Apple watchers have long cautioned of Siri’s potential to leak secrets from an unlocked iPhone, giving Israeli security researcher Dany Lisiansky ample reason to disable voice control when your phone is locked. A new bug found by this researcher gives them even more reason to do so.
Once you enable Hey Siri for the first time, you’ll be asked to configure it by following on-screen instructions. Once configured, Siri only activates when hearing your voice; anyone shouting out “Hey Siri!” nearby won’t activate her either.
Voice Dialing
Apple has long touted Siri’s advantages, yet a recent security flaw gives you yet another reason to turn her off when your iPhone is locked. Israeli researcher Dany Lisiansky discovered an exploit that allows anyone bypass your passcode or fingerprint reader and gain access to calling apps, contacts and voicemail without unlocking your phone first.
iOS was designed to protect both your privacy and security. Furthermore, built-in accessibility features support vision-related, mobility-related, hearing-related and cognitive impairments.
To enable Voice Control on an iPhone, press and hold the Home button until you hear or see an audible beep or see the “Hey Siri” indicator appear on-screen. Speak any name or number command such as to launch apps or perform actions; longer commands can also be paused for. Your iPhone responds in accordance with whatever language settings are set up for it (in Settings > General > Language & Region). To stop Voice Control altogether simply say “Hey Siri” followed by another command or say “Hey Siri”.
Voice Search
Apple talks a big game when it comes to Siri privacy, yet a recent bug indicates she may still reveal confidential details even when locked out of your phone. Israeli security researcher Dany Lisiansky discovered an exploit allowing anyone who bypasses a phone’s lockscreen accessing call apps, contacts and voicemail.
Issue: Hey Siri is an innovative way of activating Siri by pressing Home and speaking your command aloud, with only your voice recognized and without being interrupted by others in the room. In order to ensure only you can initiate Hey Siri, follow these on-screen instructions carefully so that only you are able to initiate it – this should take no more than a minute total and requires speaking quietly when speaking your command in a quiet room.
You can turn off this feature in Settings > Siri & Search by switching off “Hey Siri when the screen is off”. However, for other apps to run you will still have to unlock your device using either your passcode or Touch ID – something which might not be ideal if emergency SOS functionality needs accessing. Thankfully you can avoid this by activating “Don’t allow access when locked” option in Settings & Siri & Search.
Voice Isolation
Apple introduced the Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum features in iOS 15. Both prioritize your voice over ambient noise so your interlocutor can hear you clearly during calls, making FaceTime and WhatsApp conversations clearer for both parties involved. In iOS 16.4, this feature finally expands to cellular phone calls by opening Control Center during a call and tapping Mic Mode; two Voice Isolation modes and Wide Spectrum options allow for further customization; Voice Isolation being more sensitive to your own voice than Wide Spectrum which focuses on traffic noise or barking dogs!
iOS 12 is now widely available to all, offering new features such as an expanded set of emojis and voice isolation phone calls. Unfortunately, however, the update contains a security bug which could expose your private data to hackers if exploited properly – this bug was discovered by Israeli security researcher Dany Lisiansky and exploits an issue in Siri’s password protection to gain entry.
Your iPhone can be prevented from automatically activating voice dialing when locked by going into Settings > Passcode Lock or Touch ID & Passcode (iPhone 5s) and disabling this option. Likewise, disabling Stage Manager in Shortcuts app will stop it from showing notifications on an always-on display.
iOS 12 adds another new feature to make life simpler: web apps can now be pinned directly to your home screen and receive push notifications. In addition, shortcuts have been introduced that lock or disable always-on displays on devices.
Voice Recognition
Apple introduced voice recognition features into OS X computers in 2015. Users can utilize this function to control mouse and keyboard with their voices, providing more efficient computer use by helping navigate menus, manage applications, edit data or dictating documents or emails using this method.
The iPhone 11 boasts a large, beautiful display with curved edges that follow an ergonomic design, as well as the largest standard-rectangle-sized screen on the market. Furthermore, it supports accessibility features to assist people with vision loss, hearing impairment, mobility and cognitive issues to make the most of their mobile experience.
Switch off Voice Dialing on your iPhone if it begins dialing using voice-commands when it’s locked by opening Settings and tapping Siri & Search, scrolling down, tapping “Use Siri when iPhone is locked”, and toggling either off or on.