Hi,
Is there any way to get Siri to use the old Siri sounds when pressing the side button? That was such a trademark sound, and I have trouble hearing the new one. I miss it and I want it back.
I agree it was a much more informative sound. It told you something. The new sound still doesn’t reliably tell me whats going on without thinking about it which seems the whole point of a sound. Maybe apple would consider giving a choice but I wouldn’t bet on it. I think I prefer the new sound for pleasantness but it just isn’t informative which is its purpose.
I actually prefer the new and more subtle tone. However, I can understand why some don't like it and for some it may be harder to hear.
I don't see Apple reverting back to the previous tone, as they rarely do anything which could suggest that they got things wrong. Likely the best that e can hope for is Apple allowing users to select in Siri Settings between two or more Siri activation tones.
I would suggest that people who don't like the new tone or who find it less accessible due to hearing issues, shoot off an email to accessibility@apple.com asking for a change or feature enhancement.
I've noticed that siri on iOS 16 and above is not as good as it used to be. Whenever I ask Siri, i often get wrong responses, especially when dialing someone. Hope they'll fix the problem. I also prefer the previous sound but I guess we'll have to get used to the new sound.
The new sound relies a lot more on lower-mids and upper-midbass frequencies. The latter are more difficult for small devices, such as the phones Siri is found on, to reproduce. It's also less percussive. It's just not as good of a sound. I've noticed Windows 11 is also guilty of this. I'm not sure who started this trend, but I wish they would stop.
@Rafal I've never found Siri to be particularly bright, however she does seem to have a harder time understanding some people. I'd suggest you give the shortcuts app a try. The fewer words you give her, the better she seems to be at doing stuff.
Also agree here. The new Siri sound lacks high end frequencies which make it harder to hear in noisey environments. I like the new more subtle sound when at home in a quiet place. However if I'm riding in a car or in an environment like a restaurant with lots of backgrouond noises, the new sound doesn't cover enough of the frequency range at a high enough level to be reliably heard. That is why emergency sirens cover such a wide range of frequencies.
siri seems to start listening one second late after you hear the tone. so if i say something like "one forty-five times sisteen hundred", it would give me the answer for 45 times 1600, or it would only hear the 1600 part, in that case it would say "i found something about 1600 on the web, take a look". very frustrating.
I have learned, thanks to another post, that you have to wait that extra second before talking to Siri. Because I would say, for example, "Read the message." And Siri would say, "To who?". That was getting agrivating. So when someone on another post suggested to wait about a second or so before speaking, this resolved that issue. I don't mind the new sound either.
Stanley Windels here: I totally agree. I think the new sound is too indefinite and too low pitched. It has a reverb on it, or what I might call a trailer. I wonder if this slower fadeout interferes with Siri's ability to hear our requests. That is perhaps why we are getting strange responses from Siri.
Yes, I have noticed this also. Siri seems to not be hearing the first words of a request any more unless I wait a lot longer after hearing the tone or pressing the side buttons. this never used to be a problem.
Looking for a solution to this horrid issue I've just run across this website/community. Soooo glad to know I'm not the only one who finds these much harder to hear! Sorry but I'm knew here, ... why would Apple do such a thing, huge change to those frequencies/sounds, and not offer users a way back, or better yet, to customise the frequencies/sound to their own Tastes? Wouldn't this make a great deal more sense? I've written to the email address provided, but, can anyone tell me, do they ever listen/respond at all to what people say up here? Anyone got any history to share about this? Fortunately I still have an SE2016 running iOS 14.8, and it will only go to iOS15.7x, but, eventually I will have to upgrade, and I have already goggled at how hard these are to hear on friend's iDevices ... Re the issue of Siri not listening till late due to the "slick" fadeout of the new summon sound, has anyone tried turning off Audio Ducking, to see if that fixes it? I have it off by Default and find it makes a whole bunch of interactions with Voiceover much better with the thing off.
Comments
Same here.
