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Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

iPhone 4S problems continue as Siri suffers major outage

By | November 3, 2011, 3:40pm PDT

Summary: Siri isn’t working for many iPhone 4S users. All of us are asking why, but an answer hasn’t been found yet.

Have you tried talking to Siri lately? Is she not answering you? Don’t take it personally — you’re not alone today.

Apple’s now-famed voice recognition and personal assistant software is suffering a major outage since at least 11AM PT. Some users are reportedly trying DIY fixes to get Siri working again, but you’re really doing this at your own risk considering how complicated this platform is.

This latest debacle might anger many iPhone 4S users considering that Siri has only been on the job for a few weeks. But considering she’s brand new, maybe she deserves a break.

Yet, Apple doesn’t deserve a break.

Apple has not publicly responded yet, which could be troublesome for the Cupertino, Calif.-based company as it is already suffering from attacks that it hasn’t been transparent enough about “batterygate,” another ailment revolving around the iPhone 4S.

Unfortunately, Apple has somewhat of a history of keeping mum about its controversies. Sometimes that is a better PR move, but if we learned anything from Sony’s debacle following the security breach on the PlayStation Network this past spring, it is that customers want answers (even if it is bad news) sooner than later.

Antennagate for the iPhone 4 last year got so out of hand that Apple had to have a special media event just to clear the air. Hopefully Apple has learned its lesson since then.

If you are an iPhone 4S owner, have you tried using Siri today and encountered problems?

Update: Siri has apparently returned. No transparency on what the issue was.

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Topics

Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

Disclosure

Rachel King

Rachel King has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted in this blog.

Biography

Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.

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xrsuuck 94 yyz
bmakrekdw2601-24379001437828398456578206467948 22nd Nov
zyahgq,crnagnff55, rsmef.
Siri doesn't exist on the phone? It's on the Internet only? That's bad.
@Droid.Incredible It is on the phone, but I'm pretty sure it connects to a server to process the requests you give it. If it can't connect to the server it won't give you an answer.
@SpiderTech: ... connection.

However, Siri is a beta, so outages are possible.
@DeRSSS

Not according to the TV commercials.
@SpiderTech after speech is converted to data a comparison is made as to whether the request can be handled locally, such as playing music, or if outside data is needed, such as the weather or directions. Then either the phone or Siri servers take over. The connection must be there in order to figure out which one has the higher probability of completing the request though. At least this is the simple version as I understand it. I'll cut the Beta version some slack, but hoping the iP 5 is out this summer along with upgraded iOS 5 since I'll be ready to buy then.
@Droid.Incredible
Actually right after the 4S launch, one of the posters mentioned testing out using Siri with the phone disconected from the network, and it mostly couldn't understand anything he said.
Basically there's some built in functionality, but it's mostly dependent on it's host server, wherever that is, and whatever problem it's currently experiencing.
@Droid.Incredible While I'm not a fan of Apple, I have to say - Google Voice works the same way. If you're not connected to the internet, it just flat out doesn't work.
@Droid.Incredible That's exactly what I thought when I saw that it connects to a server to process voice into meaning. Then, I used Siri for a while and realized it doesn't matter that it connects to the Internet. Why? Because I'll never use Siri, anyway. The ambient noise in my office causes Siri to ask me to repeat things at least half the time. I have to speak much higher than conversational level for it to understand. By the time Siri finally goes online and gets me an answer, I could have done the task manually. I just don't see myself yelling at my iPhone to do something I could do quietly in the same amount of time.

All of that aside, Apple has publicly stated that Siri is in ongoing beta.
@BillDem Probably the most pragmatic (and for most of us, recognisable and honest) response to this story. As a user of WP7 voice control and Android's in the past, none of them are particularly reliable, unless you happen to be in a sound-proofed recording booth!
@BillDem So the fact that you work in a noisy office which affects Siri's ability to do it's job automatically makes it useless for everyone else and nobody is going to care about an outage? So it doesn't work in your environment, that too bad, but don't be so presumptuous to assume your situation applies to everyone else.
0 Votes
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This is no big deal
toddybottom 3rd Nov
Apple has clearly stated that Siri is beta only.

See? http://www.apple.com/
Oh, wait, it isn't mentioned here.

Here? http://www.apple.com/iphone/
No, no mention of beta there either.

Hmmm.

Here? http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/siri.html
Ah, there it is. In tiny letters. Beta.

