HomePod 'Hey Siri' responses to AirPods ad prompts complaints

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited December 2019
Apple device owners are complaining about the company's latest AirPods commercial, as a version of the ad spot triggers Siri in HomePods due to the actor saying the verbal prompt 'Hey Siri.'




The latest "Bounce" commercial, published to the company's YouTube channel on Thursday in full with cut-down versions used in other media, is the subject of complaints on social media due to some of these alternate arrangements. In a few versions, the actor states "Hey Siri" to demonstrate the AirPods feature, but Twitter posts indicate the utterance is causing Apple hardware to react to the verbal prompt.

The two-minute version used in the YouTube commercial does not use the phrase at all. Instead, the video starts off with background radio noise before transitioning to "I Learnt Some Jazz Today" by Tessellated.

According to a post on Reddit, a version of the ad spot on Hulu does include the speech, reportedly triggers the poster's HomePod to play the song every time it airs. Similar sentiments have been expressed on Twitter, with responses ranging from the HomePod playing random music to saying "I'm Here."

Hey @Apple I don't really like your new black-and-white commercial for AirPods. With the guy in the commercial put his on and says "hey Siri..." my HomePod start playing the crappiest music I've heard in my entire life. I love how somebody on the TV can control my HomePods.

-- Kevin (@Starman)


This is not the first time that advertising has become the source of ire for consumers being affected by triggered HomePods. In April 2018, users found a commercial for NBA TNT took advantage of the verbal trigger with the phrase "show me the NBA schedule," albeit in a more intentional vein than that of the current advertisement.

Apple does regularly air commercials that feature the use of "Hey Siri," though the complaints have not been as pronounced as for the current campaign.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,823member
    Siri on my phone was triggered during a WWDC keynote once. I thought it quite amusing, didn't think to tweet a complaint... perhaps I'm just a little slow in these matters.
    williamlondonn2itivguyStanWArloTimetravelerStrangeDays
  • Reply 2 of 41
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,284member
    The Cookie Monster commercial used to trigger my iPad. Thought it was amusing, not complaint worthy. Are people just looking for things to complain about?!
    n2itivguyStanWArloTimetravelerapplesnoranges
  • Reply 3 of 41
    andrewj5790andrewj5790 Posts: 296member
    mike1 said:
    The Cookie Monster commercial used to trigger my iPad. Thought it was amusing, not complaint worthy. Are people just looking for things to complain about?!
    Yes. Lol! Seems to be all some folks live for.
    n2itivguyStanWArloTimetravelerllamaminicoffee
  • Reply 4 of 41
    matrix077matrix077 Posts: 868member
    mike1 said:
    The Cookie Monster commercial used to trigger my iPad. Thought it was amusing, not complaint worthy. Are people just looking for things to complain about?!
    iqatedo said:
    Siri on my phone was triggered during a WWDC keynote once. I thought it quite amusing, didn't think to tweet a complaint... perhaps I'm just a little slow in these matters.
    Especially on HomePod Siri is just “hmm..” and didn’t do anything else unlike on the phone that she came to life lol.
    edited July 2019 n2itivguy
  • Reply 5 of 41
    Western World Problem Much?
    StrangeDaysmike1llamaAppleExposedjony0
  • Reply 6 of 41
    StanWStanW Posts: 9member
    I think people who complain about this need to get a life! I agree with the above comments that some people just love to complain and vent when there is really nothing there but a funny incident. 
    broylesj67
  • Reply 7 of 41
    StanW said:
    I think people who complain about this need to get a life! I agree with the above comments that some people just love to complain and vent when there is really nothing there but a funny incident. 
    unfortunately that is there life.
  • Reply 8 of 41
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,877member
    The NFL did this last season with a schedule listing commercial too. It was annoying but I managed to continue living. Sob.
    edited July 2019
  • Reply 9 of 41
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    I have set all of my devices to require holding the Home button to trigger Siri. I don't want it coming on by accident.
    bonobobAppleExposedFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 10 of 41
    I have had a problem with an ad that says “Hey Siri, clear my schedule” and then any active alarms that I have set are disabled. 
    For the record, I’m not whining or complaining. It gave me a good laugh. 
    edited July 2019 FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 11 of 41
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,063member
    Only tangentially related, but now that these always-on voice activated systems are among us, I find it really amusing to watch SF shows depicting them on TV, particularly certain Star Trek incarnations where people are talking in thin air to "the computer." Damn those things are smart. And the interaction is just hilarious. Warp speed? Medical biobabble? Wesley the Time Traveler? Hot women choosing to wear spaendex into battle? All believable. Majel Barrett's voice knowing when to cut off a conversation? Funny. 
  • Reply 12 of 41
    I have had a problem with an ad that says “Hey Siri, clear my schedule” and then any active alarms that I have set are disabled. 
    When OS/2 Warp came out with voice recognition, I joked around with the PA system, and said, "Format Drive C.  Yes"

    Didn't work, but people around me weren't amused.
    NoiseArchiveDAalseth
  • Reply 13 of 41
    bsimpsenbsimpsen Posts: 398member
    Amazon has worked out ways to minimize the potential for television dialog to wake Alexa. Surely Apple is bright enough to figure this out, too?

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/5503926/amazon-echo-alexa-ad-wake-up-word/
    edited July 2019 muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 14 of 41
    landcruiserlandcruiser Posts: 218member
    A bunch of whiners. 
    lkrupp
  • Reply 15 of 41
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,069member
    FWP — such a privileged life. 
  • Reply 16 of 41
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,727member
    I am hoping in the next round of updates where HomePods can detect and discern different family members voices it also ignores none family members thus curing this.
  • Reply 17 of 41
    leavingthebiggleavingthebigg Posts: 1,291member
    What I find funny is AppleInsider choosing not to skip any opportunity whatsoever to present some kind of negativity.
    Rayz2016
  • Reply 18 of 41
    spice-boyspice-boy Posts: 1,450member
    I always have Siri turned OFF, no problems.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 19 of 41
    geekmeegeekmee Posts: 629member
    First world problem (FWP)....wait for it...”There’s been a class-action...”
    edited July 2019
  • Reply 20 of 41
    bonobobbonobob Posts: 382member
     Siriously, what this shows is that we need to be able to set an alternate wake  phrase. 
    DAalsethunbeliever2
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