Siri insults me by name calling me, incorrectly.

Originator:eloy.de.enige
Number:rdar://21790793 Date Originated:13-Jul-2015
Status:Open Resolved:
Product:iOS Product Version:iOS 8.3 12F70
Classification:UI/Usability Reproducible:Always
 
Summary:
Since recently I’ve started using the Dutch Siri in my car (CarPlay) and yesterday it suddenly decided to use my name.

Unfortunately utterly failed to pronounce my name correct. As a matter of fact, it pronounced it in the single most annoying way I have encountered in my life and something I had hoped I had left behind me by now (assuming I’m French).

My name is Eloy, it’s hispanic:
* the true pronunciation is like so: http://f.cl.ly/items/3P0F1v2v3G0O1s381H3x/Eloy%20Original%20Spanish%20Name%20Pronunciation.m4a
* because I live in the Netherlands, though, an acceptable pronunciation is like so: http://f.cl.ly/items/1b2l0Q0K1T1c2X0V3g3e/Eloy%20Dutch%20Name%20Pronunciation.m4a
* if you get to know my online pseudonym (alloy), you may even pronounce it like so: http://f.cl.ly/items/0B1B1A0C3r0K402V3F0S/Eloy%20English%20Name%20Pronunciation.m4a

But under no circumstance, ever, will I accept the incorrect French pronunciation: http://f.cl.ly/items/2r2M0y3U1V0r1x3c1j1c/Eloy%20Incorrect%20French%20Pronunciation.m4a

While I appreciate the willingness to make the experience more personal, you can simply not make any assumptions about names. When you do and you fail, you have made that error personal.

Please fix my name. Or, even better, remove it completely to ensure that nobody gets insulted anymore.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Change Siri to Dutch (it might occur with English Siri too, I did not try.)
2. Have Siri pronounce the name ‘Eloy’.
3. Cringe.

Expected Results:
Either one of the 3 accepted ways to pronounce my name or no name calling at all.

Actual Results:
Siri thinks my name is French.

Comments

I’ve been told by people that I can ‘fix’ this by setting the “Phonetic First Name” option. However, in my opinion this is a bad workaround, because I, as a user, would first have to think of there possibly being an option and then also find it. Rather, seeing as you already have an option for this, why not only address people by their name only when they’ve set this option? Especially considering that it isn’t important for Siri to address people by name, seeing as I’ve only heard it once thus far.

By eloy.de.enige at July 13, 2015, 12:26 p.m. (reply...)

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