Apple might bring a motion detection feature to Siri

Apple is reportedly working on a motion detection feature for its voice assistant Siri. The company’s recent patent filing reveals that Siri might soon be able to read a user’s lips and get triggered without voice commands.

Voice assistants are becoming an integral part of our life, and you can now find them on smartphones, cars, and smart home gadgets. These tools are even getting more intelligent, thanks to AI. Apple’s Siri is one of the most popular voice assistants that can be found on the company’s devices. Traditionally, you need the famous “Hey Siri” commands to trigger the app. However, this pattern might soon change.

According to Apple Insider, Apple has filed a patent for Siri dubbed “Keyword Detection Using Motion Sensing.” The patent promises a lip and head detection feature that could be used for activating the app as well as enhancing its accuracy.

You might soon be able to trigger Siri through your lips and head movements

The patent application further explains that Siri gets a motion sensor to track and record a user’s movements as they speak. If Siri concludes that the movements are matched to a specific command, then it will perform the command.

Apple added that voice control systems can sometimes produce false responses due to the background noise or picking up ambient noise or speech from an unintended user. To prevent this, Siri motion sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes will track face, head, and neck movements.

Introducing a new way to trigger Siri doesn’t mean Apple wants to remove the microphone from its devices- like what it did with iPhone’s headphone jack. Instead, a motion detection feature would allow users to switch off the microphone, which is currently used for listening to “Siri” or “Hey, Siri” commands. The tech giant argues that switching off the microphone could save power and processing capacity.

Yet, it remains to be seen which Apple products will get Siri with a motion detection sensor. However, iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro are the most likely candidates to get the feature.