New Siri Remote for Apple TV on the Way

There are lots of rumors currently flying around about an updated Siri remote, with a new Apple TV expected. 9to5Mac has a good roundup, including details of the product’s code name.

Details about this new Apple TV Remote are still unknown, but 9to5Mac’s sources have told us that this model is being developed under the code name “B519,” which is quite different from the code name of the current Siri Remote — internally identified as “B439.” When Apple introduced the Apple TV 4K in 2017, the Siri Remote had a small change with a white ring around the Menu button, which made it be identified as a new model. However, as the new Remote has an internal model number way above the current version, we believe the changes will be more significant. Siri Remote has always been a controversial accessory among Apple TV users. While some people love it, there are a significant number of users who hate it for not having physical navigation buttons or for having a glass surface, which makes it extremely fragile. With a new Apple TV model on the way, this could be the perfect opportunity for Apple to create an improved Remote

Siri on iOS 14.3 Can Mimic Sounds Like Animals

When you download iOS 14.3 released on Monday, ask Siri if she can quack like a duck. CNBC says she will play a short audio clip of a quacking duck. However, when I asked her she played me an album from Apple Music called “Quack Like a Duck.” But I don’t think I worded it correctly. Ask “What does <blank> sound like?”

If you ask “what does the fox say?”, Siri may simply quote the song that became a YouTube hit in 2013. But asking “what does a fox sound like” brings up an actual call from an arctic fox, which sounds like someone whooping.

Telegram Beta Supports Siri Announce Message Feature

Users of the latest beta of security-focusssesd messaging app Telegram can now access Siri’s ability to announce messages through AirPods, The 8-Bit reported. It is the first third-party aim to support this feature.

Those on the latest Telegram beta via Testflight will see an option to enable the feature Telegram in Settings – Notifications – Announce Messages With Siri. It’s worth noting that only Apple’s AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro support this feature. Moreover, only iPhones and iPads running on iOS 13.2 and later are supported. The Announce Messages with Siri feature uses Siri to announce incoming messages out loud when a user’s headphones are connected to their iPhone or iPad, they are wearing them, and their device is locked, according to Apple. Upon the arrival of an incoming message, Siri plays a tone, announces a sender’s name, and then reads the message.

SiriusXM Enters Podcasting With Original, Exclusive Shows

SiriusXM announced on Thursday its entry into the podcast market, with original programming like “Marvel’s Wastelanders.”

Original podcasts from SiriusXM that chronicle sports’ greatest rivalries, comedy’s biggest legends, country stars’ humble beginnings, and gripping first-person tales from medicine’s front lines

Plus, influential podcasts from FOX News and popular podcasts from leading creators and providers including Stitcher, NBC News, CNN, NPR, ViacomCBS, The Wall Street Journal, HBO, Wondery, ESPN, Barstool, TNT, Joel Osteen Ministries, WNYC Studios, Slate, TED, Westwood One, PRX, and many more

Apple Looking to Expand Siri Languages

Apple hiring Siri Annotation Analysts, as it apparently prepares to expand the use of its voice assistant, MacRumors. The countries covered include Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, amongst others.

Apple’s office in Cork, Ireland is hiring people fluent in Ukrainian, Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, Croatian, Greek, Flemish, Romanian, and as ThinkApple points out, Polish. Apple is also hiring people fluent in Indonesian and Vietnamese out of a Singapore office. As described in job listings, Annotation Analysts that work for Apple listen to and transcribe snippets of ‌Siri‌ conversations to evaluate ‌Siri‌’s responses… These kinds of ‌Siri‌ evaluations were previously done by third-party contracting companies but Apple brought the work in-house following a mid-2019 uproar over the way Apple used ‌Siri‌ recordings for evaluation with little notice to customers.

SiriusXM Buying Stitcher in $325 Million

Satellite radio platform SiriusXM is continuing its push into podcasts buying Stitcher. The deal is worth $325 million, according to The Verge.

Stitcher is not only a popular podcasting app with a premium, ad-free subscription service, but it’s also a network that, combined with its other entity Earwolf, produces shows like Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. Scripps also combined Stitcher with Midroll Media, a podcast ad company that sells ads for other shows like The Dream and Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness that it acquired in 2015 for $50 million. The Sirius deal will give it ownership of all these companies, which, in some cases, could be redundant with what it already owns and operates. For one, Sirius owns Pandora, which it acquired in 2018 for $3 billion. Pandora, of course, is a popular place to listen to music and podcasts and also has its own exclusive content deals, like one with Marvel that was signed last year. It also owns AdsWizz, a podcast ad technology company that places ads in shows.

Siri and Google Seek to Address ‘All Lives Matter’ Queries

Both Google and Apple have updated voice results responding to queries around the phrase “all lives matter.” The Google Assistant provides a better answer, reported 9to5Mac, but Siri does still point users to the Black Lives Matter website.

Siri’s response is accurate, but Google provides a far better explanation of why ‘all lives matter’ is tone-deaf. Siri does, though, go on to point people to blacklivesmatter.com. ‘All lives matter’ is a response often given by overt racists, but is also used by some who simply fail to understand that there are issues which affect black people more than others. There have been many attempts to reach the latter through tweets, essays, Reddit posts, videos, and cartoons. A few of these can be found below.

Siri Gets German Voice Improvement That Was Promised Years Ago

Siri has had a voice upgrade in Germany. AppleInsider reported that this is particularly noticeably to HomePod users in the country and is courtesy of an update that was meant to arrive in… 2017.

Now German-language users are reporting that the Siri voice they hear every day has been noticeably improved to sound more human and natural than before. According to German site iphone-ticker.de, Siri has finally received an update that was actually promised back in 2017…. Readers of iphone-ticker.de say that the new Siri voice is more melodic, as well as natural, and that this is particularly noticeable on HomePods. However, there have been certain problems. Some readers are saying that since the update, “Siri always sounds like helium.” Apple has yet to comment.

SiriusXM Premier is Free Through May 15

Announced by Howard Stern, Sirius XM is giving people free access to Premier content through May 15, starting today.

Listeners will have free access to more than 300 channels of dynamic programming, featuring the acclaimed The Howard Stern Show , hundreds of exclusive ad-free music channels, and vital news and information sources.  SiriusXM is also adding entirely new curated content, and bringing back some beloved music channels by top artists.

Neato Robot Vacuums Can Be Controlled With Siri Shortcuts

Neato Robotics announced today that it added support for Siri Shortcuts within its app. This means you can start controlling your robot vacuum with your voice.

By connecting your Neato to Siri Shortcuts, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, you can simply start cleaning just by using your voice.

I’d love to get a robot vacuum some day. In the meantime, if you have one of these products, try controlling it with a shortcut on your HomePod, Apple Watch, or iOS device.