Apple has added a COVID-19 or coronavirus related new feature in its Siri voice assistant for its users across the world including India. Just like many other countries, the digital assistant will now offer the latest coronavirus related information to the Indian users with a simple voice trigger. As per Apple, the feature is now live in several countries, including India.
To ask for the update, users can simply ask Siri to “Play COVID-19 news” or “Play the Coronavirus news”. The Cupertino giant has been adding such features since last month. It had updated its Siri voice assistant with information and assets designed to help users in the US who have flu symptoms and believe they are suffering from coronavirus. All they needed to ask Siri was the query like “Hey Siri, do I have the coronavirus?” and “Hey Siri, I think I have COVID-19.”
In return, Siri asks users if they are exhibiting symptoms of the disease, such as fever, dry cough or shortness of breath. The users who answer “yes” to certain questions, specifically those referencing COVID-19 symptoms, are urged to isolate and closely monitor the situation, or contact a medical provider, added company.
Even Google has also ramped up COVID-19 efforts for India. The search giant teamed up with the Government of India to launch a feature that can help people find food and night shelters. The feature is available on all smartphones as well as KaiOS devices, and is also available in Hindi.
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Google says that the new feature will be accessible through Google Maps, Search, and Google Assistant. So it doesn’t matter if you have an Android smartphone or iOS. The company said it has started indicating the locations of hundreds of food and night shelters set up by the government across the country.