Apple gets a total pass on this because it is just Beta and nowhere do they advertise it as being production ready.
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It's just another case of Apple using its customers as Beta testers, rather than getting something right BEFORE it is sold to them. It's total bullpoop.
@IT_Fella
You're kidding, right?
Can you name me one consumer oriented tech company that doesn't do that?
@IT_Fella

He's being sarcastic.
@IT_Fella

its all about time to market - all tech companys do it; ALL of them.
@IT_Fella : Figures. It's on the web site but not in any phone documentation? They couldn't add a teeny tiny piece of paper stating it's in beta?

Why is Apple including beta software in a final product? It's like Windows 8 including a beta copy of Windows Media Player. Nobody includes a beta in a final OS version.
0 Votes
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I don't understand something
William Farrell 4th Nov
@toddybottom
I kept hearing here for teh past few years that Apple does not release something untill it is 100% ready, which is why things like cut and paste, ect came to the later iPhones incrementally, even though other phones had those options before.
@William Farrell Oh wait... Did we say it wasn't 100% ready? What we meant to say was that it works, it just went down. Or, um, it's a feature, not a bug. You know Apple only delivers quality.

Truth be told, it was a rushed release, because the fans were getting tired of waiting for a new phone (specifically iPhone 5), they had nothing to deliver, and they had to have a gimmick. Combined with the passing of Jobs, they were in a corner to release *something.*
@William Farrell

Apple releases a Beta of a product that needs massive testing to get right - and you make innane comments like this?

Get a life, seriously!!!

Which app do you use to track the posting so you can make these replies?
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@William Farrell
Would you care to back up that 100% ready thing with quotes? I don't know any Apple users who think that. I always wait for for several updates to go by before I install a new version of anything. Early adopters (of any brand of software or hardware with a new OS) should know by now that they are essentially beta testers.
@William Farrell That's a difference between Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.
0 Votes
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duplicate comment by mistake
@toddybottom But they want Joe Consumer to think it's a 100% released and ready product. After all it is baked into the 4S's firmware right!?
@rowdyguy124

No it's not baked into the firmware.

Yes they said it was beta.

Admittedly I don't think they said that loudly enough.
@richardw66

Except it's Apple. They advertise that you don't need to understand the limitations of their services. Their services "just work". They had very large ads broadcasting the Siri capability. They did NOT mention in that advertising that the service was in beta. Apple must be held to a higher standard, because Apple makes bolder CLAIMS.
@toddybottom
Servers fail. Networks crash, hardware develops glitches. Humans make errors. This kind of thing happens. The bottom line is that any lost functionality can still be replaced by good old human interaction with your own hardware.
Apple gets a pass because they are Apple. They get a pass on everything because they are not just a Tech company they are a religion. Who else sells millions of products site unseen by their faithful. I know there are others; Amazon, Honda, etc. And I am not anti-Apple. I have an iPad and love it. But they have always done this and will continue to do it. They make the rules and others follow them.
@rob1261 They don't get a pass on anything. Apple gets bashed harder for every like speed bump they hit than any other company that hits the same or very similar speed bumps.
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@toddybottom
Apple could accidentally install radioactive components that cause cancer to it's millions of users and you'd probably still be taking up for them...
Clearly their Siri commercials state that's what makes the new iphone4s stand out from the rest, and that's why we need to buy an iphone4s so one would expect it to work properly. What gives?

Oh wait, I know. When you're iNaive , you don't see these things.....
@mikroland2.0 Of course they advertise it as a feature and use it to drive sales, what company wouldn't. How does a short outage in this service change anything? Are you trying to imply that none of Apple's competitors ever have outages in their services? Were you bashing them each time there was an outage? Most likely not, it's only valid when it's Apple right?
@toddybottom
Thing is apple also states..it just works out the box...Its anti android platform.. apple also stated apple doesnt get viruses oops got them..Even when confirmed apples policy was to not admit it had virus issues ...ooops caught and admitted... Iphone 4 no signal..your holding the phone wrong...Really?...The battery is horrid on iphone 4...hmmm another flawed apple device....seems to me apple just continues to make crap that people who dont value their money buy anyways.
@Fletchguy It's been a why since I saw one of your ignorant posts, mommy let you back on the computer I see.

It does just work right out of the box.

Name on "virus" that a Mac has been infected with. Virus, not malware.

iPhone 4 antenna issue was blown out of proportion by morons like you, enough said.

