Apple Intelligence was a big focus of this year's WWDC keynote, but the suite of features is rolling out piecemeal across the next few months. Not only does it feature AI tools for generating images and text, organizing your life, and controlling your apps, but it also brings a big upgrade to Siri. On top of all that, there's integration with ChatGPT for those extra-big tasks.
But it looks like Apple is already planning for future Apple Intelligence features, and one of those could involve FaceTime. A new patent published to the USPTO reveals plans for Siri to join us on our FaceTime calls.
The patent details a feature where Siri can be summoned during a FaceTime call. Imagine you're chatting away with your mate, and you suddenly need to know what the weather's like for your weekend plans. Instead of leaving the call, you just ask Siri, and she responds as if she’s part of the conversation. Need directions? Siri’s got you. Want to fact-check something mid-conversation? Just ask Siri.
Smarter FaceTime calls?
Right now, Siri can dial up a FaceTime call for you, but integrating the assistant directly into the call is set to be a game-changer. The patent itself describes a scenario where, during a video call, one could give a voice command to Siri. The command gets processed and shared between devices, and Siri comes up with a helpful response or action. It also looks like there could be a transcription feature in the works, which could be a game changer for those with hearing difficulties.
This all ties into Apple's grander vision of Apple Intelligence. For those not in the know, Apple Intelligence is Apple’s ongoing initiative to weave AI into the very fabric of its ecosystem. We've seen Siri get smarter (albeit slowly) over the years, and recent patents hint at some pretty nifty features in the pipeline. Think Siri helping out in group iMessage chats, or even overlaying graphics during live video events.
But, let's not get too carried away just yet. This is all from a patent application, so we don’t have a timeline for when (or if) this feature will see the light of day. That said, with so much effort being pushed into AI at the moment, we don't doubt that this feature or something similar could come as part of the next version of iOS.
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