Siri and Voice

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Help users quickly accomplish tasks related to your app using just their voice.

Posts under Siri and Voice tag

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To say I'm extremely hurt is an understatement! 😔
Voice Control Disabling System Services After Reboot I recently learned from Apple Accessibility Support that the issue I’m experiencing with Voice Control is now affecting multiple users. When I first reported the problem, I appeared to be the first case—what you might call “patient zero.” I have provided extensive feedback and system logs, but now that the issue is more widespread, I have been told that I will not be informed of the cause or notified directly when a fix is found. Instead, updates will be released as solutions are identified, and support staff will not necessarily know the details of the underlying problem. To summarize my experience: after enabling Voice Control and rebooting my MacBook Pro (14.2-inch, M4 chip), critical Apple system services—including FaceTime, Apple Music, and News—stop functioning. Dictation remains available, but it is not as accurate or effective for my needs as Voice Control. I rely on these accessibility features daily due to my disability and cerebral palsy, and this issue has persisted for over five months. I have always valued contributing to the developer program and supporting Apple’s efforts to improve accessibility. However, I find it discouraging that there is no clear communication about the status of this issue or its resolution. My theory is that there may be a hardware interaction—perhaps between the neural engine and the new Wi-Fi chip—rather than a purely software problem. I understand that some information may not be immediately available, but I believe that users who rely on accessibility features should be kept informed about major issues and their progress toward resolution. I appreciate the dedication of the accessibility and development teams, and I want to continue supporting Apple’s mission of inclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Donald Spencer Kirby Dayton, Ohio
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173
Jun ’25
App Shortcuts - No Flexible Matching Assets
My app uses App Intents to create App Shortcuts. When I build and run my app in Xcode, the App Shortcuts Preview tool (under Product menu) shows the following message: No Flexible Matching Assets This target is for a platform which is not supported by Flexible Matching or does not have Flexible Matching enabled. All of my project's targets are iPhone only with a minimum deployment of 18.0. In the build settings for this project, Enable App Shortcuts Flexible Matching is set to Yes. (build settings reference) Any guidance on how to troubleshoot this? Thank you!
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132
Jun ’25
Best Practice for Confirming Siri Shortcuts Availability Before Prompting User Interaction
I'm developing an iOS app that uses Siri Shortcuts to enhance the user experience. Currently, I have implemented functionality that allows users to perform certain actions via Siri Shortcuts. My team wants to improve the user experience by giving an instructional audio prompt (e.g., "say 'hey Siri [action name]' if you want to [perform action]") to users. However, we want to ensure this prompt is only played when the user has already enabled Siri Shortcuts. The challenge is determining whether Siri Shortcuts are properly enabled before suggesting their use. We want to avoid situations where users follow our audio instructions to use Siri, only to discover that Siri Shortcuts aren't properly configured on their device. Since we're using Siri Shortcuts for this feature, the standard requestSiriAuthorization(_:) method doesn't apply to our use case(It said You don’t need to request authorization if your app only supports actions in the Shortcuts app. in https://developer.apple.com/documentation/sirikit/requesting-authorization-to-use-siri). What is the recommended approach to verify that Siri Shortcuts are properly enabled before prompting users to interact with them? Is there a reliable way to check this status(should be the bool value of the toggle in the pic below) programmatically? Thank you for your assistance.