I agree it was a much more informative sound. It told you something. The new sound still doesn’t reliably tell me whats going on without thinking about it which seems the whole point of a sound. Maybe apple would consider giving a choice but I wouldn’t bet on it. I think I prefer the new sound for pleasantness but it just isn’t informative which is its purpose.
My 2 cents
I actually prefer the new and more subtle tone. However, I can understand why some don't like it and for some it may be harder to hear.
I don't see Apple reverting back to the previous tone, as they rarely do anything which could suggest that they got things wrong. Likely the best that e can hope for is Apple allowing users to select in Siri Settings between two or more Siri activation tones.
I would suggest that people who don't like the new tone or who find it less accessible due to hearing issues, shoot off an email to accessibility@apple.com asking for a change or feature enhancement.
Siri is not as good as it used to be
I've noticed that siri on iOS 16 and above is not as good as it used to be. Whenever I ask Siri, i often get wrong responses, especially when dialing someone. Hope they'll fix the problem. I also prefer the previous sound but I guess we'll have to get used to the new sound.
Agree
The new sound relies a lot more on lower-mids and upper-midbass frequencies. The latter are more difficult for small devices, such as the phones Siri is found on, to reproduce. It's also less percussive. It's just not as good of a sound. I've noticed Windows 11 is also guilty of this. I'm not sure who started this trend, but I wish they would stop.
@Rafal I've never found Siri to be particularly bright, however she does seem to have a harder time understanding some people. I'd suggest you give the shortcuts app a try. The fewer words you give her, the better she seems to be at doing stuff.
Re: Agreed
Also agree here. The new Siri sound lacks high end frequencies which make it harder to hear in noisey environments. I like the new more subtle sound when at home in a quiet place. However if I'm riding in a car or in an environment like a restaurant with lots of backgrouond noises, the new sound doesn't cover enough of the frequency range at a high enough level to be reliably heard. That is why emergency sirens cover such a wide range of frequencies.
--Pete
more problematic than sound
siri seems to start listening one second late after you hear the tone. so if i say something like "one forty-five times sisteen hundred", it would give me the answer for 45 times 1600, or it would only hear the 1600 part, in that case it would say "i found something about 1600 on the web, take a look". very frustrating.
Siri sound.
I have learned, thanks to another post, that you have to wait that extra second before talking to Siri. Because I would say, for example, "Read the message." And Siri would say, "To who?". That was getting agrivating. So when someone on another post suggested to wait about a second or so before speaking, this resolved that issue. I don't mind the new sound either.
Old sound
What apple give us apple take it away. I have a better chance that I have Jennifer Lawrence than apple bringing it up.
I Want The Old Siri Sound Back
Re: More problematic
Yes, I have noticed this also. Siri seems to not be hearing the first words of a request any more unless I wait a lot longer after hearing the tone or pressing the side buttons. this never used to be a problem.
--Pete
contact apple accessibility
contact apple accessibility and let them know.
Agree wholeheartedly with this thread!
Looking for a solution to this horrid issue I've just run across this website/community. Soooo glad to know I'm not the only one who finds these much harder to hear! Sorry but I'm knew here, ... why would Apple do such a thing, huge change to those frequencies/sounds, and not offer users a way back, or better yet, to customise the frequencies/sound to their own Tastes? Wouldn't this make a great deal more sense? I've written to the email address provided, but, can anyone tell me, do they ever listen/respond at all to what people say up here? Anyone got any history to share about this? Fortunately I still have an SE2016 running iOS 14.8, and it will only go to iOS15.7x, but, eventually I will have to upgrade, and I have already goggled at how hard these are to hear on friend's iDevices ... Re the issue of Siri not listening till late due to the "slick" fadeout of the new summon sound, has anyone tried turning off Audio Ducking, to see if that fixes it? I have it off by Default and find it makes a whole bunch of interactions with Voiceover much better with the thing off.
I also want the old Siri sounds back
Or at least give us the option to choose between the old and new sounds
submit feedback
If you are on the beta submit feedback. If you aren't on the beta email apple accessibility