Siri in iOS 15: What benefits it brings and what it can do even without an Internet connection

Voice assistant Siri is nowadays an inseparable part of Apple operating systems. Primarily, it can make life easier for apple users through voice commands, where, based on one or more sentences, it can, for example, call someone, send a (voice) message, turn on applications, change settings, set reminders or alarms, and the like. However, Siri is often criticized for its imperfection and even "stupidity", primarily compared to voice assistants from competitors.

Siri in iOS 15

Unfortunately, Siri does not work without an active Internet connection, which many Apple users criticize. In any case, this has now changed with the arrival of the iOS 15 operating system. Thanks to the latest update, this voice assistant can handle at least basic commands and can perform the given operations even without the aforementioned connection. But it has one catch, which unfortunately tends towards imperfection again, but it has its justification. Siri can only work without an Internet connection on devices with an Apple A12 Bionic chip or later. Because of this, only owners of the iPhone XS/XR and later will enjoy the novelty. The question therefore arises as to why such a limitation actually occurs. Processing human speech without the mentioned connection is quite a demanding operation that requires a lot of power. That's exactly why the feature is limited to "newer" iPhones only.

iOS 15:

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In addition, since the given requests for the voice assistant do not have to be processed on the server, the response is, of course, significantly faster. Although Siri cannot cope with all commands from its user in offline mode, it can at least offer a relatively prompt response and quick execution. At the same time, during the presentation of the news, Apple emphasized that in such a case no data leaves the phone, as everything is processed so-called on-device, i.e. within the given device. This, of course, also strengthens the privacy segment.

What Siri can (not) do offline

Let's quickly summarize what the new Siri can and cannot do without an Internet connection. However, it should be noted that we must not expect any miracles from the function. In any case, even so, this is a rather pleasant change that undoubtedly moves the Apple voice assistant a step forward.

What Siri can do offline:

• Open applications
• Change system settings (change between light/dark mode, adjust volume, work with Accessibility features, toggle airplane mode or low battery mode, and more)
• Set and change timers and alarms
• Play the next or previous song (also works within Spotify)

What Siri can't do offline:

• Perform a feature that relies on an internet connection (weather, HomeKit, Reminders, Calendar, and more)
• Specific operations within applications
• Messages, FaceTime and phone calls
• Play music or podcast (even if downloaded)