Rumor: Apple wants users to stop yelling ‘hey’ for Siri

Apple is working on changing the pronunciation to activate Siri on its devices from “hey Siri” to just “Siri.” That writes financial news agency Bloomberg. That should make using the digital assistant easier.

Apple iPhone 4S screenshot – Siri

The change will come next year or the year after, writes Bloomberg. Because users can only shout ‘Siri’, the threshold to use the assistant should be slightly lower, especially with follow-up questions. Apple is currently testing the feature with employees, the news agency said. The information comes from the newsletter of Apple follower Mark Gurman.

The problem is that many algorithms have to be modified to make the change possible. The longer the command is to launch Siri, the less likely users are to accidentally call the assistant. It already happens to users regularly that Siri activates itself when people use the word ‘serious’. Apple already explained years ago how the recognition of ‘hey Siri’ works.

Other digital assistants have already adjusted the command in recent years. For example, Amazon only uses the word ‘Alexa’ to start Alexa and with Google ‘hey Google’ or ‘ok Google’ both are enough to wake Assistant from sleep mode. Siri has been Apple’s digital assistant since 2011.