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157
Jun ’25
EntityStringQuery does not show variable menu in Shortcuts app
(Public dupe of FB16477656) The Shortcuts app allows you to parameterise the input for an action using variables or allowing "Ask every time". This option DOES NOT show when conforming my AppEntity.defaultQuery Struct to EntityStringQuery: But it DOES shows when confirming to EntityQuery: As discussed on this forum post (or FB13253161) my AppEntity.defaultQuery HAS TO confirm to EntityStringQuery to allow for searching by String from Siri Voice input. To summarise: With EntityQuery: My Intent looks like it supports variables via the Shortcuts app. But will end up in an endless loop because there is no entities(matching string: String) function. This will allow me to choose an item via the Shorcuts.app UI With EntityStringQuery: My Intent does not support variables via the Shortcuts app. I am not allows to choose an item via the Shorcuts.app UI. Even weirder, if i set up the shortcut with using a build with EntityQuery and then do another build with EntityStringQuery it works as expected. Code: /* Works with Siri to find a match, doesn't show "Ask every time" */ public struct WidgetStationQuery: EntityStringQuery { public init() { } public func entities(matching string: String) async throws -> [Station] { let stations = [Station(id: "car", name: "car"), Station(id: "bike", name: "bike")] return stations.filter { $0.id.lowercased() == string.lowercased() } } public func entities(for identifiers: [Station.ID]) async throws -> [Station] { let stations = [Station(id: "car", name: "car"), Station(id: "bike", name: "bike")] return stations.filter { identifiers.contains($0.id.lowercased()) } } public func suggestedEntities() async throws -> [Station] { return [Station(id: "car", name: "car"), Station(id: "bike", name: "bike")] } public func defaultResult() async -> Station? { try? await suggestedEntities().first } } /* DOES NOT work with Siri to find a match, but Shortcuts shows "Ask every time" */ public struct WidgetBrokenStationQuery: EntityQuery { public init() { } public func entities(matching string: String) async throws -> [Station] { let stations = [Station(id: "car", name: "car"), Station(id: "bike", name: "bike")] return stations.filter { $0.id.lowercased() == string.lowercased() } } public func entities(for identifiers: [Station.ID]) async throws -> [Station] { let stations = [Station(id: "car", name: "car"), Station(id: "bike", name: "bike")] return stations.filter { identifiers.contains($0.id.lowercased()) } } public func suggestedEntities() async throws -> [Station] { return [Station(id: "car", name: "car"), Station(id: "bike", name: "bike")] } public func defaultResult() async -> Station? { try? await suggestedEntities().first } }```
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420
Jun ’25
Phonetic vs Pronunciation contacts fields and Siri
The contacts app has fields for Phonetic and Pronunciation. My app adds phonetic data to the phonetic field to help Siri better understand contacts stored in Greek, Cyrillic, or Georgian. However, using the phonetic field causes the sorting order of contacts to be messed up. For example, Greek B (beta) is represented as a phonetic sound of V, resulting in a completely incorrect sorting order. The pronunciation field doesn’t seem to affect the sorting order, but I’m not sure what it does or should do. My questions are: Do we understand the difference between phonetic and pronunciation, and how Siri actively uses them? If the phonetic field is the correct one to use, how can we raise a feature request with Apple to add an option to sort contacts based on phonetic fields or not? Here’s a test you can try: Create a new contact with the following details: First name: test Last name: test Phonetic first name: Billy Phonetic last name: Idol Ask Siri to show the contact Billy Idol. It will return the “test test” contact. Switch from the phonetic to the pronunciation fields. Now, Siri won’t find Billy Idol.
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131
May ’25
Privacy - Siri Usage Description being reset to default text "Describe why your app needs Siri access" on generating archive
I have an iOS app and that has CarPlay enabled. I have Siri capability and the feature has been tested in Car. The voice commands are working perfectly fine. However, I am facing a weird issue as described below, The key NSSiriUsageDescription, is set to custom text in info.plist. After generating archive, I exported and checked the package contents, in which the the key NSSiriUsageDescription was reset to default text(Describe why your app needs Siri access) in the info.plist. I do not have any dynamic build process that's writing to the info.plist. Only the Siri key is being reset, rest of keys like camera/location permissions are intact. Kindly suggest what needs to be done at my end
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89
May ’25
AppEntity with @Parameter Options Works in Shortcuts App but Not with Siri
