What you need to know
- Apple is testing new web answers for Siri.
- In queries, instead of just taking you to web results, Siri will now give you the proper answer.
- Apple is grabbing important information from sites like Wikipedia to deliver the answers.
Over the past few years, Siri hasn't exactly been known for delivering the best answers to questions. It normally just sends you to web results with the dreaded "here's what I found" notice and calls it a day. Apple is working on changing this.
First spotted on Reddit (via 9to5Mac), Apple is testing better Siri responses by delivering new web answers. Instead of being passed off to web results, Siri will now take relevant information from sites like Wikipedia and deliver the proper answer to you.
We tested this out by asking Siri how long it takes for a check to clear, and Siri delivered: "Checks typically take two to three business days to clear."
Along with the answer, Siri also provides the source and gives you the option to "Report a Concern."
We also tried typing in the question in Spotlight, "How tall is Mount Everest?," and again, Siri delivered a web answer: "Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world at 8,849 meters."
According to 9to5Mac, these web answers are only available for U.S. users right now. It is likely just in the testing phase, but once it rolls out, it would add a high level of functionality to Siri that has been lacking. Siri's answers aren't 100% accurate right now, but it's a whole lot better than what iPhone users had before.
This is a feature Google implemented into Google Assistant's answers long ago and it's nice of Apple to catch up.
