Whether it’s Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant, it isn’t rare for our personal assistants to pipe-up randomly when they think they’ve heard their name called.
This is why, if we were giving a speech in the House of Commons, we’d probably turn off the hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ functionality on our iPhone handset.
Of course, a visit from Captain Hindsight is no good to Gavin Williamson MP, whose address to Parliament was rudely interrupted by his own phone.
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It appears the mention of “Syria” prompted “Hey Siri”, while the MP for South Staffordshire was talking to MPs about the conflict in the Middle East.
When Siri interrupts as you're delivering a statement to Parliament… pic.twitter.com/NDsNUJDPV3
— BBC Parliament (@BBCParliament) July 3, 2018
Speaker of the House John Bercow remarked on the “very rum business” before a smiling Williamson apologised for the interruption. As Siri yammered on about finding information on the web about ‘Syrian democratic force being supported by’ something-or-other, Williamson sought to silence his phone.
The red-faced member said: “It is very rare that you’re heckled by your own mobile phone. It is a new Parliamentary convention without a doubt. So if I may proceed Mr. Speaker without the help and support of Siri…”
If you’re now worried that the iPhone will interrupt you while speaking publicly, you can head to Settings > Siri & Search > and turn off “Listen for Hey Siri”. Alternately, you can switch off “Allow Siri When Locked” from the same screen.
Have you had any embarrassing moments with Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
