The release of the new iOS 9.1 GM brought with it some new features that were discovered by testers after checking on the Settings app.
Apple seemed to have added a set-up process meant for the new "Hey Siri" feature that is launching with the new flagship iPhone devices, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. As the new phones will also be featuring a built-in M9 motion coprocessor, it would mean that the "Hey Siri" activation feature will work all the time because of the coprocessor's "always-on" functionality.
It therefore suggests that Siri should be able to recognize the voice of the owner of the iPhone and be able to compare it with the voice coming from other people. As such, Apple made sure that the new set-up process will help users to train Siri by stating a couple of words and phrases in order to make the voice assistant more accustomed to the sound of each iPhone owner.
In previous iPhone models, "Hey Siri" would simply work by toggling a button in the Settings app. However, in the new iOS 9 GM, users would find themselves being prompted to take a couple of training exercises before gaining access to the feature.
The new feature further claims that the training will help Siri "recognize your voice." In other words, once Siri becomes "fully trained," she'd have no problem recognizing the voice of the iPhone owner.
During the training process, the phone will then prompt the user to say a number of different phrases in a row. Each time a phrase is said, Siri will have to listen attentively and be able to detect the way that the user has pronounced the phrase. When the user has sounded unclear, he will then be asked to repeat the same phrase until Siri finally understands what was spoken. The training has a total of around five steps which, when fully accomplished, would then allow the user to activate the "Hey Siri" feature and use it like normal.
The training process should be fairly simple for anyone to take. There's no information however on whether the results would be different if the user decides to say the phrases in a "singing tone" or whether the user, if bilingual, should do the training using two different languages. While it is true that Siri can understand and speak around 25 languages, it may be worthwhile for the user to make up his mind on what language he should regularly use when talking to Siri.
Photo: Vincent Brown I Flickr
