Do u have an iPhone? If you just said “yes”, then you’re not alone. Well, kind of at least. Siri’s there for you, and she’s listening all of the time.
If it sounds a bit ‘Big Brother’, it might be. But, it’s also a life saver – literally. When Cairns mum Stacey Gleeson found her 1-year-old daughter Giana turning blue and not breathing she didn’t have time to find a phone and dial. She told 7 News, “I picked her up and sat down with her on the floor and as I checked her airways I looked over and remembered my phone.”
No, she didn’t remember her phone, run over to it (she had dropped it on the floor on the way into her daughter’s room) and call. Instead, she yelled, “Hey Siri, call the ambulance.”
The little girl had been fighting off a chest infection and bronchiolitis, according to the BBC News. Gleeson knew that Siri was voice-activated. The newest versions of the iPhone and the iPad are able to activate Siri’s services with a simple, “Hey Siri”. Go ahead try it, we know you want to – just don’t tell her to call the ambulance (unless it is an emergency) because she will.
While most people use the voice activation feature to get their texts, read emails and call friends all hands-free, it can also (as shown by Gleeson) come in handy during a true emergency. Keep in mind, you need to turn on the voice activation feature or it to work. Go to “settings”, choose “general” and select “Siri”. From there, swipe on Allow “Hey Siri”. Now you can speak to your phone without having to press the home button. The phone must have power for this feature to work.
Calling for help, without having to leave her daughter’s side, gave Gleeson the time she needed to help little Giana. The 1-year-old started breathing, the ambulance arrived and Giana is now a happy and healthy toddler. Thanks to a quick-thinking mum and her phone friend Siri. Gleeson told the BBC News, “I had played around with Siri, I thought it was a fun feature. Now I have that feature turned on all the time and it will never be turned off again.”
This story is only the latest that you can file under ‘Siri saves a life’. Last July 18-year-old Sam Ray of the U.S. was pinned under his truck after a jack collapsed. Unable to reach his phone and call for help, he yelled out for Siri to call. And, that she did!
If you do activate the “Hey Siri” feature keep in mind that she will be listening. The voice recognition system is set to grab and follow anything that comes after “Siri”.