I’m working with AppIntents and AppEntity to integrate my app’s data model into Shortcuts and Siri. In the example below, I define a custom FoodEntity and use it as a @Parameter in an AppIntent. I’m providing dynamic options for this parameter via an optionsProvider. In the Shortcuts app, everything works as expected: when the user runs the shortcut, they get a list of food options (from the dynamic provider) to select from. However, in Siri, the experience is different. Instead of showing the list of options, Siri asks the user to say the name of the food, and then tries to match it using EntityStringQuery. I originally assumed this might be a design decision to allow hands-free use with voice, but I found that if you use an AppEnum instead, Siri does present a tappable list of options. So now I’m wondering: why the difference? Is there a way to get the @Parameter with AppEntity + optionsProvider to show a tappable list in Siri like it does in Shortcuts or with an AppEnum? Any clarification on how EntityQuery.suggestedEntities() and DynamicOptionsProvider interact with Siri would be appreciated! struct CaloriesShortcuts: AppShortcutsProvider { static var appShortcuts: [AppShortcut] { AppShortcut( intent: AddCaloriesInteractive(), phrases: [ "Add to \(.applicationName)" ], shortTitle: "Calories", systemImageName: "fork" ) } } struct AddCaloriesInteractive: AppIntent { static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Add to calories log" static var description = IntentDescription("Add Calories using Shortcuts.") static var openAppWhenRun: Bool = false static var parameterSummary: some ParameterSummary { Summary("Calorie Entry SUMMARY") } var displayRepresentation: DisplayRepresentation { DisplayRepresentation(stringLiteral:"Add to calorie log") } @Dependency private var persistenceManager: PersistenceManager @Parameter(title: LocalizedStringResource("Food"), optionsProvider: FoodEntityOptions()) var foodEntity: FoodEntity @MainActor func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ProvidesDialog { return .result(dialog: .init("Added \(foodEntity.name) to calorie log")) } } struct FoodEntity: AppEntity { static var defaultQuery = FoodEntityQuery() @Property var name: String @Property var calories: Int init(name: String, calories: Int) { self.name = name self.calories = calories } static var typeDisplayRepresentation: TypeDisplayRepresentation { TypeDisplayRepresentation(name: "Calorie Entry") } static var typeDisplayName: LocalizedStringResource = "Calorie Entry" var displayRepresentation: AppIntents.DisplayRepresentation { DisplayRepresentation(title: .init(stringLiteral: name), subtitle: "\(calories)") } var id: String { return name } } struct FoodEntityQuery: EntityQuery { func entities(for identifiers: [FoodEntity.ID]) async throws -> [FoodEntity] { var result = [FoodEntity]() for identifier in identifiers { if let entity = FoodDatabase.allEntities().first(where: { $0.id == identifier }) { result.append(entity) } } return result } func suggestedEntities() async throws -> [FoodEntity] { return FoodDatabase.allEntities() } } extension FoodEntityQuery: EntityStringQuery { func entities(matching string: String) async throws -> [FoodEntity] { return FoodDatabase.allEntities().filter({$0.name.localizedCaseInsensitiveCompare(string) == .orderedSame}) } } struct FoodEntityOptions: DynamicOptionsProvider { func results() async throws -> ItemCollection<FoodEntity> { ItemCollection { ItemSection("Section 1") { for entry in FoodDatabase.allEntities() { entry } } } } } struct FoodDatabase { // Fake data static func allEntities() -> [FoodEntity] { [ FoodEntity(name: "Orange", calories: 2), FoodEntity(name: "Banana", calories: 2) ] } }
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88
May ’25
Intents UI Extension automatically dismisses
I am working on implementing a new Intents UI Extension and have noticed that when it is triggered via the "Hey Siri" voice command, the intent dismisses after a few seconds. However, if it is launched from the Shortcuts app, the intent remains active and does not dismiss automatically. Additionally, I’ve observed that this behavior occurs on specific iOS versions, such as 17.5.1 or 17.7. On other versions, like 17.4.1 or 18.4, the intent persists as expected. Does Siri automatically close the intent based on its own logic? Could the iOS version be influencing this behavior? Given the requirement to make the intent persistent, is there any option or configuration available to achieve this?
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72
Apr ’25
Use Siri to control parts of my CarPlay app
I am building a CarPlay navigation app and I would like it to be as hands free as possible. I need a better understanding of how Siri can work with CarPlay and if the direction I need to go is using Intents or App Shortcuts. My goal is to be able to have the user speak to Siri and do things like "open settings" or "zoom in map" and then call a func in my app to do what the user is asking. Does CarPlay support this? Do I need to use App Intents or App Shortcuts or something else?
