Siriously dumber with latest update

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Level 1

5 points

Siriously dumber with latest update

Why does Siri no longer recognize any of the common requests that I used for years? I asked to “call mom” , it asks me if I’d like to call a different contact entirely… When I ask to call my wife it asks me if I’d like to call another contact that I haven’t spoken to you in 15 years. Whose name is entirely different in spelling & pronunciation. Several commands I have always and routinely used, are no longer recognized. Calling “Mom” is a pretty simple request!!! This all occurred within the last week, immediately following my latest update to 16.1.1. I haven’t changed, so how do I fix this. I’m not changing my entire phonebook, so Siri can understand me. These simple commands/requests worked just fine up until this update. Siri actually used to confidently expedite my requests, without asking me if I was “sure” or “just to be clear” about something. This should be something that Apple can and should fix… Please do this! I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only person having this problem. Before I break any more screens in sheer rage(did that today trying to reach “Mom”), Apple needs to do something about this problem.

iPhone 8

Posted on Dec 8, 2022 11:29 PM

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Answer 1

claire504

Community Specialist

Dec 12, 2022 06:48 AM in response to Siriousish

Hi Siriousish,

Are you having issues with Siri requests for other things (like checking the weather, so on) or only when trying to call contacts? We want to know if the issue is specific for calling requests or any Siri requests.

Also, if you haven't yet, you could see if restarting your iPhone may help. It may seem like a simple step, but it can refresh the iOS and sometimes help resolve unexpected issues. If needed, below will show you how to do that:

"How to restart your iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE (2nd or 3rd generation)

Press and hold the side button until the power-off slider appears.
Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your device to turn off. If your device is frozen or unresponsive, force restart your device.
To turn your device back on, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo."

Those steps, and more, can be found here: Restart your iPhone - Apple Support Also, you'll want to ensure to keep your iPhone up-to-date as software releases can sometimes help resolve issues:

"Update your iPhone or iPad wirelessly

Back up your device using iCloud or your computer.
Plug your device into power and connect to the internet with Wi-Fi.
Go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update.
If you see more than one software update option available, choose the one that you want to install.
Tap Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now. If you don't know your passcode, learn what to do."

Those steps are from this article: Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Take care.

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Answer 2

mario49

Community Specialist

Dec 13, 2022 08:15 AM in response to Siriousish

Greetings Siriousish,

Thanks for the additional information regarding your Siri not working correctly issue.

The next step is to update to iOS 16.1.2. You can also check out this support article:

• If "Hey Siri" isn't working on your iPhone - Apple Support

If you need continued assistance, please reach out to the AppleCare phone support team via this link: Get Support.

Farewell!

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Answer 3

ryane77

Community Specialist

Dec 15, 2022 02:13 PM in response to Siriousish

Siriousish,

Thanks for following up. iOS 16.2 was released yesterday. While it sounds like you recently updated to iOS 16.1.2, updating to iOS 16.2 would be your best next step, as it's critical to make sure you're running the most current software when troubleshooting. It might also clear things up. Be sure to back up first: Update your iPhone or iPad

If that doesn't help and you already covered all of the steps in the links we've shared above, use this link to contact us directly: Apple Support

Take care.

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Answer 4

Siriousish Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 12, 2022 11:09 AM in response to claire504

Well, thank you for getting back to me. I have turned on and off my phone and reset it. I’ve also updated to the latest OS… There have been some talk to text dictations that we are completely not what I said. However, I have noticed the problem the most is in requesting to call people. 90% of the contacts are no longer recognized in the way I’ve always referred to them or suggests other contacts in their place. When I ask Siri to call mom iPhone , it will ask if I want to call “Mom & Dad”. Close but not what I requested. Ironically, if I say “call mother”, it says “calling mom iPhone”. Yet, I have no “mother” in my contacts. Although there are other examples of this with other contacts. This seems to be the easiest one to exemplify the problem. Mom is a three letter word, and sounds nothing like mother. This literally changed after the latest update to 16.1.1. Prior to that almost every request that I ever made of Siri was accurately, replied to, and the requests were expedited properly.

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Answer 5

Siriousish Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 15, 2022 01:29 PM in response to mario49

This was not helpful & did not resolve the issue….

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Answer 6

Siriousish Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 15, 2022 04:02 PM in response to Siriousish

So now I updated to 16.2 and the problem got worse. What happens now when I asked to “call mom” is it says “calling mom and dad” and doesn’t even ask if that’s correct. So now when I request for Siri to call people it’s just guessing from contacts that are similar or share common words. Again, I have always talked to Siri and requested to call people in the same exact manner. Since the first update to 16.1.1 this problem has not been resolved and it’s only getting worse calling “mom” which should be a priority for many people in the world should not be something that my phone can’t sort out. I’m specific to request a call “mom iPhone” just to be 100% clear. I don’t know if other people are having this problem or not. If it’s my device I’d like to know what could have caused this? However, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that this would be only my device. Talk to text works fine and all other requests with Siri work fine. Just my contacts/phone calls. The MOST important thing I use my phone for, without having to look for a number or in my contacts. That primary function no longer works as it did for years. Please help

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Answer 7

ASTRO24

Community Specialist

Dec 15, 2022 04:28 PM in response to Siriousish

Hi Siriousish,

With this issue ongoing after all the troubleshooting steps completed, it would be best to contact Apple Support to work on this issue for a solution.

Contact Apple Support

Regards.

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Siriously dumber with latest update

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