Siri in the upcoming iOS 15 update will be smarter overall, but Apple, for reasons unknown, will also scale back some of the voice assistant's capabilities. Specifically, a number of third-party Siri app integrations are poised to cut in areas including ride-sharing, car control, and to-do lists. The same deprecated commands, first spotted by MacRumors, also apply to Apple's upcoming iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8 software, all of which will be available in their final form later this year. Perhaps the biggest removal is the ability to bookmark Uber rides with Siri. This was previously touted by Apple as an awesome new Siri feature using a popular non-Apple app when third-party Siri integrations were first announced. Other changes cover various categories of CarPlay, payments, lists and notes, and VoIP calls. However, Apple notes that Maps will continue to support third-party app integrations. Some key examples of features that will no longer work as of the iOS 15 update include controlling a car's radio, air conditioning, and defroster settings. You also won't be able to pay your bills and transfer money between accounts. And while you can still create tasks in third-party task apps, you won't be able to add existing notes, create to-do lists, or delete tasks.
Analysis: Siri's uphill battle
It's a confusing change from the iPhone manufacturer. If anything, Siri needs to learn to do more, not less, for these specific use cases. Apple unveiled third-party app integrations in its 2016 software updates. At the time, it promised, "In iOS 10, Siri will be able to do so much more." The tech giant even used the ability to receive a ride as a specific example of Siri's extended abilities in his keynote speech at WWDC 2016. Siri has always been in an uphill battle, rivaling Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. AI assistants are one area where Apple's stance on privacy makes its products inferior rather than superior. Data collection can have scary implications, but it is also a crucial element in improving artificial intelligence. If the iPhone maker has anything up its sleeve to replace these removed Siri integrations, it hasn't announced it yet. Apple still offers Siri Shortcuts, a system for creating or installing custom extensions for your voice assistant. However, the shortcuts require technical knowledge, which is a notable break from Apple's penchant for simple and accessible features. Here's the full list of 22 third-party tasks that Siri will no longer support when iOS 15 launches publicly: C- Setting up the audio source in the car
- Define the settings for the air conditioning in the car.
- Define the defrosting parameters in the car.
- Define the parameters of the seat in the car.
- Save profile in car
- Define the profile in the car.
- Set up the radio station
- Add to note
- Create a to-do list
- Delete a task
- Pay a bill
- Search invoices
- Transfer money (between accounts)
- Search photos
- Start photo playback
- Route options list
- Request a trip
- Get race status
- Cancel the trip
- Send feedback about the trip