Siri: Still having problems answering simple questions
Almost 14 years after its launch, Apple's voice assistant is still failing at simple tasks. This will not change with iOS 18.4.
Siri logo in the rain (symbolic image): Apple still has a lot to do.
(Image: Erstellt mit Grok durch Mac & i)
iOS 18.4, which is expected this week, was supposed to bring important improvements for its voice assistant Siri, including an understanding of the user's personal context. However, Apple has postponed the – function and others such as controlling apps by voice and recognizing screen content – for the time being, so it is unlikely to happen before 2026. At the same time, there is constant criticism of Siri's current range of functions.
The question of the month
The system still either does not answer even simple questions at all or does so unreliably. Even the fact that Apple claims to have "ushered in a new era for Siri" with iOS 18 does little to change this. Unfortunately, there can hardly be any talk of an "improved understanding of language" ("richer language understanding"). The new "comprehensive product knowledge", which Siri is supposed to use to help with the operation of the iPhone, also often misses the mark, as users criticize.
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For example, if you ask what the current month is ("What is the current month?"), the answer is "It was Saturday, March 1, 2025." If you ask the question in a slightly different way ("What month is it?"), the answer was sometimes that Siri doesn't understand – and now the current date is given (but not the month alone). Users are now switching to activating ChatGPT (on devices with Apple Intelligence, currently only in English), but this takes a few seconds longer and requires data to be sent to OpenAI.
Siri does not know enough about products
The so-called Product Knowledge, a kind of AI-supported manual for the iPhone, sometimes contains incorrect information. For example, the system hallucinates settings menus that do not even exist or names settings incorrectly or inadequately. This can theoretically have serious consequences if users make settings based on Siri's instructions that they do not want.
Siri was first demonstrated by Apple back in the fall of 2011. Since then, development has been slow. However, this was also partly the case for the competition: Amazon's Alexa also required users to know which commands work and which don't for a long time. However, the voice control system has now been catapulted into the age of chatbots with Alexa+. Users will have to wait even longer for Siri to get there.
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