Your Voice Recordings Kept For Siri Testing And Improvement Purposes
Apple has experiences privacy concerns, raised regarding data it gets from Siri. The company has revealed that it keeps the voice data for up to two years and generates a random string of numbers to associate with it, instead of using your Apple ID, and any Siri data they collect from you goes under that number.
The company spokesperson has explained the process by saying the following:
“Once the voice recording is six months old, Apple “disassociates” your user number from the clip, deleting the number from the voice file. But it keeps these disassociated files for up to 18 more months for testing and product improvement purposes.”
However, those who feel uncomfortable with this can turn Siri off, and any identifiers, including the data itself, is deleted. Despite the fact that the fact that Siri data is kept for two years, with protections in place, it should still be kept in mind that Siri and Apple are not unique in keeping your data. Anyway, it’s up to you to decide to trust your data to Apple or not, with a simple solution of turning your voice assistant off always available on your fingertips.
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Ultimate Guide To Siri
Siri has made life of millions a lot easier, and iPhones are now more useful than ever with this unique digital voice assistant. Yet available for only iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, what concerns the owners of other iPhone models most is how to get Siri on their phones too.
Despite bringing handful of goodies, Siri may cause serious problems when not used properly. You’ll find number of useful tips and tricks and advices on how to use Siri properly and optimally on your iPhones, so read through and make the best use of your digital voice assistant.
Judge green-lights Apple’s Siri case against Samsung
Apple and Samsung are still battling it out in post-trial hearings left over from last fall’s high-profile infringement trial. And they have another one coming up this year that involves a whole new range of devices.
But there’s alway room for another case in the world of patent lawsuits. And Judge Lucy Koh just gave Apple permission to move forward on a third lawsuit with Samsung here in the States involving its Siri patent…(…)
Read the rest of Judge green-lights Apple’s Siri case against Samsung
“Judge green-lights Apple’s Siri case against Samsung” is an article by iDownloadBlog.com.
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Apple’s Siri coming to 2013 Honda Accord & 2 Acura models
Chevy is no longer the only car brand with announced plans to bring Apple’s Siri voice assistant to new car models. On Wednesday, Honda announced that its 2013 edition of the Accord will be enabled with Siri Eyes Free mode, along with the Acura RDX and Acura ILX.
Honda called Siri Eyes Free an “in-vehicle tool that will help meet the connectivity and convenience needs of its customers in a responsible manner” in a press release. Siri’s Eyes Free mode is available to drivers who own an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 running iOS 6. It’s meant to let drivers interact with their iPhone while keeping their focus on the road. With Eyes Free drivers can make hands-free calls, send texts, listen to messages, make and find calendar appointments and select songs to play. Honda will integrate its Bluetooth HandsFree Link in-car software with Siri.
Apple first announced its intention to move its voice assistant software to connected cars in June 2012. Other brands said to be working on in-car Siri integration include Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota. Ford is a notable exception that will not be participating.
General Motors was the first to announce Siri-compatible cars last November: the 2013 Chevy Spark and 2013 Chevy Sonic, both of which are due to arrive this year.
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Siri Withholds Information Unless Users Upgrade to iOS 6
We haven’t heard much of the untethered jailbreak since iOS 6 was launched last September. In fact, the developers we expect to be working on, (who previously worked on older firmwares) remain quiet.
There hasn’t been a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to iOS 6 untethered jailbreak.
For the jailbreak community, it was disheartening to find out that Hackulous shut down last December.
Apple is doing a great job with its diligent scrutiny of loopholes on its firmware. And if you’re an iOS 6 user you may have experienced some little annoyances and default settings you haven’t figured out. Of course, logically, these can be worked out using tweaks. But what if your trusted AI friend gets in the way?
Interestingly, I stumbled upon iDownloadblog, that Siri withholds information unless users upgrade to iOS 6. This means, if you’re using an iOS 5, which undeniably is a jailbreak-free firmware both tethered and untethered version must upgrade to iOS 6 so your personal assistant will comply to your requests.
