On Siri AI: Working in English while speaking in French

Here’s a problem I haven’t been able to solve. I’m a native French-Canadian speaker, since French is my mother tongue. Yet I use all my devices in English and still prefer to interact with Siri AI in French. Since iOS 27.2, I can do that because Siri AI is now available in French, but only if my device is set to French. The device language and Siri AI language have to match; otherwise, I’m stuck with the older, unsatisfactory, frustrating, and much less capable Siri. Moreover, the Siri language syncs across my devices.

I blog in English on my MacBook Air, like I’m doing right now, so when I invoke Siri AI while writing, I want it to respond in English. But when I ask for tomorrow’s weather forecast, I want to ask in French and get an answer in French. The same goes for turning up the light using HomeKit. For mundane requests in French, I could set this up and use it on my iPhone or iPad, but on the Mac, I want it to be in English.

The best configuration for me would be to set up some devices in English end-to-end, while other devices use Siri AI in French even though the device is still in English. For that to work, the Siri AI language setting should stop syncing across my devices.

Am I alone with this issue? Is there a solution? BTW, turning off iCloud sync for Siri doesn’t fix the issue.

A Siri settings window shows that the Mac is set to English (Canada) while Siri is set to French (Canada), with options for Requests, Language, Voice, and Responses.

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About the Siri.app

While Apple’s new Siri.app in OS 271 is a welcome addition, it still feels buggy, especially on the iPad. But one thing I don’t like is that the app saves most, if not all, requests to Siri AI. For example, asking for today’s weather forecast for a certain city gets saved and synced across my devices2. Why does it matter? Because these requests are stored into my iCloud account, which keeps growing. I may have found a solution as I’m testing OS 27.2 beta on a few of my devices.

  1. You know, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. ↩︎

  2. More on that in an upcoming post. ↩︎

Is Apple pivoting away from keynotes?

So we got the HomeView without an Apple Event. If Gurman is right, the same will be true of the upcoming touchscreen MacBook Pro on October 28. Although the two products fall into different device categories, making it hard to tell a coherent story if they’re announced together, I’m surprised Apple didn’t, and won’t, opt for a prerecorded announcement. Is this the new Apple under John Ternus?

Why reactions to HomeView are what they are?

Reactions to HomeView unveiling seem to be rather lukewarm… is it because there is no App Store? Is the requirements for modern iPhone in the room to take advantage of Apple Intelligence the reason? Widgets from nearby iPhone are available on HomeViw which is rather a clever way to have a feature-rich product on day one. The price seems reasonable for what you get, yet the mounted version is the same price which surprises a lot of people. None of that is earth shattering and yet… people are looking for a new OS name… and it’s not homeOS, so many are perplexed…

My observations about the HomeView and other tidbits

So many thoughts right now…

  • It was a low-key unveiling, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise; the HomeView is an accessory in the grand scheme of things.
  • About performance: A18 is the same processor as in the MacBook Neo. Fast content switching is a must in a multi-user setup. Based on the older Apple TV 4K, which has an older processor, this is promising. The switching sequence shown in Apple’s promotional material seems to corroborate this.
  • Dependencies on the presence of a modern iPhone signed into Apple Intelligence for some features are surprising.
  • The design is cute yet classy, but the arm behind the screen is shorter than I thought it would be. The design doesn’t remind me of the G4 iMac. At 7 inches, the screen is a tad bigger than rumors predicted. This leaves room (pun intended here) for a larger screen version with an articulated arm.
  • I’m ok with the lack of an App Store dedicated to the HomeView. I expect Apple to add some app functionality in the future.
  • The $429 price tag for the wall-mounted version, identical to the tabletop version, is an Apple tactic to discourage users from buying a cheaper version and adding external wireless speakers.
  • The power adaptor design presents a not-too-deep block with the USB plug on top. This design lets you place furniture close to the wall.
  • I’ll order mine so that I get it when I come back from Thailand in mid-November.
  • The new Apple TV 4K is the same price. I would have preferred a cheaper 64GB version; I don’t need 128GB, and I don’t play games on the Apple TV. Built-in microphones are a godsend; no remote needed for voice commands. Yeah.
  • One more thing: what’s missing from today’s announcements? The return of a secure, Apple-branded home networking device à la AirPort.
Auto-generated description: A wooden cabinet with two doors and a single drawer is topped with a potted plant having trailing green leaves with a HomeView sitting on the top.