Digital Assistants have picked up several smart features in the recent past and Siri is no different. However, despite all the advance features, there are some niggles for HomePod users. It is very common for Siri to shout at you via HomePods. Ideally, HomePod should adjust the volume depending on ambient temperature but the feature doesn’t seem to work that well.
Matthew Cassinelli has worked on the Workflow app before Apple acquired it, now he has come up with an automation workflow which will make sure that Siri keeps its voice down very late at night or very early in the morning. The automation workflow will instruct Siri on HomePod to reduce its volume during nighttime. With the help of this automation, HomePod will not only lower Siri’s voice but also reduces music volume.
If you are tired of Siri waking you up with loud responses and scaring the wits out of you or your family member then this automation is a no-brainer. After setting it up Siri will respond softer during the night/early morning. All you need to do is follow the steps detailed by Cassinelli.
- Open the Automations tab in the Home app or Shortcuts app (the third tab in both).
- Tap the + in the top right corner and create a new Home Automation.
- From the choices, pick “A Time of Day Occurs” and change it to your desired time, then tap Next. Optionally, change the “Repeat” options for different days of the week or the “People” options based on who is home.
- Scroll past your Scenes to the accessories section and add your HomePod from the list, then tap Next.
- Below the “When” and “Accessories” areas, tap Audio in the Media section.
- In the Media screen, change the option to “Adjust volume only.”
- In the Volume section, adjust the slider to your desired volume level, then tap Back.
- Use “Test This Automation” and practice giving Siri a command to hear her response level, then tap Done when you’re finished.
Alexa and Google Assistant come with a feature that makes it respond quietly at night or decrease the volume of response when the user speaks softly. We hope that Apple works on this shortcoming and meanwhile the above automation will come in handy to make Siri smarter!
[via Matthew Cassinelli]
