Siri limits music chart questions to Apple Music subscribers
Apple's Siri voice assistant in iOS will refuse to answer questions about music charts for people who aren't Apple Music subscribers, users noted on Monday.
"Sorry, [username], I can't look up the music charts for you. You don't seem to be subscribed to Apple Music," reads a canned response to questions about modern or historical chart-toppers. The problem was highlighted by Business Insider and others, and verified by AppleInsider.
The situation appears to stem from Siri's app hooks, since people who do have Apple Music subscriptions are being bounced into the iOS Music app.
Apple doesn't market such Siri questions as exclusive to Music subscribers however, and it could theoretically separate its chart database for people who want to know, rather than play, what was on a chart on a given date.
Apple Music entered virgin territory this month as the first three-month trials expired. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that the service has about 6.5 million paid subscribers -- well below Spotify's 20 million, although Apple Music is less than four months old.
"Sorry, [username], I can't look up the music charts for you. You don't seem to be subscribed to Apple Music," reads a canned response to questions about modern or historical chart-toppers. The problem was highlighted by Business Insider and others, and verified by AppleInsider.
The situation appears to stem from Siri's app hooks, since people who do have Apple Music subscriptions are being bounced into the iOS Music app.
Apple doesn't market such Siri questions as exclusive to Music subscribers however, and it could theoretically separate its chart database for people who want to know, rather than play, what was on a chart on a given date.
Apple Music entered virgin territory this month as the first three-month trials expired. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that the service has about 6.5 million paid subscribers -- well below Spotify's 20 million, although Apple Music is less than four months old.
Comments
I asked Siri what an amino acid was. She found the wikipedia entry and offered to read it to me. "Sure," I said, after after she read me out loud about life-sustaining amino acids I feel asleep like a baby, just a baby that got a little bit smarter than before. I don't know what a music chart, is, though. Is it important to life?
Ohhh....looks like Siri has private data she won't share. Tim is really taking that data privacy stuff seriously.
A bit Microsoftan.
Looks like Apple must have hires some people from Google.
I guess the question is, did this work before Apple Music if so it should still work. I sad that someone at Apple made a decision like this to limit what you can search based on what you are currently subcribing to with Apple.
Think how this would work with Apple TV, if you're not subscribing to an Apple service or something similar it will not provide you the answer, or in this case let you know it has the answer but it will not tell you since you are not paying. Sounds like something I would hear from my kids, one taunting the other by saying they have to pay to get the answer.
This my not go well for Apple.
Naysayers, blah blah blah blah blah, naysayers.
Oh well, I don't want Siri bothering me anyway !
This is stupid on Apple's part. Siri should "just work"
It's not stupid. It's yet another reason for people to subscribe. Nothing's free.
Wow. That's not a very good move by Apple.
A bit Microsoftan.
It's a good move. Quit comparing Apple to Microsoft.
It's not stupid. It's yet another reason for people to subscribe. Nothing's free.
Google and Bing are "free" and Siri happily looked up this stuff in the past.
YES, it IS STUPID. And greatly diminishes Siri as a useful tool as Apple starts to tie it in with additional paid services WHERE NO TIE IN IS NECESSARY.
The information requested is not something exclusive to Apple Music.
This is a total APPLE FAIL.
FACEPALM if you don't get this.
It looks to me that if the song is available on Apple Music the song will be played on your device. That may be the reason why a subscription is needed.
If I did not ask it to play the song, it shouldn't.
Looks like Apple must have hires some people from Google.
I guess the question is, did this work before Apple Music if so it should still work. I sad that someone at Apple made a decision like this to limit what you can search based on what you are currently subcribing to with Apple.
Think how this would work with Apple TV, if you're not subscribing to an Apple service or something similar it will not provide you the answer, or in this case let you know it has the answer but it will not tell you since you are not paying. Sounds like something I would hear from my kids, one taunting the other by saying they have to pay to get the answer.
This my not go well for Apple.
It will go well for Apple. It will separate more wheat from more chaff—those willing and able to pay for what they want from those who don't.
It will go well for Apple. It will separate more wheat from more chaff—those willing and able to pay for what they want from those who don't.
You don't get it, do you. This is limiting the usefulness of Siri for retrieving freely available information. This is NOT a VALUE ADD by Apple.
I asked Siri what an amino acid was. She found the wikipedia entry and offered to read it to me. "Sure," I said, after after she read me out loud about life-sustaining amino acids I feel asleep like a baby, just a baby that got a little bit smarter than before. I don't know what a music chart, is, though. Is it important to life?
If you like that then you must definitely try falling asleep to Bioldogy: The Science of Life also available from various other disreputable sources.