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120
Apr ’25
Disambiguation for .system.search AppIntent
I'd like to display a list of items to disambiguate for a fulltext search intent. Using the Apple AppIntentsSampleApp, I added TrailSearch.swift: import AppIntents @AssistantIntent(schema: .system.search) struct TrailSearch: AppIntent { static let title: LocalizedStringResource = "Search Trail" static let description = IntentDescription("Search trail by name.", categoryName: "Discover", resultValueName: "Trail") @Parameter(title: "Trail") var criteria: StringSearchCriteria func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ReturnsValue<TrailEntity> { if criteria.term.isEmpty { throw $criteria.needsValueError(IntentDialog("need value")) } let trails = TrailDataManager.shared.trails { trail in trail.name.contains(criteria.term) } if trails.count > 1 { throw $criteria.needsDisambiguationError(among: trails.map { StringSearchCriteria(term: $0.name) }) } else if let firstTrail = trails.first { return .result(value: TrailEntity(trail: firstTrail)) } throw $criteria.needsValueError(IntentDialog("Nothing found")) } } Now when I type "trail" which matches several trails and thus lets us enter the disambiguation code path, the Shortcut app just displays the dialog title but no disambiguation items to pick from. Is this by design or a bug? (filed as FB17412220)
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83
Apr ’25
Siri Shortcuts of Siri Intent to Voice Control Parts of App
I am new to the idea of Siri Shortcuts and App Intents. What I want to do is use Siri to run a function in my app. Such as saying to Siri Zoom in map and that will then call a function in my app where I can zoom in the map. Similarly, I could say Zoom out map and it would call a function to zoom out my map. I do not need to share any sort of shortcut with the Shortcuts app. Can someone please point me in the right direction for what type of intents I need to use for this?
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75
Apr ’25
Parameter recognition on AppShortcuts invocation not consistent
While playing around with AppShortcuts I've been encountering some problems around getting the invocation phrase detected and/or the parameter get recognized after invocation phrase via Siri. I've found some solutions or explanations here in other posts (Siri not recognizing the parameter in the phrase & Inform iOS about AppShortcutsProvider), but I still have one issue and it's about consistency. For context, I've defined the parameter to be an AppEntity with it's respective query conforming to the EntityStringQuery Protocol in order to be able to fetch entities with the string given by Siri struct AnIntent: AppIntent { // other parts hidden for clarity @Parameter var entity: ModelEntity } For an invocation phrase akin to "Do something with in ", if the user uses the phrase with a entity previously donated via suggestedEntities() the AppShortcut get executed without problems. If the user uses a phrase with no parameter, like "do something with ", if the user gets asked to input the missing parameter and inputs one, it may or may not get recognized and be asked to input a parameter again, like in a loop. This happens even if the parameter given is one that was donated. I've found that when this happens the entities(matching string: String) function in the EntityQuery doesn't get called. The input can be of one word or sometimes two and it will not be called. So in other words entities(matching string: String) does not get called on every user parameter input Is this behavior correct? Do parameters have some restrictions on length or anything? Does Siri shows the user suggested entities when asked for entity input? It doesn't on my end. Additional question related to AppShortcuts: On AppShortcut definition, where the summary inside the parameter presentation is used? I see that it was defined in the AppIntentsSampleApp for the GetTrailInfo Intent but didn't find where it was used
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83
Apr ’25
Issues with Siri Shortcuts: Confirmation Prompt, Inconsistent Behavior
