With yesterday’s release of iOS 14.3, Siri got a new trick: the ability to play real-world sound samples on command. Ask “Hey Siri, what does _____ sound like?” and it will start playing the sound for you. If you ask on an iPhone or iPad, a photo will also be shown. Google Assistant has been able to do this for a few years now, but now it’s available for the iPhone, iPad and HomePod.
Apple didn’t announce how many sounds it added, but it has been able to handle most of the animals I asked about (except for some obscure ones that I’m not sure have a really distinctive sound, like an anteater). At the moment it seems that the sounds are limited to animals, vehicles and musical instruments. I tried asking for nature sounds, such as thunderstorms or a waterfall, and Siri didn’t play anything.
This feature is probably best heard rather than reading about it, so I made a video asking Siri to play different sounds.
I asked Siri what different things and animals sound like. (Warning: This can activate all iOS devices if they have “Hey Siri” enabled.)
Interestingly, it has examples of different dog breeds so you can hear what a mastiff sounds like compared to a Shih Tzu. Obviously, there are quite a few things that Siri doesn’t have sound samples for, and in some cases (like when I asked what people sound like), it doesn’t even try. As you can see from the end of the video, Siri is Siri – technical flaws and all. (At one point, Siri started answering the question, stopped, said I’m sorry, and started the answer again.)
I know I’m going to ask Siri for random sounds every now and then, trying to figure out what it has sounds for and what it doesn’t. If you’re not as easily amused as I am, the feature can also come in handy if you have kids, who I’ve heard always ask what things sound like. It’s also helpful if someone in your household says foxes sound like screaming people, and you just need to know if they’re right. (Here’s a YouTube link so you can both see and hear it.)