In a move that could lead to angry reactions from users and developers, Apple has quietly announced that a wide range of Siri interactions with both Apple and third-party apps will no longer be supported as soon as iOS 15 appears in the autumn.
This list of soon-to-vanish Siri functions includes common actions such as booking an Uber ride and finding photos.
MacRumors was first with the story, after spotting a new Apple support page called Deprecated SiriKit Intent Domains. This page notifies developers that after the release of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey and watchOS 8, “some SiriKit intent domains will be deprecated and will no longer be supported in all new and existing OS releases”.
As Apple explains, when a user makes a request that is no longer supported, Siri will reply that it cannot answer this question or execute this command.
Breaking the bad news
Developers do not need to update their apps, although Apple urges app makers to “update any promotional activities that highlight the functionality provided by these APIs”.
The changes will no doubt affect both users and developers who rely on Siri to improve the functionality of apps. For example, the ability to interact with the car radio, air conditioning and seat settings of a car via CarPlay has been removed in iOS 15.
Here is the full list of ‘deprecated’ functions:
CarPlay
- Set audio source
- Set climate settings
- Set defroster settings
- Set seat settings
- Save profile
- Set profile
- Set radio station
Lists and Notes
- Append to note
- Create task list
- Delete a task
Payments
- Pay a bill
- Search for bills
- Transfer money (between accounts)
Photos
- Search for photos
- Start photo playback
Ride booking
- List ride options
- Request a ride
- Query the status of journey
- Cancel trip
- Send trip feedback
Visual codes
- Get visual code
VoIP calls
- Search call history
It’s not clear why Apple is removing the features introduced back in iOS 13, and the loss of some of the interactions will be frustrating and confusing for users. For example, you can no longer delete a task from a task list, but you can add one.
This limited functionality probably does not apply to Apple’s own Reminders app, but we still have to test it. Apple added several new Siri enhancements in iOS 15, including offline support, fast on-device processing, and screen context; none of the new features seem to directly affect any of the interactions that are being removed.
This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by David Price.
Author: Peter Müller, Deputy Editor In Chief, Macwelt
Peter Müller is deputy editor-in-chief of our German sister site Macwelt, where he has worked since 1998. He knows the world of the bitten apple like the back of his hand, and uses his many years of experience to explain what's going on in Cupertino. The Macs he has worked with range from the 68K era to the very latest Apple Silicon machines. This qualified physicist is also intensively involved in audio and music production.