Hello Apple Developer Community, I’m working on integrating Siri into my React Native app using native iOS code and bridging to React Native. I’ve followed the necessary steps to set up Siri support, including: Adding the Siri capability. Adding Siri usage descriptions in Info.plist. Using AppIntent and AppShortcutsProvider to define shortcuts. However, I’m facing the following issues: Siri Prompts for Confirmation When a user says a phrase, Siri asks, "Turn on 'MyApp' shortcuts with Siri?" instead of directly recognizing the phrase. Is this expected behavior? If so, how can I reduce friction for users and make the experience more seamless? Inconsistent Behavior for Existing Users For users updating to a version with Siri support: When the app is closed, Siri says, "MyApp hasn't added support for that with Siri." When the app is open, Siri prompts, "Turn on shortcut for MyApp?" and rest all working fine Why does Siri not recognize the shortcut when the app is closed, even though the shortcut is defined in AppShortcutsProvider? How can I ensure that Siri recognizes the shortcut regardless of whether the app is open or closed? Other than using AppIntent and AppShortcutsProvider should i try Donating shortcuts(will that helps for updated user case). Please help me on this
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530
Apr ’25
Unable to pass parameters from siri phrase to appIntent
I have a chat/search functionality in my app, I want to integrate siri where user can say something "Hey siri! Ask myApp to get latest news" then I want to invoke my search functionality with "get latest news". I see iOS apps like chatGPT and youtube have already achieved this. I am able to invoke the intent with static phrase which is expecting the parameter, user is able to provide the value when prompted after requestValueDialog. But it is a 2 step process for end user. I want to achieve in a single step. struct CombinedSiriShortcuts: AppShortcutsProvider { static var appShortcuts: [AppShortcut] { return [ AppShortcut( intent: ShowSpecificNewsArticleIntent(), phrases: [ "Ask \(.applicationName) to run a query:", ], shortTitle: "Specific News Article", systemImageName: "doc.text.fill" ), AppShortcut( intent: TestQuery(), phrases: [ "Ask \(.applicationName) to \(\.$query)", ], shortTitle: "Test intent", systemImageName: "doc.text.fill" ), ] } } struct ShowSpecificNewsArticleIntent: AppIntent { static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Show Specific News Article" static var description = IntentDescription( "Provides details about a specific news article based on its title." ) @Parameter(title: "Query") var query: String @MainActor func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ProvidesDialog & ShowsSnippetView { print("in show specific intent"); print(query); return .result(dialog: "view more about: \(query)") } }
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168
Mar ’25
Siri Shortcut Phrases iOS -17
I made a set of Siri Shortcuts in my app with the AppShortcutsProvider, and they each have a set of phrases. I can activate the shortcuts via Siri phrases or Spotlight search on iOS 18+, but not on iOS -17. I've checked the documentation and see that AppShortcutsProvider is supported from iOS 16+, so I don't understand why I can't view the shortcuts in Spotlight or activate them with Siri unless it's at least iOS 18. Any thoughts?
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355
Mar ’25
App Clips Advanced Experiences not showing up in Apple Maps and Siri Suggestions
Hello everyone, I’m experiencing an issue with App Clips Advanced Experiences and Apple Maps/Siri Suggestions. We have already contacted Apple Support before, but they are investigating the cause of this issue and it has not been resolved til date. The App Clip is bundled with the main app and has been already available on the App Store for several months. The business running the app has several physical shops and wants to offer the App Clip to show up in Apple Maps and Siri Suggestions at each location. The App Clip is correctly exposed in the AASA file, and it's also validated correctly by the AASA APIs available at https://app-site-association.cdn-apple.com/a/v1. { "applinks": { "apps": [], "details": [ { "appID": "TEAMID.bundleid", "paths": [] } ] }, "appclips": { "apps": [ "TEAMID.bundleid.Clip" ] } } (with TEAMID and bundleid being the team and bundle identifiers of the app) The App Clip is displayed correctly when loading the website and when scanning a QR code or App Clip code, but doesn't appear in the Maps app or in Siri suggestions. We have set up the App Clip Advanced Experiences on the App Store Connect page of the app, and each URL has been linked to a physical shop. All URLs are in the "Received" state, so they should appear correctly on Maps. Unfortunately, I don't see any "Order" button in Apple Maps at any location card. We tried with both iOS 17 and 16. According to feedbacks from people in the shops, they don't see the app suggested in the Siri Suggestions. I have just submitted a Custom Action Link on Apple Business Connect for one of the shops, but without success: the App Clip doesn't appear. Any idea why is this happening?
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948
Mar ’25