My battery life did drop on my 4 with iOS 5 but it was still 75%-100% better than the competition and the update to fix the issue was just release, problem hopefully solved.

Must keep you up at night that there are soooooo many people that supposedly don't value their money.
@toddybottom So Apple is openly marketing BETA software as THE major feature of the 4S? Clearly Apple's business ethics are no better - and quite probably much worse - that just about any other major company in the tech business. I can't recall a beta product ever being SOLD.

Microsoft's public betas have never been sold and have always been clearly labeled as betas products. I'm sure Google has ever had anything that wasn't beta, but it charges only for Google Apps so far as I know.
@Lazarus439Z And Apple is not selling something that is Beta either. They are selling the iPhone 4S. Sure, Siri which is in beta is a feature of the 4S and it marketed as a big feature but it's not the only one. You can go into an Apple store and buy Siri. There is a HUGE difference between selling a beta product like you presented it and selling a product which includes a beta feature but of course you can see that difference through with your blinders on.
@toddybottom Apple shouldn't get a pass but come on, posting an article less than 5 hours after the outage started and presenting it like some huge catastrophe is link baiting at it's worst.
0 Votes
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Nothing to see here
otaddy 3rd Nov
Apple has no issues whatsoever, it is a magical combination of hardware and software.

There never were any signal strength issues with the antenna design, nor were there any issues with the way they implemented the evdo standard--everything works perfectly.

And no, there aren't any issues with Siri...stop inventing things!
@otaddy

These are Apple people - no inventions to be seen wink
0 Votes
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The Force is with you.
necessaryevil 3rd Nov
@otaddy
These aren't the droids you are looking for. Move along.
@otaddy I wondered when the iHaters would respond to this.
@Pete "athynz" Athens I notice lately that anyone with the least criticism of Apple is immediately branded a "hater" by you and a few others. Not helpful to either side of the discussion. Adds nothing.
@ radleym

It's not that the criticism makes you a hater!!!

It's the innane and deliberate attempts to manipulate opinion, rather than some sort of meaningful discussion of the technology that makes it obvious that the postings are not the work of the sane or those with real intent to further the world.

Furthering the business interests of the select few by lies and half-truths makes you a shill.

Running down a company by spewing hate makes you a hater.

Work out what I mean by 'you' before you bother to respond.
0 Votes
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Apple just bought Siri anyway
NotMSUser 3rd Nov
Not like they actually invented it. So the company that produced it is at fault, not Apple. Besides, who really cares? its just a cute toy to get people to upgrade their phone.
@NotMSUser

No I think iot may be something far more than a cute toy, but there is some serious work to do before it's real capabilites will be realised.

On the other hand it may slowly die off if the capabilities don't make it.

In other words, Siri as you are seeing it now is the tip of the iceberg from what I am hearing from those that have researched it.

As Siri stands now I don't care about it either.

I've never been really keen on voice control, but then I was not keen on touch screen phones before I used one.

Voice control is not new even to iPhones, but I have never used a voice control that I liked, or that worked for me.

Part of the issue is that North Americans sound different to the rest of the world. So those of you that thinks your favourite voice control is the best, probably just happend to be suited to it, and the rest of us may have poor results.
@NotMSUser

So, you're saying Apple bought something half baked, marketed it and distributed it as their own thing before it was ready, and that such acts should in no way reflect upon the brand? They can just slap the Apple on anything they want, and when it works it's genius and when it doesn't it's someone else's fault?
This will be a major issue if this outage lasts as long as RIM's recent server problems did. Until then, let's keep it as a minor issue for now, OK?

However, because cloud based server problems have occurred with RIM, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and perhaps even with Canonical Ubuntu (although I haven't heard of that occurring yet), this event simply illustrates the downside to using cloud based systems. I will lose sleep only if my online Banking and local ATM machine goes down for any length of time.

As for Siri .. what can I say .. she seems to be a fickle lady but what is so unusual about that?! Grin. (Sorry, Rachel)
Many of us have been pointing out Siri problems from the outset (just like the battery problems). Suddenly, it's news? Where have you been since October 14th?
@bppump911 Totally agree. The first weekend, Siri worked about 20% of the time. Its upto about 60% now.
My battery usage has decreased quite a bit since Siri has been down.
and that is what is important.
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xrsuuck 94 yyz
bmakrekdw2601-24379001437828398456578206467948 22nd Nov
zyahgq,crnagnff55, rsmef.

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