Catching up on the latest news is now possible by simply asking Siri, Apple’s intelligent voice personal assistant. The new feature allows Siri to automatically play the latest audio bulletins from a number of Australian media outlets.
Siri News
The Siri news bulletin service can be used by simply asking Siri “Read me the news”. You can also ask “Give me the news” and other similar sentences. For iPhone 6s or newer, you can also use the “Hey Siri” feature. In this case, you can say “Hey Siri, read me the news” without having to touch your iPhone.
Media Outlets
At the time of writing, Siri will play the latest news from three media outlets in Australia:
- ABC
- SBC
- and Seven
Siri won’t read the news out essentially, the latest audio podcasts from either ABC, SBS, or Seven will automatically play.
It is possible to switch between the three by asking Siri to do so. For example, you can ask “Siri, read me the news” and then say “Switch to SBS”. When I asked Siri to “give me the news from seven” she searched the web – I did expect Siri to play the latest news from Seven.
Availability
The new feature is currently available to those running iOS 11, the latest release of iOS for iPhone and iPad.
It will also be one of many features on HomePod, Apple’s upcoming smart speaker for the home. Set to be released soon, it will have Apple Music and Siri built-in, making it possible to ask Siri to automatically play the latest music, or read the latest news.
