Siri has some cool new tricks in iOS 8
Siri has come a long way from its overwhelming debut video to its underwhelming actual debut, but it got better. As time has gone by, Siri has become a useful tool for iOS, able to find you information and be charming all at the same time. With iOS 8, Siri is getting a few new tricks as shown in this video from YouTube user Bill Savage.
Siri can now be activated via voice command, but only if the device is plugged into a power source. This may change between now and the release of iOS 8 later this year, but if your iPhone or iPad is on the other side of the room charging, you can now yell at it to ask Siri a question. All you have to do is say "Hey Siri."
The feature has also been updated with visual feedback, so you can see what Siri thinks you're saying in real time, instead of having to wait until it processes your words to realize it misheard you.
Finally, Siri now has a song ID feature that will come in useful when you want to know what a track is but don't have time to launch the Shazam app. Simply activate Siri while a song is playing and you will notice the listening bar is moving. An music icon appears at the top of the screen that tells you Siri is trying to ID the song. Once the song has been identified, Siri provides you with a link to buy the song and offers to let you open Shazam for more information.
While these may seem like minor improvements, increasing these simple day to day functionality is what will take Siri from something people use to find movie times to something people use all the time. Enjoy the video below.