Mike Schnier of iDownloadblog said,
A user on Reddit asked Siri when the superbowl was starting, only to find that his personal assistant refused to comply. Siri?s response: ?If you update to the latest version of iOS, I?ll be able to help you with that.? ?
Apple loaded iOS 6 Siri with tons of sports information from NFL and other sports leagues. Users can make ask Siri real-time scores and updates. It’s smarter than the average iOS 5 Siri. But hey! That means, all your jailbreak data (assuming you have a jailbroken device) will be lost once you upgrade to iOS 6.
The issue here is the outdated version of Siri was able to answer questions like ?When is the Super Bowl?? with an internet search in the past. The refusal to answer the question apparently cropped up sometime in the last month.
This is a second-hand info. Currently, I’m using iOS 6 on my iPod and iPad. My personal assistant complies to all my requests.
How about you? Does Siri refuse to search data on your iOS 5?
Give us a shout out below.
This article, Siri Withholds Information Unless Users Upgrade to iOS 6, was originally published at simonblog.com.
The iPhone and iPad Blog by Simon
Chevrolet MyLink brings TuneIn Radio and Siri to the car
At CES 2013, Chevrolet was showing off Siri and TuneIn Radio apps working in their 2013 Spark and Sonic vehicles. All of the features you would expect are there, such as dictating messages to Siri and checking calendar appointments via voice. Of course, GM wants to make sure nobody’s messing around with their phone while behind the wheel, so they lock down the TuneIn Radio app on iPhone when plugged in and connected to the car, and similarly, Siri will deny certain requests which would require more detailed viewing, such as anything that results in opening the browser. The Wi-Fi connection was pretty spotty at the show, so it was hard to get a bead on exactly how well the whole system would work on the road.
Though that’s cool and all, the bigger story here is that GM is opening up their development environment with an SDK, enabling those in the iOS space to make new apps for Chevy cars. The general impression I got from their app ecosystem is that for now GM will be building the platform as something that’s separate from traditional mobile apps with the occasional tie-in. Siri is obviously the exception to that rule, but everything else was merely using the smartphone as a hotspot for data access. That’s too bad, because there’s a ton of potential in tying mobile and automotive app ecosystems, akin to what Ford’s doing with AppLink, but GM promises that they’ll have APIs available for remote functions in late 2013. Those APIs includes starting the car, checking on vehicle diagnostics, and accessing location-based data. Previously, these kinds of functions were only opened up to select partners through the OnStar console. Apps for GM cars are built on HTML5, so at least iOS devs that lean heavily on it can port easily, and even those that don’t should be able to cook something up quickly.
How many of you guys have an in-car smart dash system? Should the app ecosystems overlap in functions or exist separately? Developers that are interested in getting started with GM’s system can get started over here.
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iMore – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog
Get Siri To Stop Butchering Those Difficult Names!
Tired of listening to Siri try to pronounce those difficult names, and failing miserably? While one may give her an “E” for “Effort”, it may quickly become annoying. Here’s a tip that some of you may not know.
For each entry in the Contacts app, iOS allows you to enter fields called “Phonetic First Name” and “Phonetic Last Name”. This will not only enable Siri to pronounce the name better, but also allow her to better understand who you are referring to when speaking to her.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the “Contacts” app and tap the name of the Contact you’d like to edit
2. Tap on the “Edit” button in the top right-hand corner of the contact. This will open the entry for editing:
3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap on “Add Field”.
4. In the list of available fields, tap on “Phonetic Last Name”:
5. This will add the field to the Contact, and allow you to edit it. Enter the name of the person as it sounds phonetically. (i.e. how you would explain it to someone, if you were explaining the pronunciation in person.)
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 for the “Phonetic First Name” field as well, if required.
