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This is interesting and a feature that I didn't know about, and Hey Siri will often not trigger in the car for me while driving. Now I know to retry and I'll ha

by kejaed 9y ago

This is interesting and a feature that I didn't know about, and Hey Siri will often not trigger in the car for me while driving. Now I know to retry and I'll have a better chance at triggering Hey Siri. "We compare the score with a threshold to decide whether to activate Siri. In fact the threshold is not a fixed value. We built in some flexibility to make it easier to activate Siri in difficult conditions while not significantly increasing the number of false activations. There is a primary, or normal threshold, and a lower threshold that does not normally trigger Siri. If the score exceeds the lower threshold but not the upper threshold, then it may be that we missed a genuine “Hey Siri” event. When the score is in this range, the system enters a more sensitive state for a few seconds, so that if the user repeats the phrase, even without making more effort, then Siri triggers. This second-chance mechanism improves the usability of the system significantly, without increasing the false alarm rate too much because it is only in this extra-sensitive state for a short time."

dannyw 9y ago
This is brilliant. Apple could also cut out the “hey” part to make it more natural. “hey Siri... Siri”
- thisacctforreal 9y ago
  That seemingly simple repeat functionality would require a much less simple nn, from what I understand. That would trade off both security and privacy for very limited gain.
- crooked-v 9y ago
  "Hey Siri" has always seemed like such an awkward phrase to me. "Alexa" flows so much better, besides the general awkwardness if someone in the room has that name.
  - mikehines 9y ago
    Alexa is actually a difficult word to pronounce for non-English speakers.
    - alexsb92 9y ago
      Really? Are these non-European languages that you're referring to, because many of the European languages have their own versions of the name Alexander for both men and women, so I'd imagine Alexa wouldn't cause too many issues.
      - throwanem 9y ago
        The 'x' in 'Alexander' is (typically) voiced, where that in 'Alexa' is not. I can see that making a substantial difference for speakers of languages where those phonemes are differently composed.
        arghwhat 9y ago
        What do you mean by voiced? I put the stress differently, but otherwise I would pronounce Alexa as Alexander cut short. I can imagine the vowels being pronounced differently in various accents, but I can't imagine an accent where the 'x' in those two names are different.
        dragonwriter 9y ago
        > I put the stress differently, but otherwise I would pronounce Alexa as Alexander cut short. In “Alexander”, the normal pronunciation of the letter “x” is the voiced consonant cluster /gz/, in “Alexa”, it's usually the unvoiced cluster /ks/. (Also, the second “a” is usually different between the two, being /æ/, like the “a” in “pad”, in “Alexander” and /ɑ:/, like the “a” in “father”, in “Alexa”.) The difference in the “x” is the normal way that the pronunciation of “x” differs when following a stressed vs. unstressed vowel in English.
        throwanem 9y ago
