Siri is a voice-controlled virtual assistant for Apple devices that uses spoken commands to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform queries by integrating with multiple internet services, such as Wolfram Alpha, Yelp, and Trip Advisor.
With continued operation, Siri will adapt to user searches, voice commands, and user preferences, which means that results become more individualized over time.
What can Siri do?
The possibilities with Siri are endless; at its most basic level, Siri can:
- Give you the weather forecast for your current location.
- Tell you what’s on your schedule for today, tomorrow, and next week.
- Remind you of any upcoming events in your calendar.
- Find a restaurant near you.
- Give you directions.
- Set reminders and alarms.
- Turn on your lights using HomeKit.
- Answer a question for you.
- Play a song or playlist from Apple Music.
- Make and answer phone calls and send messages.
What does Siri mean? Where did the name come from?
Siri stands for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface, which rather appropriately sounds like something out of a 1980s sci-fi movie.
When was Siri invented?
Siri was initially developed by the SRI International Artificial Intelligence Center. Its speech recognition engine was provided by Nuance Communications by using advanced machine learning technologies to function.
When was Siri first released?
Siri was first launched on iOS as a standalone app in February 2010. Quick to spot its potential, it was purchased by Apple in April of the same year. It was then released as an integrated part of iOS in October 2011.
Since then, Siri’s support has been expanded over most of Apple’s product range. Including the iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, and macOS.
Who is the voice of Siri?
It’s impossible to track down every person (in every language) who has recorded their voice for Siri. But we found an interesting quote from Susan Bennett (the original American female Siri – as well as the voice of Delta Air Lines):
All of the original Siri voices worldwide came from a bank of digital voices that were recorded in 2005. I recorded four hours a day, five days a week for a month. The process is called concatenation, and the reason the original Siri was so iconic is because she was the first concatenated voice to actually sound human.
Apple didn’t actually inform any of the people behind the voices in advance; they were surprised to find out by chance.
Siri was introduced on 4 October 2011, and on that day a fellow voice talent emailed me and said: “Hey, we’re playing around with this new iPhone. Isn’t this you?” So, I went on the Apple site to hear the voice and recognized myself right away. I had a lot of different feelings about it. I was flattered that my voice had been chosen, but it was strange not to have known about it in advance.
Future development
With subsequent iOS releases, Apple is slowly adding additional integrated features and access to third-party apps. This allows users to interact with non-Apple services, so people can order a coffee, make hotel reservations or get directions using Google Maps.
Where is Siri Supported?
Siri is supported in many countries around the world. However, there is varied availability for some of the more advanced functionality.
Siri
Australia, Austria, Belgium (Dutch, French), Brazil, Canada (English, French), Chile, China mainland (Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese), Denmark, Finland (Finnish), France, Germany, Hong Kong (Cantonese), India (English), Ireland (English), Israel (Hebrew), Italy, Japan, Malaysia (Malay), Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia (Arabic), Singapore (English), South Africa (English), South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (French, German, Italian), Taiwan (Mandarin Chinese), Thailand, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates (Arabic), United Kingdom, United States (English, Spanish).
Neural Text-to-Speech Voice
Australia, Brazil (Portuguese), Canada (English), China mainland (Mandarin Chinese), Denmark (Danish), Finland (Finnish), France, Germany, India (English), Ireland, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Norway (Norwegian), Russia, Spain, South Africa (English), Sweden (Swedish).
Translations
Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) to English.
English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States) to Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.
English (United States) to Korean.
French (France) to English, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.
German (Germany) to English, French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.
Italian (Italy) to English, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.
Japanese (Japan) to English, Korean, Mandarin Chinese.
Korean (South Korea) to English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese.
Mandarin Chinese (China mainland) to English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish.
Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) to English, Japanese.
Portuguese (Brazil) to English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish.
Russian (Russia) to English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish.
Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, United States) to English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian.
Siri Sports
Australia, Austria, Belgium (Dutch, French), Brazil, Canada (English, French), Chile (Spanish), China mainland (Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese), France, Germany, Hong Kong (Cantonese), India (English), Ireland (English), Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore (English), South Africa (English), South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (French, German, Italian), Taiwan (Mandarin Chinese), United Kingdom, United States.
Movies
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada (English, French), Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (French, German), Taiwan, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States (English, Spanish).
Movie Showtimes
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, United States.
TV
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada (English, French), Chile, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (French, German), United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States (English, Spanish).
Dictionary
Australia, Austria, Belgium (French), Canada (English, French), Chile (Spanish), China mainland (Mandarin Chinese), France, Germany, India (English), Ireland (English), Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore (English), South Africa (English), South Korea, Spain, Switzerland (French, German, Italian), Thailand, United Kingdom, United States.
On-Device Speech Processing and Offline Requests
English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (United Kingdom), English (United States), Cantonese (Hong Kong), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), French (France), German (Germany), Japanese, Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (United States).