Hands-On Tech 201: "Hey Siri" Activations - All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)

Summary

Podcast Title: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)
Host: Leo Laporte
Episode: Hands-On Tech 201: "Hey Siri" Activations
Release Date: February 2, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, host Leo Laporte delves into the increasingly common issues surrounding the activation and functionality of Apple's virtual assistant, Siri. Drawing from listener questions, Leo provides insightful troubleshooting tips and explores the challenges users face with multi-device setups.

Main Discussion: Troubleshooting "Hey Siri" Activations

Listener Question by Mark ([01:42]):

Mark, an all-Apple household user, reports several issues with Siri across his devices:

Unpredictable Device Activation: When multiple Apple devices (iPhone, iPad) are present, asking Siri defaults unpredictably between devices.
Delayed Control Return: Specifically within CarPlay, after issuing a command, there's a noticeable delay (20-30 seconds) before Siri relinquishes control back to the user’s activity, such as resuming a podcast.
Increased Sensitivity to Wake Words: Mark observes that Siri has become more reactive to sounds resembling its activation phrase, leading to unintended activations, possibly due to the presence of a TV.

Leo Laporte's Response:

Leo acknowledges that Mark's experiences are not isolated, a consequence of Apple's ecosystem expanding with more devices capable of responding to "Hey Siri." He outlines several strategies to mitigate these issues:

Home App Integration ([02:35]): Ensure all household devices are integrated into the Apple Home ecosystem. By inviting family members through the Home app, devices can better discern which one should respond to Siri activations, reducing cross-device interference.

Notable Quote:

"Make sure that they're all part of the Apple home, like that you've invited them using the home app because the home app is what is in charge of controlling HomePods." ([03:10])
Family Account Setup ([04:05]): Verifying that all family members are part of the same Apple Family account can enhance Siri's ability to recognize and prioritize commands correctly within the shared environment.

Notable Quote:

"When I let you know that Mark's iPhone and Mark's significant other's iPhone are both in the same space... I don't need to treat these devices as two separate things." ([04:45])
Siri Training Reset ([06:20]): Suggests turning off "Hey Siri" on each device and then re-enabling it to retrain Siri’s voice recognition. This can address potential corruption in the training data or changes in the environment affecting audio detection.

Notable Quote:

"Going in and turning off, listen for Hey Siri. And then turning it back on, because what that will do is it makes the training session need to be done again." ([07:15])
CarPlay Specific Fixes ([09:00]): Recommends using the steering wheel button method—pressing and holding the button to issue commands ensures that Siri knows when the request has concluded, reducing the lag in returning control.

Notable Quote:

"As long as I'm pressing and holding the button, I am saying the request that I have, and when I let go of the button, I am done with my request." ([09:45])
Firmware Updates ([10:10]): Advises checking for any available updates from the vehicle manufacturer that might address audio profile issues impacting Siri's responsiveness.

Notable Quote:

"Look into your vehicle's manufacturer and see if there are any updates, firmware updates... that is responsible for that switch between those two modes." ([10:30])

Conclusion of Main Discussion:

Leo emphasizes that while these steps can alleviate some of the frustrations with Siri activations, some issues may stem from underlying bugs within Apple's software, which require official patches. Users are encouraged to stay updated with iOS releases and provide feedback to Apple for persistent problems.

Additional Discussion: Locking the On-Screen Keyboard

Listener P.S. Question ([12:21]):

A listener inquires about a persistent issue with the on-screen keyboard on their device. Specifically, they mention that the keyboard inadvertently shifts to a floating or split mode, making it difficult for their 95-year-old mother to revert back to the full-size keyboard without visiting a support center.

Leo Laporte's Solution:

Leo confidently addresses the concern, disputing the support team's assertion that locking the keyboard layout isn't possible. He provides a straightforward solution:

Disable Split Keyboard:
- Navigate to Settings > General > Keyboard.
- Scroll to the Split Keyboard section.
- Toggle Split Keyboard off to prevent accidental shifts to floating or split modes.
Notable Quote:

"We simply need to scroll down to the section that says split keyboard and turn that off. And now when I'm using the on screen keyboard, that keyboard cannot turn into a split keyboard and we're fine." ([12:50])

Follow-Up:

Leo encourages the listener to try this method and report back, highlighting his confidence in the solution's effectiveness.

Conclusion

In this episode, Leo Laporte offers valuable insights into managing and troubleshooting Siri activations within a complex Apple device ecosystem. By addressing listener concerns with practical solutions and encouraging proactive device management, Leo ensures that users can optimize their virtual assistant experiences. Additionally, his responsiveness to accessory issues, such as the on-screen keyboard, underscores his commitment to providing comprehensive tech support.

Listeners are reminded to submit their tech questions via Hotwit TV and are encouraged to explore additional resources through the show's Club Twit membership for an enhanced, ad-free experience.

Notable Timestamps:

Mark’s Siri Activation Issues: [01:42] - [10:50]
On-Screen Keyboard Locking Solution: [12:21] - [14:00]

This detailed summary encapsulates the key points and solutions discussed in the episode, providing listeners with actionable advice and a clear understanding of the topics covered.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Coming up on Hands on Tech, let's take a look at troubleshooting activations of our virtual assistants. Stay tuned. This is twit.

