hey Siri!" ... hear the "beep" .... wait to give a command ... and she responds "I'm sorry I didn't get that".

Is it just me?

OAW
     
subego
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Apr 8, 2017, 12:30 AM
 
     
subego
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Apr 8, 2017, 12:39 AM
 
Originally Posted by OAW View Post
I want to know if this is only happening to me. So we can activate Siri with the "Hey Siri!" command right? But for me sometimes she'll respond with the "beep" and then a spoken response. And other times she'll respond with just the "beep". I have the "Voice Feedback" preference set to "Control with Ring Switch". But I swear even when my ringer is on it's still inconsistent in how she responds. So I find often find myself in one of these situations ...

1. "Hey Siri!" ... hear the "beep" ... start to give a command ... and she responds "Yes?" and doesn't hear it.

2. "Hey Siri!" ... hear the "beep" .... wait to give a command ... and she responds "I'm sorry I didn't get that".

Is it just me?

OAW
That seems wrong, and she didn't behave that way during the cursory tests I just did.

I had to test because I never wait for the beep.
     
OAW
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Apr 8, 2017, 11:09 AM
 
The "beep" always occurs if you don't immediately issue a command. But if you just say "Hey Siri!" sometimes she doesn't say anything until you do. And other times she'll say "Yes?" or "I'm listening." It just makes for a very inconsistent and frustrating user experience. And don't even get me started on how if in the middle of a command you pause for half a second to take a breath she just stops listening with "I'm sorry I didn't get that." It's just ridiculous how Apple still hasn't seen fit to fix Siri so she's not constantly interrupting you. They can use AI to make Siri SMARTER all they want but if the INTERFACE tends to result in you hurling expletives at the technology then it's all for naught.

OAW
     
mindwaves
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Apr 9, 2017, 12:38 AM
 
I'm driving and activated Siri using a button on my CR-V. Press button. Wait 3 seconds for Siri to respond. I ask something about directions. Siri said I cannot show you when your screen is off. I unlock screen when driving. Siri says I cannot show you directions when you are driving. Totally useless.

Siri should have told me the 2nd thing and just skipped the first thing.
     
HamSandwich
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Apr 9, 2017, 08:34 AM
 
Siri isn't really very clever... I try to talk it just casually sometimes, cracking jokes, you know, asking her how she felt and she doesn't always react so well. Sometimes, stuff is boring, so I'll talk to her. Never really tried to get going on things more in-depth, it's just ancient tech in a way, everything else about technology has gotten pretty smart and well-done, now with NightShift or True Tone displays, things are just getting better and more sensitive, but Siri is still pretty awkward.
     
Atheist
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Apr 9, 2017, 11:42 AM
 
I'm frustrated daily with Siri. My biggest bother is that she invariably cuts me off before I'm done talking. I know I can hold down the home button until I'm finished speaking but it makes "Hey Siri" useless. Oddly enough, I have better luck in my car using the button on my steering wheel. A single click on that brings up Siri instantaneously and she rarely cuts me off.

For the longest time, Siri would tell me she couldn't find my husband in my contacts. I've entered my husband's name in my contacts with a red heart emoji at the end of his last name. I would say "Call John Smith" and Siri would say, "I'm sorry, I can't find John Smith red heart" in your contacts. By referring to him as "John Smith red heart" she most certainly did find him. It was infuriating. That lasted for several months and then it finally fixed itself. Siri would also exhibit the same behavior with names that didn't include an emoji.

Here's a few I happened to take a screen grab of:
     
andi*pandi
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Apr 9, 2017, 12:13 PM
 
I had that problem for a long time with siri not recognizing my spouse. She would call Deb Smith, or google smiths, but not John Smith. I eventually found a tip to put "husband" in the relationship field in contacts, and could then say "call my husband."
     
subego
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Apr 9, 2017, 12:34 PM
 
I don't think I complained about this one in this thread yet.

I live in Chicago.



How's about, I dunno... the ****ing Chicago White Sox?
     
Laminar
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Apr 10, 2017, 02:31 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
I don't think I complained about this one in this thread yet.

I live in Chicago.



How's about, I dunno... the ****ing Chicago White Sox?
I've asked for directions to a nearby suburb (within 10 miles) and have Siri begin navigating me to a city of the same name several states away.
     
andi*pandi
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Apr 10, 2017, 02:33 PM
 
those people paid their google seo fees.
     
Doc HM
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Apr 11, 2017, 06:25 PM
 
Siri (knowing me so well) understands that I want the route to Marlborough, (Australia) fFrom 20 miles outside Marlborough (Wiltshire) Because why not.
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
andi*pandi
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Apr 11, 2017, 06:29 PM
 
Could be worse, Marlborough, MA...
     
osiris
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Apr 13, 2017, 08:50 AM
 
Haven't used Siri in a while because I prefer my sanity and cherish my time.
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
Laminar
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Apr 17, 2017, 09:21 AM
 
Siri is pretty good at finding business hours for local businesses ("What time does the library close?"), Alexa hasn't been able to do that for me yet.
     
   
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