Inside iOS 10: Upgraded QuickType wields 'Siri intelligence' for contextual suggestions

Apple's newly released iOS 10 update features enhanced QuickType keyboard recommendations, which now go beyond suggesting the next best word to write, intelligently recommending dates, locations, contacts and more.

Thanks to what Apple calls "Siri intelligence," iOS 10 can analyze Messages content and glean if there's a specific kind of information a person is looking for. If someone you're talking to asks "where are you," for instance, QuickType will offer to share your current location.

If the person asks for someone's email address — and gives enough cues — QuickType can recommend one or more possible options from your contacts.

Similarly, the technology can help create new calendar events based on contextual clues. During its WWDC keynote, Apple used the example of a conversation in which the terms "dim sum," "Sunday," "11AM" and "101 Spear St." were detected and combined to allow creating a "Brunch" event, with time and address info already populated.

QuickType can also check for calendar availability, help fill in an address based on ones browsed in other apps, and look up terms it recognizes relating to things like movies and restaurants.

For some people, one of the most important additions may be the ability to use multiple languages in the same conversation. In iOS 9, trying to type in a language other than the system default will often result in QuickType trying to "fix" each word. iOS 10 makes it possible to use languages like English and Spanish in the same sentence.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in June following Apple's announcement of iOS 10 at WWDC 2016. It has been updated and republished to coincide with the mobile operating system's public release. For more on iOS 10, see AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 10.

10 Comments

MacPro 19838 comments · 18 Years

About 8 years ago

Wow, I have long dreamed of contextual AI for writing. We might see the end of its and it's being mixed up? Perhaps it can correct run and ran and misuse of all irregular verbs and even go as far as knowing when we take and when we bring. Could English grammar be saved?

kevin kee 1289 comments · 10 Years

Wow. I love this, not that I am lazy, but predictive context is much better than predictive word. It remains to see if Apple has improved Siri neural logic and fuzzy logic. Say, if I type: "Let's have coffee", it suggests the time is 'now', 'nearest coffee shop that is still open', and 'avoid cafe X even though it's the nearest' based on my historical preference. Even further, offer to "order" and "pay with apple pay" without opening apps like menulog.

frantisek 760 comments · 11 Years

Please could somebody explore multilingual typing that was mentioned on slide in keynote? It should change language without changing keyboard. How does it work and what languages are supported? Thanks.

crowley 10431 comments · 15 Years

That first screenshot made me wonder if the incoming bubbles were going away. Wonder why the image is so bleached?

lolliver 497 comments · 10 Years

kevin kee said:

Wow. I love this, not that I am lazy, but predictive context is much better than predictive word. It remains to see if Apple has improved Siri neural logic and fuzzy logic. Say, if I type: "Let's have coffee", it suggests the time is 'now', 'nearest coffee shop that is still open', and 'avoid cafe X even though it's the nearest' based on my historical preference. Even further, offer to "order" and "pay with apple pay" without opening apps like menulog.

Yeah predictive text is really just guessing at what word you may want. Predictive context being used to suggest a contact you may want to share, an address you may want to enter etc... will be much more useful.