Remember the invitation that Apple sent out to invitees for tomorrow’s iPhone 6s event? The invitation contained the phrase “Hey Siri, give us a hint.”
According to the Apple Insider’s Mikey Campbell, this phrase alludes to a brand new feature shipping with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus—always-on “Hey Siri” functionality.
“Hey Siri” is a function that first debuted in iOS 8, which allows you to invoke Siri hands-free using only your voice. The only catch is that your device has to be plugged in and charging to take advantage of the feature. If Apple Insider’s report is true, then the iPhone 6s will be able to use Hey Siri functionality in an untethered fashion.
Since having an always-on Siri proves to be a hinderance to good battery life, Apple requires that your device be charging for Hey Siri to work on current-gen hardware. The addition of always-on Hey Siri functionality leads us to believe that Apple has additional hardware built into the new iPhone’s specifically designed to work around the issue of battery life.
Currently, some Android phones allow for always-on voice search functionality, but this is generally made possible by means of a special voice activation chip that allows the device to maintain decent battery life. If Apple is using a similar strategy with the iPhone 6s, then that means that always-on Hey Siri will likely remain an exclusive to the new iPhones.
I’ve always been a fan of Hey Siri, but have to admit that the charging stipulation severely limits its usefulness. If Apple has figured out a way to bring us untethered Hey Siri access, then this will be a huge win for iPhone users.
What do you think? Would you enjoy Hey Siri more if it could be used without having to be connected to a power source?
Source: Apple Insider