AirPods can now authenticate Siri requests on iPhone in iOS 17
Guest Blogger | 10 Aug 2023Guest blogger Colin Hughes is a former BBC producer who campaigns for greater access and affordability of technology for disabled people. Colin is a regular contributor to Aestumanda.
In this article, Colin shares how iOS 17, currently undergoing beta testing, has solved one of the biggest accessibility hurdles for iPhone users with upper limb mobility impairments: the dreaded Siri ‘You need to unlock your iPhone first’ message.
What is the new Siri authentication system for AirPods?
Siri is, of course, a massive accessibility win for many disabled people who use an iPhone, allowing voice control of a wide range of tasks on Apple devices like the iPhone.
However, one frustrating user experience that I’ve often highlighted is the "You need to unlock your iPhone first" roadblock that is common for a few crucial requests that Siri can carry out, such as "read my messages", "what’s next on my calendar", etc.
Until now, if my iPhone is locked and stored in my wheelchair side pocket, I can't take it out and unlock it to access messages that come in. If I ask Siri to read my messages to me, the assistant unhelpfully always says "You need to unlock your iPhone first".
Now in iOS 17, there is a new Siri authentication system for AirPods where, if your iPhone is unlocked while wearing your AirPods, that wearing session will be considered authenticated even when your device locks and until an AirPod goes out of your ear or you change the output audio device on your iPhone.
In day-to-day use, what this change means is that when my carer puts my AirPods in my ears, if my iPhone is unlocked, even if it locks afterward, I can still access my messages, calendar events, and more via a Siri request.
This improvement is something I’ve long campaigned for, and I’m delighted that Apple has listened and addressed it, overcoming concerns around privacy and security.
There are a few high security cases kept behind a PIN code lock still, such as unlocking your front door, opening apps, etc.
What are the other improvements to Siri in iOS 17?
Elsewhere on the iPhone, the Siri on AirPods experience has also been improved with back-to-back requests, which allow you to chain requests without Siri activation each time. Siri knows when you are speaking to it and when you might be talking to someone else.
This makes life easier with less energy and breath needed for Hey Siri requests. This is a more significant benefit for disabled people who may have compromised breathing or whose speech is weakened because of their impairment.
This improvement in Siri functionality allows you to do some more advanced things, like being able to speak over the assistant at any time to issue a new request.
This benefit comes over to the Announce Notifications feature too, which I rely on a lot. Now you can chain requests like "repeat" and then "reply", or simply speak over Siri at any point. With Siri’s understanding of when you’re talking to Siri vs. someone else, you can now issue any request that Siri understands in Announce Notifications in iOS 17, not just the limited set of functionalities there were before. I find this really useful in day-to-day use.
Another useful aspect of these improvements to the way you interact with Siri is that when you reply to an announce message and Siri says "sending <your reply>," you can just say "stop, don’t send that" or other variants, or "change it to <your revised message>," etc.
In iOS 17, you can also ask Siri to read your Safari pages that support reader mode by saying "read this" when in the Safari app. This allows you to keep Siri reading even when you lock your phone and continue about your day.
When will the new iOS 17 updates be available?
While these Siri improvements may look quite small, they are massive for people like me. They are also very inclusive, and I think in that regard they will be a hit with all iPhone users.
After several years of campaigning, it is great to see Apple taking note and filling these accessibility gaps!
iOS 17 will not be released until September, but you do not have to wait that long to try out the new Siri features. You can try them out now for free by registering for the Apple Beta Software Programme.
