Apple’s Siri is definitely one of the smartest virtual assistants out there, the one that allows you to get things done quickly on your Apple devices using just your voice. Siri is an intelligent voice-based personal assistant that lets you control your device with your voice. But Siri is not the only way to control your device using your voice. Starting with iOS 13, Apple released a new assistive feature to compliment the abilities of Siri called Voice Control, which can do all the basic stuff that you’d normally do with touch. Voice Control you gives you a pretty decent control of your device and the best part; it does not require an active Internet connection to work, unlike Siri.
What is Siri?
Siri is a hands-free, fun technology that ties Apple devices together. Siri is Apple’s intelligent voice-based personal assistant that turns your spoken wishes into your iPhone’s command and turns your speech into text. Whether you want to ask a question, make a call, text someone, set a timer, set a reminder, or play music – Siri can do it by just your voice. Siri is on by default but if you need to turn the Siri off and back again, you can do so by switching it ON or Off in the settings menu. You can summon Siri by one of the following ways: press and hold the Home button until Siri appears; simply say “Hey, Siri” (this works when the Voice Activation function is enabled in the Siri settings and is set to ‘Always On’); and press and hold the center button on the EarPods. Siri was the company that made the voice-control app with the same name, which Apple bought in 2010. Since then, Siri is a part of the Apple’s family of devices.
What is Voice Control?
Voice Control is a new accessibility feature that lets you navigate and interact with your iPhone or iPad using your voice to do just about anything. It is a new feature that came with the release of iOS 13 as a new complimentary way to operate your phones hands-free. In some ways, it duplicate’s functions of Siri and expands them in others. It is somewhat like Siri which is designed for the basic use in devices without an Internet connection. It’s an assistive technology that helps you with everything from launching apps to composing texts, play music, adjust volume, or just about anything you want. If you lack a strong Internet connection, then Voice Control fills in for Siri, assisting you with tasks that do not necessarily require a data connection. It tells your device what to do instead of touching it. For example, instead of tapping on the app’s share button manually, you can simply ask, “Tap share.”
Difference between Siri and Voice Control
Basics
– Siri is Apple’s intelligent voice-based personal assistant that offers a faster, easier way to make your Apple Devices to do things using just your voice. Siri is a hands-free, fun feature that ties everything on your Apple devices together. Whether you want to ask a question, make a call, text someone, set a timer, set a reminder, or play music – Siri can do it by just your voice. Voice Control, on the other hand, is a new, assistive technology that joined Siri with the iOS 13 release as an alternate way to operate your iPhone or iPad hands-free.
Internet Connection
– Siri is a cloud-based virtual assistant that listens to your requests and performs actions accordingly. Voice recognition is what Siri does, but it requires a strong data connection or a stable Wi-Fi to do so. Siri requires an active Internet connection because it sends your commands to Apple’s servers where they are translated and then acted upon. Voice Control, on the other hand, is designed for the basic use in devices without an Internet connection. It duplicate’s functions of Siri in some ways and expands them in others, and it does all the processing locally which does not require an Internet connection.
Activation
– Siri can be activated by one of the following ways: press and hold down the Home button until you hear a double-beep sound which opens the Siri screen; hold down the center button or the clicker on your EarPods or the call button on your Bluetooth headset; or simply say, “Hey, Siri” which works only when the Voice Activation function is enabled in the Siri settings menu. On the other hand, to turn on the Voice Control feature, go to settings menu, tap on Accessibility and then toggle the Voice Control switch to ON. You can look around to see all the things it can do.
Siri vs. Voice Control: Comparison Chart
Summary of Siri vs. Voice Control
In a nutshell, Siri is a smart voice-based personal assistant that turns your speech into text but it’s a bit more intelligent than Voice Control. Siri is always on, so if you wish to make a phone call or send a text or use more complex commands like ‘call my brother at work’ or ‘find the nearest KFC’, Siri is always at your service. With the Voice Control (if it is enabled), you can do most of the stuff using your voice, just like Siri. However, Voice Control is not Siri; it is more like an alternative to the touch screen, meaning you can do the basic things with your voice which you’d normally do by physically touching the screen.