7. Tap “Done” to save the changes. The phonetic names will now display on the Contact:
That’s it! Siri should now be able to hear and pronounce the name correctly. Remember, when entering the phonetic names, use the combination of letters that makes the most sense and is simplest to understand. You’ll get better results that way!
Hope this tip helps those romantic conversations with Siri go a little smoother. 
[via OS X Daily]
Get Siri To Stop Butchering Those Difficult Names! is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog – Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
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- The Reason Why Siri’s Dictation Key on the iPhone 4S is Dark or Light Grey
iPhone in Canada Blog – Canada’s #1 iPhone Resource
How to play and control music using Siri
Complete guide to Siri controls for playing songs, artists, albums, genres, and enjoying your music
Siri can help you access your music more easily than ever. With Siri you can play tracks, albums, and entires genres without ever having to open your Music app. If you’re in the car, Siri also makes for a safe way to keep your tunes going while keeping your hands on the wheel.
- How to play a specific song with Siri
- How play a specific artist or album with Siri
- How to play a specific playlist with Siri
- How to play a specific genre with Siri
- How to shuffle music with Siri
- How to pause, play, and skip tracks with Siri
How to play a specific song with Siri
- Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri.
- Tell Siri to play a specific song title. For example: “Play Pumped up Kicks”
- Siri will begin playing the song in the background.
If you don’t specify an artist and there is more than one song with the same title, Siri will ask you which one you meant.
How to play a specific artist or album with Siri
- Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri
- Tell Siri to play the specific artist or album you want. For example, “Play music by Foster the People” or “Play the album Nothing but the Beat by David Guetta.”
- Siri will begin playing the album or artist in the background.
How to play a specific genre with Siri
- Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri.
- Tell Siri to play the specific genre of music you want to listen to. For example. “Play some dance music”.
- Siri will begin playing the genre in the background.
How to play a specific playlist with Siri
- Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri.
- Tell Siri the name of the playlist you want to play. For example, “Play my Road Trip playlist”.
- Siri will begin playing the playlist in the background.
How to shuffle music with Siri
- Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri.
- Tell Siri what you want to play — a playlist, album, or music by a certain artist — and tell it that you want to shuffle. For example: Play music by Foster the People on shuffle.
- If you’re already playing a certain genre, album, or artist you can just tell Siri you want to shuffle by saying: “Shuffle”.
How to pause, play, stop, and skip tracks with Siri
- Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri.
- If you’ve got music already playing you can control the current track’s playback by telling Siri what you want to do. For example: “Pause music” or “skip track”.
- If you’ve stopped your music and would like to continue were you last left off you can tell Siri:”Resume playing.”
How to get more help with Siri
If you still need help with setting up or using Siri with your iPhone music, or any other Siri feature, head on over to our Siri Forum and ask away!
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iMore – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog
Chevrolet Cars To Feature Siri In Early 2013
With Steve Jobs’s dream to produce an iCar one day, Apple seems to be taking a step closer to reality – General Motors will introduce Apple’s digital voice assistant Siri into several of its car models in early 2013!
Working through the standard Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system, the feature will be available to iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 owners and will serve minimizing distractions while driving. Siri will be activated without the need to light up the screen, meaning that the interaction with it will be available in an “Eyes Free” mode.
The capabilities Siri will bring to Chevrolet cars owners are the following:
• Ability to make hands-free calls;
• Play songs in iTunes library;
• Listen to, compose and send messages;
• Add appointments to calendar and many more.
However, tasks that are a bit complex and require displaying a web page will not work, according to the GM. Cristi Landy, Chevrolet marketing director for small cars commented: “It says a lot about our commitment to small-car customers that Chevrolet has announced that Siri Eyes Free capability will be available in the Spark and Sonic well before the luxury brands.”
Previously we’ve heard about Mercedes and Siri connection, along with BMW and Honda having also announced Siri integration. In difference with other car manufacturers, GM differentiates itself by integrating Siri support in small cars first. What do you think about Siri in your car? Do not hesitate to share in the comments below.
