If I enable "Hey Siri", is the processing of ongoing conversations done locally on the phone or in the cloud? If in the cloud, is the data stored and used in the same way as audio directed at Siri is used (stored for 6 months with identification info and another 18 months without)? Or is it immediately dumped so as not to eavesdrop?
iPhone 5s, iOS 8.3
Thanks Meg! I get that once you say "Hey Siri" it's the usual Siri processing (and data use) - I'm just wondering about how the iPhone "listens" for "Hey Siri" and how that data is treated. If the data isn't stored, I'd like to enable it, but if it is stored, I'd rather not have conversations sent to the cloud while my iPhone charges.
The data is treated the same as it is any time you use Siri. You're not accessing some different version of Siri. Whether you access Siri by saying "Hey, Siri" or by pressing and holding the Home button, it's all the same.
Thanks Meg. I think we are having a communication problem. I am interested in how the iPhone listens for the trigger "Hey Siri". It has to be processing an ongoing audio stream in order to recognize those words. How does the iPhone handle that pre-hey-siri audio?
kate437 wrote:
Thanks Meg. I think we are having a communication problem. I am interested in how the iPhone listens for the trigger "Hey Siri". It has to be processing an ongoing audio stream in order to recognize those words. How does the iPhone handle that pre-hey-siri audio?
"Pre-hey, Siri audio" was the key. I get it now. I don't know the answer to that. However, VoiceControl, which is what you get if you turn off Siri, is processed on the device itself and can recognize certain phrases. I think it unlikely that the phone is listening to everything that's said around you, uploading it to Apple Servers to parse. That's why it has to be that specific phrase. There can't be any ambiguity because the on-board processing ability of the phone is limited. But I certainly can't give you 100% assurance that it works the way I think it does.
"Hey, Siri" is just a different way of activating Siri. It access the same system as pressing and holding the Home button. All processing is done on remote servers.
Thanks for the guess. That makes a lot of sense. I'll go ahead and enable it then 🙂
Glad we sort of got it figured out!
"Hey Siri" Privacy - Local or cloud audio processing?