        "Voiced" in the phonetic sense [1], i.e., spoken with the vocal cords vibrating. Voiced 'x' sounds like the /gz/ in "eggs", /ɛgz/; voiceless 'x' sounds like the /ks/ in the American English pronunciation of 'x' itself, /ɛks/. Many, if not all, American English dialects pronounce the words in the fashion I describe. In them, the name 'Alexander' would be /ˌæ.lɛˈ(gz)æn.dər/ while 'Alexa' would be /əˈlɛ.(ks)ə/ - in both of which, the phoneme corresponding to the letter 'x' is parenthesized. Generally in English 'x' is voiced when it precedes a stressed vowel, which it does in 'Alexander'; in 'Alexa', 'x' precedes a reduced vowel, and therefore would always take the unvoiced pronunciation. (It'd sound very odd to an anglophone ear otherwise - say /əˈlɛ.gzə/ one time out loud and see if you don't feel the same.) That said, it wouldn't be incorrect to pronounce 'Alexander' in American English with an unvoiced 'x', as /ˌæ.lɛˈksæn.dər/ but, while I believe some dialects of English may default to this pronunciation, certainly not all do. (Neither of the dialects I speak does so, at the very least.) This pronunciation also produces a "hitch" or break in the word between the unvoiced 'x' and its preceding vowel, which would tend to make it a little odd both to hear and to say. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_(phonetics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_(phonetics)
  - mort96 9y ago
    Alexa definitely flows a bit better than Hey Siri, but being Norwegian, I find the phrase "ok google" to be almost comical. My mouth just can't make the sounds quick enough for it to not sound ridiculous. Hey Siri and Alexa both flow comparably very well.
    - gmemstr 9y ago
      I 100% agree, as a native English speaker (western Canada). "Hey Google" has a much nicer flow, although I say "Google" too much on a daily basis for me to want that to be a trigger (practically speaking).
  - pkamb 9y ago
    "echo" is even better. So weird to me that they call the device "echo", already a pretty strong brand name, but then insist on the "alexa" naming of the assistant.
    - kfriede 9y ago
      I'd imagine it's to give the product/voice a more human-like feel to it. "Echo" sounds like I'm talking to a robot, or a dog (or a robot dog). "Alexa" could be a human.
spike021 9y ago
Odd, Hey Siri always triggers for me in the car while driving.
- kejaed 9y ago
  Maybe you've got a nicer (quieter car) =D. It usually works for me too, but sometimes it doesn't, now I know to retry.
  - spike021 9y ago
    Heh, nah, lots of road noise in my car, actually. But it still works far more often than not.
- paul7986 9y ago
  With the iPhone 8 Siri is finally as useful as my Google Home speaker in terms of reliability and utility. Like to find your iphone say "hey siri, where are you," or talking to Siri in the car for changing songs or asking her to play similar songs. She finally understands almost every command I send her.
  - jtbayly 9y ago
    And yet, if you ask Siri for directions to your next appointment, she's still clueless! It's one of the only things that I would actually use Siri for, and for the last three releases of iOS I've hoped for it. How in the world does this not work?!?! She knows my next appointment, and she knows how to give directions, but she refuses to give me directions to my next appointment. If I could throttle her for her stubborn insubordination, I would. lol
eric_h 9y ago
I occasionally use the "hey Siri" feature while in bed to mess with alarms in the morning (i.e. cancel whatever I had set and set a later one in the morning ;) apparently my morning groggy voice always requires a second hey Siri. As an aside, alarms are literally the only thing I've ever used Siri for.
- rjeli 9y ago
  same, I use Siri every day, and only ever for two reasons: "Hey Siri, set an alarm for {seven,eight,nine} a.m." "Hey Siri, call {mom,dad,[friend]}" I've created unambiguous nicknames for my friends so I don't get name collisions

