Apple has given Siri two new voices in the latest beta version of iOS 14, and users will no longer get the female one as default.
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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
T-Mobile Partners With Pandora, SiriusXM on Streaming for Customers
T-Mobile announced on Wednesday that it’s teaming up with Pandora and SiriusXM to offer its customers exclusive streaming benefits.
Siri Will Tell You What the Latest Oprah's Book Club Selection is
Siri will now tell you what the latest selection for Oprah’s Book Club is when users ask: “What’s Oprah Reading?”
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
iOS 14.2: Siri Gives You a Personalized Daily Update
If you’ve installed iOS 14.2 you can receive a personalized update from Siri every day from your iPhone, iPad, and HomePod.
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.
Get Siri to Tell You Which Song is Topping The Chart
One fun thing that Siri can do is tell you which song is currently topping the charts in whichever country you’re in.
WWDC 2020: Siri in iOS 14 Updates Privacy and We Get a Translate App
Siri in iOS 14 brings much-needed privacy improvements, and a new Translate app. Jeff Butts outlines the personal assistant’s new features.
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.
Apple Acquires Machine Learning Startup Inductiv to Improve Data Siri Uses
Apple has acquired machine learning startup Inductiv, Inc to improve Siri, machine learning, and Apple’s data science endeavors.
Apple Siri Grading Whistleblower, Podcast Exclusivity, with Andrew Orr - ACM 530
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr talk about surveillance capitalism and the former Apple employee and Siri grading whistleblower who recently went public. They also discuss the growing battle for podcast exclusivity between the tech giants and Spotify.
Siri Grading Whistleblower Goes Public With Apple Dissatisfaction
The subcontractor who revealed Apple’s Siri grading program is going public. Thomas le Bonniec isn’t satisfied with what happened.
SiriusXM Launches Prince and Other Dedicated Artist Channels
SiriusXM – which has extended free subscriptions until May 31 – has launched a channel dedicated to Prince. Other artists, including Metallica, Led Zeppelin, and Guns N’Roses, have been given their own channels too. The channels will only be available for a limited time.
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.
Spotify Finally Works With Siri on The Apple Watch
The latest update to the Spotify app means that it will now work with Siri on an Apple Watch running watchOS 6.
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.
Siri Can Walk You Through Symptoms of Coronavirus
Siri has a new capability: She can list the symptoms of coronavirus if you question if you have it, and give you advice based on your answers.
Siri Can Answer Your Questions About Elections
Along with Apple News’ 2020 coverage of the election, Apple added functionality to Siri so she can answer your election questions.
How to Set up Announce Messages With Siri on AirPods Pro
Announce Messages with Siri is a feature with certain Apple headphones where Siri reads your incoming messages and lets you reply with voice.