Apple’s Siri might get the ability to respond at a volume that’s relevant to the situation and environment in the future, including whispering, if a recently published patent is any indication. Siri can be useful for many things, including information, controlling other devices, making calls, reading texts and more. However, it does have its limitations as well, with the volume the voice assistant responds at being a prime example.

Siri is not the only voice or virtual assistant around and while they all are capable of performing many similar actions, they do come with their unique differences. In some cases, these can be for the better and offer functionality that others don’t. More often, these differences only serve to highlight how one assistant feels more dated than another. Understanding environmental factors is an example of this problem, as assistants like Alexa are far more capable than Siri at dealing with these cues.

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In a patent spotted by AppleInsider, Apple is currently looking at improving Siri’s understanding of the environment. The patent explains a variety of ways this could affect the Siri experience, although the major takeaway is that Apple’s virtual assistant might be able to understand the importance of volume. Even more importantly, respond accordingly. Of course, a patent is just a patent, so while Apple appears to be figuring out how to implement the feature, that’s not to say it is something that will arrive soon, or even ever.

Why Siri Understanding Volume Matters

First off, Alexa understands volume. Therefore, and just at a market level, this will bring Siri more in line with what the competition already offers. At the user level, the ability for Siri to understand environmental volume cues will greatly improve the experience. For example, in situations where the environment is too noisy, the user is likely to speak at a much louder volume so that Siri can hear them. It stands to reason that, under those exact same circumstances, Siri should also be able to speak louder, reducing the likelihood of Siri’s response going unheard. Likewise, at times when speaking softly gets the job done, Siri would be able to whisper replies back to the user after they’ve whispered a command or question. A good example here is when others are sleeping in the room, but the user wants to set an alarm, a reminder, or issue any other type of command.

For reference, the volume of Siri’s responses can be manually adjusted by changing the volume on an iPhone when Siri is speaking or by changing the Voice Volume level on An Apple Watch. However, they are not only manual adjustments, but also static ones where the change remains in place until manually changed again. That’s far different from Apple’s Siri understanding the environment, including the volume the user is speaking at, and replying in a similar way.

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Source: USPTO, AppleInsider

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John Finn
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John Finn is a technology editor and writer for Screen Rant. John has been covering technology since 2014 and focuses on where tech meets the movie and TV industry. A Psychology graduate from England who now lives in the US, John previously worked in the aviation industry as an airline reviewer. You can find John on Twitter @J_Finns or email at john [at] screenrant [dot] com.

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