14 DAY TRIAL // Back in May, a report came in revealing that Apple was getting ready to introduce a new search and recommendation tool, designed to take on Google Now.
Well, today, at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), the Cupertino tech giant has unveiled a new feature called Proactive Siri which unites the voice assistant with Spotlight, Calendar and Maps. The tool will be built into iOS 9 and arrives with a search API so that third-party developers can hook up their apps into Siri.
Until now, Siri was quietly waiting for the user to take initiative and ask a specific question, but in contrast, Google Now has been more proactive. This is not the case anymore, though, because Proactive Siri arrives on the scene today.
The new feature will be made available to users by virtue of a simple swipe. It will live on the side of the screen and keep tabs on what you usually do with your phone, including what apps you launch and what you search for. On top of that, the revamped service will be able to serve up relevant info from apps, maps and contacts.
Proactive Siri doesn't just wait for you to engage it
This means Siri will now be able to “understand” that you will be traveling if a meeting appears scheduled in your calendar. Hence, it will deliver traffic information and notifications without you having to ask for them.
Apple has been under pressure to come up with some interesting new features in iOS 9, and Proactive Siri definitely sounds like one of them.
The iPhone maker also played the dreaded privacy cards, saying that all Proactive Assistant data stays anonymous and on your device, so it won’t reach the cloud.
Google announced Now on Tap at its I/O 2015 conference a few weeks ago, so naturally, there was a lot of pressure on Apple to come up with something that could really rival that feature.
Also today, Apple is announcing some major improvements for Maps in iOS 9. The service added public transportation routes and arrival times, plus a fair share of indoor mapping.
