Apple brings important updates to Siri with iOS 18. New updates will be available to users when iOS 18 is released this fall. Although Apple Intelligence features won't be available to the general public until 2025, natural language updates for Siri and other key features are expected to be available to users later this year.
According to Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter at Bloomberg, users will now be able to issue text commands to access Siri without having to dive into accessibility settings. Siri will become close enough to spoken language that users can understand even incorrectly spoken expressions. This will allow Siri to interact more fluidly and naturally.
Siri is expected to have more information about Apple products, as Apple announced at this year's WWDC event. This means providing advanced device support features to users. Users will be able to get more detailed instructions about iOS 18 using Siri.
For users testing the iOS 18 beta, Siri also has the ability to change the wake word. Thanks to Vocal Shortcuts, a new accessibility feature, users can set Siri's wake word to their liking. This setting Settings > Accessibility > Vocal Shortcuts > Siri It can be done by following the path. However, this change is not reflected on HomePod devices, and the new wake word works even when “Hey Siri” is turned off. This feature is a great advantage, especially for users who are tired of HomePod being activated when talking to your iPhone.
Siri and ChatGPT integration with iOS 18
In addition, it was stated that Apple will make ChatGPT available for free with iOS 18. However, according to Mark Gurman, ChatGPT is not expected to be included in the initial iOS 18 release. When Siri cannot fulfill some requests, it will redirect users to GPT-4 based ChatGPT. Users will be able to choose whether to accept this offer or not and will be informed about the reliability of ChatGPT in the process.
How good Siri will really become will become clear as these updates roll out. However, these developments give hope that the digital assistant can reach the expected level. Siri is expected to be developed separately from next-generation AI features, and less capable devices, such as the iPhone 15 and iPads without M-series chips, will be able to benefit from at least some of the features.
These updates to Siri from Apple will significantly improve the user experience and make Siri more functional and user-friendly. In particular, innovations such as natural language processing and written commands will make the use of Siri more practical and effective. These steps by Apple can be considered as a significant advance in digital assistant technologies.