Applethe virtual assistant SYRIA wants you to visit friends and family, even if you live on different continents, are divorced, or one of you has died.
New York Times reports of a strange request that many iPhone users have received on their phones: a suggestion to “Start a check-in” with someone and “Let them know when you arrive at your destination.”
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It sounds nice, but the strange thing about this feature, as some users have said Times and have posted on Reddit, is that Siri often suggests random and sometimes bored people to “Check In.”
A user named Simon explained that Siri suggested he alert a friend that he returned home safely. The strange thing was that this friend was Simon's old roommate who lived almost 5,000 miles away. “I thought it was funny,” said Simon. “He's in my favorites on my phone, so I guess that's how Apple makes these recommendations. But it still doesn't make sense because I also have his address saved in my contacts, so my phone should know that we live in different continents”.
Another user, Leo Margul, explained that he was prompted twice by Siri to contact his mother after leaving concerts. Siri didn't consider that leaving a midnight show in Los Angeles would mean Margul had to alert his mother at 3 a.m. in Boston. Margul posted about it on Reddit, and several commenters said they received similar requests — some saying Siri suggested they contact their now-deceased parents.
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The Start a Check-in feature was released with iOS 17 last year. The iOS 18 update doesn't seem to change that.
While some told him Times that they appreciated the prompts to reconnect with people they haven't been in touch with, most find it creepy and random. If you're in this camp, there's an easy way to stop it. Just go to Settings > Siri & Search and turns off Siri suggestions.