by kejaed 9y ago

dannyw 9y ago

This is brilliant. Apple could also cut out the “hey” part to make it more natural. “hey Siri... Siri”

thisacctforreal 9y ago
That seemingly simple repeat functionality would require a much less simple nn, from what I understand. That would trade off both security and privacy for very limited gain.
crooked-v 9y ago
"Hey Siri" has always seemed like such an awkward phrase to me. "Alexa" flows so much better, besides the general awkwardness if someone in the room has that name.
- mikehines 9y ago
  Alexa is actually a difficult word to pronounce for non-English speakers.
  - alexsb92 9y ago
    Really? Are these non-European languages that you're referring to, because many of the European languages have their own versions of the name Alexander for both men and women, so I'd imagine Alexa wouldn't cause too many issues.
    - throwanem 9y ago
      The 'x' in 'Alexander' is (typically) voiced, where that in 'Alexa' is not. I can see that making a substantial difference for speakers of languages where those phonemes are differently composed.
      - arghwhat 9y ago
        What do you mean by voiced? I put the stress differently, but otherwise I would pronounce Alexa as Alexander cut short. I can imagine the vowels being pronounced differently in various accents, but I can't imagine an accent where the 'x' in those two names are different.
        dragonwriter 9y ago
        > I put the stress differently, but otherwise I would pronounce Alexa as Alexander cut short. In “Alexander”, the normal pronunciation of the letter “x” is the voiced consonant cluster /gz/, in “Alexa”, it's usually the unvoiced cluster /ks/. (Also, the second “a” is usually different between the two, being /æ/, like the “a” in “pad”, in “Alexander” and /ɑ:/, like the “a” in “father”, in “Alexa”.) The difference in the “x” is the normal way that the pronunciation of “x” differs when following a stressed vs. unstressed vowel in English.
        throwanem 9y ago
        "Voiced" in the phonetic sense [1], i.e., spoken with the vocal cords vibrating. Voiced 'x' sounds like the /gz/ in "eggs", /ɛgz/; voiceless 'x' sounds like the /ks/ in the American English pronunciation of 'x' itself, /ɛks/. Many, if not all, American English dialects pronounce the words in the fashion I describe. In them, the name 'Alexander' would be /ˌæ.lɛˈ(gz)æn.dər/ while 'Alexa' would be /əˈlɛ.(ks)ə/ - in both of which, the phoneme corresponding to the letter 'x' is parenthesized. Generally in English 'x' is voiced when it precedes a stressed vowel, which it does in 'Alexander'; in 'Alexa', 'x' precedes a reduced vowel, and therefore would always take the unvoiced pronunciation. (It'd sound very odd to an anglophone ear otherwise - say /əˈlɛ.gzə/ one time out loud and see if you don't feel the same.) That said, it wouldn't be incorrect to pronounce 'Alexander' in American English with an unvoiced 'x', as /ˌæ.lɛˈksæn.dər/ but, while I believe some dialects of English may default to this pronunciation, certainly not all do. (Neither of the dialects I speak does so, at the very least.) This pronunciation also produces a "hitch" or break in the word between the unvoiced 'x' and its preceding vowel, which would tend to make it a little odd both to hear and to say. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_(phonetics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_(phonetics)
- mort96 9y ago
  Alexa definitely flows a bit better than Hey Siri, but being Norwegian, I find the phrase "ok google" to be almost comical. My mouth just can't make the sounds quick enough for it to not sound ridiculous. Hey Siri and Alexa both flow comparably very well.
  - gmemstr 9y ago
    I 100% agree, as a native English speaker (western Canada). "Hey Google" has a much nicer flow, although I say "Google" too much on a daily basis for me to want that to be a trigger (practically speaking).
- pkamb 9y ago
  "echo" is even better. So weird to me that they call the device "echo", already a pretty strong brand name, but then insist on the "alexa" naming of the assistant.
  - kfriede 9y ago
    I'd imagine it's to give the product/voice a more human-like feel to it. "Echo" sounds like I'm talking to a robot, or a dog (or a robot dog). "Alexa" could be a human.

spike021 9y ago

Odd, Hey Siri always triggers for me in the car while driving.

kejaed 9y ago
Maybe you've got a nicer (quieter car) =D. It usually works for me too, but sometimes it doesn't, now I know to retry.
- spike021 9y ago
  Heh, nah, lots of road noise in my car, actually. But it still works far more often than not.
paul7986 9y ago
With the iPhone 8 Siri is finally as useful as my Google Home speaker in terms of reliability and utility. Like to find your iphone say "hey siri, where are you," or talking to Siri in the car for changing songs or asking her to play similar songs. She finally understands almost every command I send her.
- jtbayly 9y ago
  And yet, if you ask Siri for directions to your next appointment, she's still clueless! It's one of the only things that I would actually use Siri for, and for the last three releases of iOS I've hoped for it. How in the world does this not work?!?! She knows my next appointment, and she knows how to give directions, but she refuses to give me directions to my next appointment. If I could throttle her for her stubborn insubordination, I would. lol

eric_h 9y ago

I occasionally use the "hey Siri" feature while in bed to mess with alarms in the morning (i.e. cancel whatever I had set and set a later one in the morning ;) apparently my morning groggy voice always requires a second hey Siri. As an aside, alarms are literally the only thing I've ever used Siri for.

rjeli 9y ago
same, I use Siri every day, and only ever for two reasons: "Hey Siri, set an alarm for {seven,eight,nine} a.m." "Hey Siri, call {mom,dad,[friend]}" I've created unambiguous nicknames for my friends so I don't get name collisions