Could the next iPhone replace Face ID with Voice ID?
Apple is improving wakeword detection and speaker identification...and we're getting excited!
At Spokestack, we focus on building tools and services that give developers and voice designers the ability to add custom voice interfaces to mobile apps. One of the biggest blockers to the iPhone being a fantastic voice-controlled device is its need to be unlocked before it can carry out your voice command. If you have an iOS device, try this mobile voice scenario out:
Take your iPhone out and make sure it’s in locked mode.
Hold it away from your face so Face ID won’t open it like it was on your car’s cupholder for example. (Or if you still use Touch ID, don’t unlock it with your thumb).
Say “Hey Siri, open Weather”
Shake your head in disbelief as Siri says “I’m sorry, you’ll have to unlock your iPhone first.”
Now, unlock your iPhone and repeat step 3 by saying “Hey Siri, open Weather”.
Marvel at the MAGIC that just happened! You didn’t have to scroll around or search for where the weather app is on your phone! Now you can see the forecast.
Now imagine how convenient it would be if your iPhone was smart enough to know that you asked for the weather app with your voice and replied back with the forecast with its voice.
That last point is the future we want to usher in for mobile apps. Thing is…we need a little help from the smartphone platforms to get to the elegant mobile voice experience as I described. Fingers crossed that Apple’s work on improving wakeword and speaker identification is leading us to Voice ID, where the phone can truly work as a smart speaker whenever you need it. Please say it’s so Apple!
Apple Researchers Are Improving Voice Wake Word Detection and Speaker Identification by Eric Hal Schwartz at Voicebot.ai
There were a few more pieces of iOS news that make us think that Apple is continuing to solidify its position as our central computing platform in addition to their voice work:
Apple Just Gave Millions Of Users A Reason Keep Their iPhones by Gordon Kelly at Fortune
New ‘CarKey’ feature in iOS 13.4 beta brings built-in support for unlocking, driving, and sharing NFC car keys - by Filipe Espósito at 9To5Mac
More from the #Voicefirst community
This is issue #7 of SpokeDaily, a daily round of #voicefirst reads that Spokestack is talking about today. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment or hit us up on Twitter!
Thanks for reading! And if you need a voice for your app, let us know.