Woman Forced to Change Name Due to Apple’s iOS Update
In a peculiar incident, a woman in the UK has been compelled to change her name due to the latest update in Apple’s software iOS. Siri Price, a fitness trainer from Edinburgh, revealed to The Sun that she had to alter her name to prevent iPhones from continuously responding every time someone called out to her using the popular phrase “Hey Siri.”
Price, 26, stated that the voice-activated digital assistant built into Apple devices would be triggered whenever her friends used the phrase to get her attention. She now goes by the name Siz amongst her friends to avoid the constant interruptions caused by iPhones mistakenly believing they were being addressed.
Working in a bustling gym environment, Price acknowledged that her colleagues quickly learned not to use the word “Hey” when greeting her to avoid a series of beeping sounds. Despite finding a way to manage the situation, Apple’s recent software update has made it impossible for people to even say her name without setting off numerous iPhones around her.
According to Price, the name Siri has special meaning in Old Norse, as it translates to “beautiful woman who leads you to victory.” However, the acronym used by Apple stands for “Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface.” Expressing her frustration, Price stated, “I’m sure Apple could have picked something else instead – there’s plenty of people called Siri and their lives have become just unbearable because of this.”
The tech giant Apple has yet to comment on Price’s predicament or address the inconvenience faced by individuals who share their name with the company’s digital assistant. This is not the first instance of people being adversely affected by the naming choices of technology companies. Another similar incident occurred in the United States, where a woman named Alexa Seary lamented that her full name was a trigger for two digital assistants, making it a “walking nightmare” for her.
As these bizarre incidents continue to emerge, it raises questions about the potential impact of virtual assistants on our daily lives. Though intended to make our lives easier, they can inadvertently disrupt our personal experiences and even force individuals to change their identities. It remains to be seen whether tech companies like Apple will take these incidents into consideration when developing future software updates to avoid inconveniencing users with certain names.