Since the voice assistants' inception, you've had to say 'Hey Siri' in order for Siri to activate, and for things to happen. In Mark Gurmans Newsletter, however, we learn that there may be a possibility that Apple will "drop the 'Hey' from 'Hey Siri'."
The change is something to look out for later today at the WWDC show, along with a bunch of other new features and even products, like the rumored Apple VR headset.
No more 'hey'
In a move that will make everyone from HomeKit power users to my Mum (Who tries to get Siri to respond to requests like 'Siri, could you turn on the light please' or 'Siri, please change the song'), Apple looks set to remove the need to say 'Hey' when you want Siri to do something. This should simplify Siri's commands, making it easier for users to use – especially, by the sounds of things, my Mum.
Gurman reports that it will work like this: "Hey” in the trigger phrase so that a user only needs to say “Siri”—along with a command." He goes on to say that "While that might seem like a small change, making the switch is a technical challenge that requires a significant amount of AI training and underlying engineering work."
Apparently, Apple has been working on the change for several months, and hopes to roll out the switch for next year, or even the year after. This could be announced at WWDC, although given the timescale it might be something that we see a little bit later.
What we're really hoping to see at WWDC is the Apple VR headset – something that likely will have Siri in the center. This new Siri news could be a part of Apple making Siri easier to use for users of Apple VR.
We're covering all the WWDC 2023 announcements live and as they happen. Don't miss all our Apple VR, iOS 17, macOS 14, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 news so far.
