Siri still mis-pronouncing the time, both military and civilian.

Question

Level 1

100 points

Siri still mis-pronouncing the time, both military and civilian.

It’s been annother 4 years since giftydj said it had been 6 years since the question about Siri mis-announcing military time. Siri says "It's 9 hours" instead of saying "It's 0900 [Oh nine hundred] hours" or "It's twenty-one hundred" instead of "21 hours". Since I tried using military time and can't get her to speak it correctly, I'd like to change back to having her just say "It's 9 o'clock" but although I've unchecked military time, she's still mis-announcing it as "It's 9 hours" as if she's trying to continue speaking military time.

Anybody know how to get Siri to announce time correctly, either military or civilian time?

Many thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro (M3, 2023)

Posted on Dec 23, 2024 12:26 PM

Reply

Answer 1

varjak paw

Level 10

183,352 points

Dec 23, 2024 2:10 PM in response to dialabrain

It's the "24 hour time" setting in General -> Date & Time. Some people refer to that as "military time".

I have to wonder if the replying as "x hours" is due to a region or language setting.

Regards.

Reply

Answer 2

varjak paw

Level 10

183,352 points

Dec 23, 2024 3:05 PM in response to dialabrain

dialabrain wrote:

FWIW, Just because the military uses 24hr time doesn't mean it's "military time".

Yes, I know, but that's what many people refer to it as, particularly in the US where the 12-hour clock is far more common among the general population.

Just to be clear, Siri doesn't announce the time in "military speak". Never has, probably never will.

As to this, I'm not sure what you're thinking of when you refer to "military speak", but Siri will announce the time as "It's sixteen hundred hours" or "It's sixteen oh two" (or whatever the time is) if the Date & Time is set to 24-Hour Time. I don't think Siri would ever say "oh nine hundred", though, if that's what you meant (which is probably the case), though I'd have to try it in the morning. Why the OP's device is saying just "21 hours" I don't know.

Regards.

Reply

Answer 3

dialabrain

Level 10

138,067 points

Dec 27, 2024 7:03 PM in response to Desert Lady

Desert Lady wrote:

To clarify: The setting I’m concerned with is the one that ANNOUNCES the time hourly (or whatever schedule one sets). I’m not asking Siri for the time. So, even if it does not say “1600 hours” it should at least announce the time as 1600, not “16”.

I understood what you meant. FWIW, my iMac says; twenty one fifteen, twenty one thirty & twenty one forty five, then twenty two hours.

All you can do is leave Apple feedback.

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Reply

Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

138,067 points

Dec 23, 2024 2:16 PM in response to varjak paw

Just to add…

"The 24-hour clock is primarily used in the non-english speaking countries in Europe, Lation America, Asia and Africa. Most English speaking countries expect The United States usually switches back and forth between 12-hour and 24-hour time because neither have been established as the standard."

Reply

Answer 5

dialabrain

Level 10

138,067 points

Dec 23, 2024 2:52 PM in response to Desert Lady

Desert Lady wrote:

It’s been annother 4 years since giftydj said it had been 6 years since the question about Siri mis-announcing military time.

Just to be clear, Siri doesn't announce the time in "military speak". Never has, probably never will.

Reply

Answer 6

Desert Lady Author

Level 1

100 points

Dec 27, 2024 5:31 PM in response to dialabrain

Some of us, e.g. healthcare workers, developed the 24 hour habit for accuracy in charting. Eliminates the ambiguity in what time events take place much better than writing out a.m. or p.m. for every timed event.

Reply

Answer 7

Desert Lady Author

Level 1

100 points

Dec 27, 2024 5:34 PM in response to dialabrain

To clarify: The setting I’m concerned with is the one that ANNOUNCES the time hourly (or whatever schedule one sets). I’m not asking Siri for the time. So, even if it does not say “1600 hours” it should at least announce the time as 1600, not “16”.

Reply

Answer 8

Desert Lady Author

Level 1

100 points

Dec 27, 2024 5:38 PM in response to dialabrain

It’s just how it is colloquially referred to. Doesn’t mean it’s only used in military. It is used in settings where it preferable to have accurate time without any question as to whether a time written on a document is a.m. or p.m. which notation is not infrequently omitted in written communication, hospital chart notes, etc., without the discipline of using the 24 hour clock or military time expression.

Reply

Answer 9

Desert Lady Author

Level 1

100 points

Dec 27, 2024 5:41 PM in response to Desert Lady

So, question still remains how to get the hourly time announced correctly, even with 12 hour clock. It used to say “It’s 9 o’clock” whereas now it is saying “It’s 9 hours” when I switched from 24 hour clock back to 12 hour clock. Anyone else have any ideas?

Reply

Answer 10

Desert Lady Author

Level 1

100 points

Dec 29, 2024 12:35 PM in response to varjak paw

You're correct. Whereas you might say "it's 1500" or 1501 or 1525, etc., you wouldn't normally say "it's 15" for the time. I would expect the 24 hr clock user would say "It's 15 hundred" or "15 hundred hours" or in the morning "It's 900 hours" although usually morning time is read with the "0" in front: "It's Oh nine hundred hours" in U.S. real world settings such as hospitals in which I worked using 24 hour time.

Reply

Answer 11

Desert Lady Author

Level 1

100 points

Dec 29, 2024 12:39 PM in response to dialabrain

Yes. Unfortunately, the issue is that even with 12 hour time convention, Siri continues to try to speak the 24 hour convention but doesn't know how. It was spoken normally for 12 hour time until I tried the 24 hour time, and now it speaks in a convention no one uses anywhere. LOL. But I know what she means. ;-)

Reply