Siri Can Now Play Animal Sounds

Mitchell Clark, writing for The Verge:

With yesterday’s release of iOS 14.3, Siri got a new trick: the ability to play real-world sound samples on command. Ask “Hey Siri, what does _____ sound like?” and it will start playing the sound for you. If you ask on an iPhone or iPad, it will show you a picture as well. Google Assistant has been able to do this for a few years now, but now it’s available for the iPhone, iPad, and HomePod.

Apple hasn’t announced how many sounds it’s added, but it’s been able to handle most of the animals I asked about (except for some obscure ones that I’m not sure have a real distinctive noise, like an anteater).

I tried “What does a krayt dragon sound like?” and Siri was no help, so a HomePod isn’t going to help you scare off marauding Tusken Raiders.

★ Tuesday, 15 December 2020