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A (1:42)

Lenovo Lenovo hello and welcome to Hands On Tech. This of course is the show where I take your tech questions. I being Micah Sargent, take your tech questions and do my best to answer them. This week our question comes in from Mark. Mark has kind of a It's a long response, but this is good because it's got lots of information that we need. So Mark writes in to say we are an all Apple family. I abandoned Windows devices when I retired anyway. Historically if my iPad and iPhone were both on the desk or counter near me and I would ask Siri for something, it would always default to the iPhone. I am not sure which update really caused it, but now you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes both devices will answer a question or perform a task. Two timers, for example, or it will go to the iPad rather than the phone. Is there a way to get it to default to the phone? Around the same time this started happening? Siri would also take a long time to, shall we say, release control back to the phone. This is especially true, though not exclusively true, when using Siri on CarPlay. Let's say I'm listening to Hands On Tech in the car and I ask Siri to set a reminder or read a text message. After setting the reminder, it can be 20 to 30 seconds before the podcast resumes. Historically, it was nearly immediately after fulfilling the request. Is there a setting I can fix for how long Siri stays attentive with the little bubble displayed on the screen. Lastly, it recently seems way more sensitive than before to words that sound like Siri and will wake up and say, uh huh. The TV seems to be causing it way more these days as well. And then Mark lists the devices that Mark is using, including an iPhone 14 Pro Max running 18.3, iPad Air fourth generation also running 18.3, and a 2018 VW Atlas with plug in CarPlay. So first and foremost, Mark, I wanna let you know you're not alone. This is something that people have experienced ever since Apple started kind of adding more devices that are capable of hearing these, these activations and kind of acting on whatever it is you're asking. And unfortunately there's no simple way to go about making changes or adjustments that will help with what is happening here. There's no setting like you will find for some virtual assistants where you can say, I want you to be more or less sensitive to the wake word that I have or wake phrase that I have. And because of that it means that you do get those activations that take place. But there are some things that you can do. One thing that I recommend is making sure that if you are in a home and well, you are in a home, but I mean if you are in a home with devices and you have other people who have devices in that home, make sure that they're all part of the Apple home, like that you've invited them using the home app because the home app is what is in charge of controlling home pods. And it sounds like home pods are some of the devices in your home that are responsible for these activations. Now I can't this next thing, I'm not certain that this is the case. I can't say for sure. But I do kind of wonder if it's possible that just maybe making sure that your Apple family is all part of your family is also put in place, that you have invited them as family members to your Apple family account, that there's a possibility that what that does is it kind of broadens the behind the scenes intelligence of the voice activation for these different devices and says, okay, now I know that, you know, Mark's iPhone and Mark's significant other's iPhone are both in the same space. And when Mark is, you know, trying to get attention for Siri, that I can kind of, I don't need to treat these devices as two separate things that only one of them needs to respond. Right. So that's one possibility that you might try. Another thing I recommend is as you've added more devices and as you have continued to upgrade over time, it's likely that you, when you set up a new device, are kind of going past the Siri page. You are kind of going next, next, next, next. And you're using your original Siri training data to determine whether or not you are communicating with the virtual assistant. And so I recommend that, and this is a little bit of a process. Yes. But on each of your devices, going in and turning off, listen for hey, Siri. And then turning it back on, because what that will do is it makes the training session need to be done again. And so there's a potential that over time that training data has become corrupted or there's a chance that because your space has changed in some way or another, that the audio is different in the space, that there are reasons why these devices might end up getting, getting those false activations. Lastly, you talk about the device kind of releasing control back to you after you have put out a message. This, unfortunately, is something that is reported widely as an issue, and therefore what we can say about it is it's likely a bug. When this bug will be fixed and addressed is a guess for both of us. Unfortunately, that is always the case. We don't know when Apple will address these things. But, yeah, the fact that you are communicating in the vehicle and the vehicle, well, you know, carplay within the vehicle seems to be listening for even longer and not switching back over. Yeah, that's annoying, that's obnoxious, and that is a problem. I have a recommendation when it comes to that, something that's been helpful for me. I would imagine that your vehicle, like mine, has a button on the steering wheel that you can press to trigger your virtual assistant. If you press the button, it brings up Siri and Siri listens while you're in the CarPlay session. And Siri listens and you talk to it and then it waits to see if you're going to say anything else. And then that takes a long time. Right. What I recommend doing is pressing and holding the button. Because what you are doing is you're saying, as long as I'm pressing and holding the button, I am saying the request that I have, and when I let go of the button, I am done with my request. You don't need to keep listening. And for me, that has caused CarPlay to switch over a lot quicker to running the command that I've asked it to do and getting back to what I was doing. So I would recommend trying that. So basically press and hold to talk to Siri. Let go after you're done. And the last thing I would suggest is look into your vehicle's manufacturer and see if there are any updates, firmware updates, whatever it happens to be to the system. Because it could be that there's an audio profile that is responsible for that switch between those two modes of listening and getting back to actual play of whatever it is that you're listening to. So that can be. There can be a lot of things that are responsible for each of these issues that you've talked about. So you kind of have to go down the list of troubleshooting. So again, retraining Siri by kind of starting fresh by going into your settings. You go Settings, you go Apple Intelligence and Siri. You go talk and type to Siri. This is on the latest version of iOS, and you turn off the setting where it's showing the different phrases that you can use to try to summon Siri. Basically turn that off, wait a bit, turn it back on and it will completely redo your training session. So that will hopefully help fix the issue there. Whenever it comes to trying to get it to listen to you when you want it to and not listen to you when you don't want it to.