Hey Siri, are you really about to get an upgrade?
Apple + Google claim it's going to happen
In 2011, Apple introduced the world’s first digital assistant, named Siri, on the iPhone 4S (yes, it was that long ago!) saying it could help us by dictating texts, setting reminders, checking the weather, and answering basic questions using natural language.
It was also the butt of jokes at the time, because it got so much wrong.
Siri has endured a somewhat tortured history since then, but that could be set to change this year, with Google as the savior.
Yes, Siri really did improve over the years, but once Open AI introduced ChatGPT and Google offered a similar chatbot in Gemini, Siri really started to feel like yesterday’s news.
Unlike the bots, it couldn’t keep a conversation going, even as it spent less time saying, “I don’t Understand” or “Here’s what I found on the Web,” and followed through with basic answers to basic questions.
Do you remember how in 2024, Apple announced, with great fanfare, that a new day was coming to Siri, with a revamped, chattier, AI driven version of Siri? This would be the lead product in the “Apple Intelligence,” banner on the new phones set for September 2024, the iPhone 16 line.
That all-new Siri would be less task dependent (“turn on the lights” “play Poker Face by Lady Gaga on Apple Music”) to an assistant designed for conversation and answers.
Cut to 2026, and that never happened. Apple sheepishly had to admit that it was taking longer than it expected, despite all the brainpower and cash on hand to solve problems at one of the biggest tech giants in the world. It was still hard at work on the new Siri, and that we might see the new model appearing sometime in 2026.
This week, Apple threw in the towel, and surrendered to Google.
Now, coming soon, that all-new Siri will in fact be Google’s AI, in the guise of what it calls Gemini and we will see it later this year, probably with the release of the iPhone 18 in September.
What does this all mean for the 2 billion iPhone users?
Siri will still be Siri, just finally, a little smarter and chattier, or so the companies would have us believe.
It will have the same voice, and still be used for composing texts, dialing phone calls, setting alarms and the like, but it will soon be able to continue the conversation like ChatGPT and Gemini.
My take: I’ll believe it when I see it.
Beyond my skepticism on Apple’s credibility here, I own a Google Home product, and witnessed how its answer to Siri with the “Google Assistant” (remember “Hey, Google?”) was not only not better, but how Google just dropped the ball and let it basically wither away, to the point of irrelevance, in the name of Gemini, which is in fact terrific.
Siri and Photography
Meanwhile, for this audience, did you know that there were several ways you could use Siri in your iPhone photo taking? It’s not a lot, and hopefully with Gemini it could go way further, but here’s what works now.
Say Hey, Siri:
—”Take a photo” or “Take a Picture” This will open the Camera app for you, but it doesn’t snap the shutter.
—Record video. Again, this opens the app, but you’ll still have to press the record button.
—Start a timelapse. This brings you to Timelapse mode, but you’ll need to press record.
What does not work, despite years of Apple saying it does, is using Siri to help you find your photos on your phone. That was one of the big 2024 new Siri promises, and if it worked, that would be the Holy Grail for me.
And really, this list of so-called helpful Siri features is so thin. How about asking Siri to actually start recording when you want it? To ask to Take a Selfie or group shot without having to put on the timer, and having the camera snap the shutter?
You can do all that and more with your voice on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones.
What features do you want to see from the “all-new” Siri?
We have a winner!
Susan Buley Crawford, a photo and music enthusiast from the Central Coast of California, won the first week of our Best Western/Photowalks giveaway, with a gift card worth $250 that should get her one or two nights at the Best Western of her choice.
Susan tells us her dream destination would be Boston “and the Freedom Trail, especially the Old North Church. I had ancestors who fought in the war!”
That was back 250 years ago, during the semiquincentennial that we are celebrating now!
Speaking of Boston, if you missed it, our America 250 episode from where it all started is available for your viewing pleasure.
Giveaway for Week 2
Week one was just a warm-up. For Week Two of the Photowalks Giveaway, we’re leveling up with a PHOTO CONTEST 📸 for Rhode Island America 250!
Here’s how to enter:
1️⃣ POST: Upload your best travel photo to YOUR Instagram feed.
2️⃣ TAG: Tag @PhotowalksTV and @BestWestern so we can find you.
3️⃣ HASHTAG: Use #PhotowalksBestWestern in the caption.
💡 PRO TIP: The algorithm loves a story. Tell us where the photo was taken and why it matters to you. (Posts with stories get 2x the engagement!)
🚀 BONUS ENTRY: Share this post to your Stories and tag us for an extra chance to win.
The Deadline: Friday, January 23 at midnight.
I’ll be featuring the top entries in next weekend’s newsletter and right here on my feed. Let’s see those shots! ✈️🏨
Rhode Island America 250 is Next
Here’s a preview of Sunday’s Providence/Newport RI episode, which debuts at 10 a.m. ET on Scripps News. I hope you’ll check it out!
Thanks as always for watching, reading and listening.
Jeff