iOS 8.0 brought a neat little feature for the iPhone when it was released late last year. If the phone was plugged in users could use the virtual private assistant by simply saying “Hey Siri.” They didn’t need to pick up the device or double-press the Home button. If this command was used to make a phone call the iPhone wouldn’t automatically route it to the speakerphone. Users would either have to manually activate the speakerphone or just glue the iPhone against their ear as they would normally do. This kind of defeated the entire purpose of this feature but it appears that Apple has fixed this in iOS 8.3.
iOS 8.3 is the next major update for Apple’s mobile platform. It also happens to be the first mobile firmware from Apple that has its own public beta program. Earlier this month Apple allowed people to sign up so that they could test out iOS 8.3 before it’s released to the public.
9to5mac conducted tests on iOS 8.3 and found that using the “Hey Siri” command to make a phone call on the iPhone now automatically activates the speakerphone if the person on the other end picks up. It’s a small change but a useful one nonetheless.
Apple has not said as yet when it intends to release iOS 8.3 to the public.