Malcolm Owen
The HomePod is having an issue understanding the simple query "What time is it?" right now. Apple will probably fix it soon.
Users of Siri know that there are many basic queries that could be asked, which result in straightforward results. One common query is to ask Siri the time, which is helpful if the user can't see a clock nearby.
However, social media users started to report on Tuesday that asking Siri for the time was coming up with a completely different answer on HomePod. In many cases, Siri seems to believe that users want to know about a web result.
Rooting for Apple on this AI stuff but my current HomePod status is
— Billiam (@lostincode) May 2, 2024
"Siri, what time is it?"
"I've found some web results. I can show them to you if you ask again on your iPhone"
The claims were confirmed by AppleInsider editorial members, who were repeatedly told by Siri the wrong result. Siri frequently offered the opening line to the Wikipedia page for "What Time Is It? (song)" instead of the actual time.
"'What Time is It?' is the opening musical number and first single from the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical 2,'" Siri said many times, For others, it skipped the listing and said that more search results were available via iPhone.
Siri on iPhone, the iPad, and Mac are unaffected by the issue, and deliver the local time as usual.
The problem seems to be an issue that Apple has to deal with on its servers, rather than one on the HomePod itself. It is probable that Apple will quickly fix the issue in the near future, without needing to roll out an update.
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20 Comments
"Siri. Tell me something I've never, ever done with my HomePods."
That's usually a good query to test internet connectivity.
Siri changing responses to or otherwise fumbling previously reliable queries can sometimes be an indication of back-end system upgrades underway. I think it was yesterday that my usual verbiage for a request to play my local public radio station yielded unexpected and suboptimal responses. So maybe something's up.
Worked for me just now at 2:45 EST
Even a broken mechanical clock works twice a day.
Siri is always dropping the ball on something. For months now, her weather reports are oblivious to the day's forecast high temps. I'll ask her about the weather in the morning and she'll give the current temperature, then claim it will trend down to the day's low, which has sometimes already occurred. For years, she was able to turn on two things simultaneously in HomeKit, then had a stroke and was reduced to single item commands. Recent therapy seems to have restored her ability to turn on both lights in our bedroom with one command.
Never a dull moment?