chasm

Unlike this report, other larger outlets resorted to far more hysterical headlines to make this seem a lot more serious for iOS users than it was. The bottom line on this is that -- while developer abuse of certificates is definitely a problem that Apple's going to have to find a better way to address -- due to some of the in-built protections in iOS, this was far less of an issue on iOS than it was on Android, where the app was able to capture pretty much anything it wanted.

In the iOS version, users had to give permission for each of the areas where it wanted to gather data, for example, which might raise suspicions ("why does my carrier need permission to access my voice memos or contacts?"). The Android version installed a rootkit, meaning it had full access to everything.

In addition, the iOS version of the app was not distributed in the App Store, even in Italy and Turkemenistan (where the app pretended to be the official app of one of the local carriers), The iOS version was given out only to people willing to "side-load" a dev-only app; the Android version was distributed in the Play Store and other outlets for anyone to download.

Finally, Apple's revoking of the certificate means the app can no longer run at all, even if users granted permissions. The Android version was kicked off the Play Store, but the installed versions are still happily ticking along, having used the rootkit to gain full access.

I do see the "I'll tap you when I'm ready" message from time to time (maybe once in 50, certainly not the problem you're having), but let me tell you what the problem is and a potential fix.

The reason for the difficulty is that your iPhone is trying or has connected to a non-working open Wi-Fi connection, and can't reach the internet to process some aspects of your request. The fix is to go into your iPhone settings -> Wi-Fi, and tell it to ask to connect to unknown networks (known networks will still be joined automatically). If there's a notoriously bad "known" network you've joined before that doesn't work (I have this problem in some parts of town with the carrier's hotspots), tell the iPhone to "forget" that network. This will cause your iPhone to rely on LTE data when you're not on a known-good Wi-Fi network, and thus the connection between your iPhone and the Watch will be stronger and thus Siri will work much more reliably. It made a huge difference for me, I hope it does the same for you.

Regarding pronunciation ... I agree that there could be more done in the area of fixing bad pronunciations, there is a way to correct names, here is the method I use to train it from scratch:

1. Ask Siri for the phone number of the name you know it will mispronounce.

2. After it says the name incorrectly aloud, say "that's not how you pronounce it."

It will then ask you to say the name, listen, and offer you choices of pronunciation. Select the one that is closest, and then it will pronouce it correctly next time.

ctt_zh said:

Why do you put Oracle in Android (Oracle) OS?
 

Danox is referring to the fact that Android code was largely, er, “borrowed” from Oracle. There was a years-long court case about it, that Oracle only lost ONLY because it was ruled that software code can’t be copyrighted.

dysamoria said:

"Today, the House of Representatives voted to restore Americans' confidence in the telephone system and put consumers back in charge of their phones," 

I’ll believe it when I see it.

Well, just as a refresher on US lawmaking, this is the start of the process. The House has passed literally hundreds of bills on all manner of topics this session -- indeed it would be considered by far the most productive House session in recent memory, but for one thing: the Senate Majority Leader is simply not taking up these bills. At all. The last time I checked, there was over 200 bills stalled by the Senate leader.

NORMALLY, the Senate passes its own version of House bills (or rejects them by voting), then a committee reconciles the two versions to send on for the President's signature (or veto). This hasn't happened for nearly all bills passed by the House. There is apparently no penalty for this behaviour.

I like Dark Mode, but the point that both the study and users seem to be missing is that you should put down all screens at least an hour before bedtime -- like when Apple's Bedtime feature tells you to wind down (if you've set it up to remind you and hour before ...).

I have no doubt whatsoever that using Bedtime to achieve a regular sleep schedule, and shutting off the screens before bed, will aid sleep.

It’s worth noting that despite its huge majority share and subscriber base, Spotify has only recently started reporting (sometimes) profitable quarters. After some 18 years in business, and a decade as the streaming service leader.

It should also be mentioned that Spotify’s royalty rate is really, really low. Apple Music, by comparison, pays around 2.5x what Spotify pays, and that was before Apple’s recent carrot-dangling of even higher royalties if artists record or remaster in Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos.

Then throw in their absolute indignation at giving Apple $100/year in developer fees, which is the only money Apple apple earns from them. I happen to live in the same city as one of the execs of Spotify, and I’ll just say they live a billionaire lifestyle while their investors get little and their artists (inventory) gets even less.

Trust me this sort of thing is VERY standard in trademark disputes. If ANY ELEMENT of a trademark is close to the element in another trademark -- including such minutia as the exact SHADE of colour or the exact THICKNESS of a line used similarly in another trademark, this is legally worthy of dispute.

twolf2919 said:

I'm a big Apple fan - have all their devices - and was very enthusiastic when Siri first came out.  But over the years, Siri has moved inches, while competitors have moved miles - I can't believe a company that spends $22b on R&D can't make its voice assistant more useful in people's day-to-day lives.  So disappointing.

Siri will NEVER EVER be as “smart” as other voice assistants, so you’d better get over this right now. The reason? Because Siri doesn’t heavily rely on the collected data about you that encompasses more than even your parents know about you.

saarek said:

Just in time for them to hike iCould rates in multiple countries by about a third.

Their greed knows no bounds.

1. It went up by 20 percent, not a third. If you’re this bad at basic math, I cannot imagine why a story about financials would draw a comment from you.

palmlag said:

Readership down because they are ultra left mouth piece press

Ah, the ignorant American turns up right on cue.

A) You haven't got the FAINTEST idea of what "ultra left" actually means.