Voice on Voice RAIN

In 2020, Siri was the second most popular voice assistant behind Google Assistant, with over 500 million users (compared to Google Assistant’s 1+ billion users). While its vast presence on mobile devices has given Siri a boost, the popular assistant has fallen short in meeting users’ expectations. Apple has tried to revitalize the assistant through the latest iOS 15 update, third-party product integrations, and new Apple hardware, but Siri’s functionality has remained relatively stagnant in the last few years when compared to Google Assistant. From sending texts to asking simple questions, there haven’t been monumental updates in what Siri can do for users. October 2021 now marks Siri’s 10-year anniversary of its initial launch — below, The Verge examines why Siri hasn’t lived up to the hype.


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The car is a hub of on-the-go activity — from taking and making calls to searching directions, drivers have their hands full (literally). As a result, voice assistants have become helpful tools by providing hands-free assistance. One use case emerging quickly is voice commerce in the car. In-vehicle payments are expected to reach $86 billion in 2025, and 70% of consumers who commute to work are very or extremely interested in new connected commerce experiences. Companies are already tapping into this growing opportunity, especially for gas stations. ExxonMobil and 7-Eleven have built payment experiences on Alexa and Siri, respectively, and Cerence partnered with Ryd Pay in Europe for payments via Cerence’s in-car systems. This week, Google’s new features for Android Auto include fuel payments at select stations. While these activations focus on fueling, there is vast opportunity for retailers like grocery stores to think about how voice can support buy-online-pickup-in-store behaviors.


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Voice technology’s deep roots in healthcare are only strengthening as companies and organizations discover the operational efficiencies that voice can drive. Early movers in the healthcare world like Saykara, Suki, and Robin Healthcare got their start building custom voice assistants for healthcare professionals to input and retrieve patient data without using their hands or breaking focus from their patients. Now, mainstream assistants are being leveraged in specific healthcare settings. Bayer built its voice assistant AMI to provide doctors with information on prescription drugs. In this week’s newsletter, Houston Methodist Hospital is bringing Alexa into exam and operating rooms. As the healthcare industry continues to introduce new technologies to adapt to a digital-centered world, voice AI is one of the tools that practitioners are gravitating toward.


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It hasn’t been smooth sailing for smart glasses. Marked by the failure of Google Glass (now repositioned for enterprise use), which was initially introduced in 2013, smart glasses are experiencing a revival as many other tech companies try their hand at the accessory. Snap released the Snap Spectacles to let users take pictures and videos, and they now sport AR and voice capabilities. Amazon’s Echo Frames are embedded with Alexa. This week, Facebook enlisted EssilorLuxottica to unveil Ray-Ban Stories. It’s clear that major tech companies see the potential for smart glasses, especially when paired with voice assistants. While these devices are getting less clunky and adding on more capabilities, it remains to be seen if they are compelling enough to spur widespread adoption. Early critiques pointing to Facebook’s privacy track record are already rolling in.


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One of the ways voice assistants are evolving to be more frictionless and valuable to users is through adding proactive capabilities that often don’t require speaking more. While we want our assistants to be there for us, they need to assist while being unobtrusive. Features like automatic camera tracking on the Facebook Portal and Echo Show smart displays keep users in the frame during pictures or video. Both Amazon and Google are leveraging radar technology to derive health insights from sleep. This week, Google is actively exploring how the absence of wake words might elevate a voice experience, while Amazon is dabbling in how Alexa status announcements on third-party smart devices might prove useful. These contextual functions are paving the way for easier and almost effortless two-way exchanges, but these experiences must be careful not to infringe on the delicate balance between helpful anticipation and unwelcome trespassing.


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Asian consumers in China, India, and Southeast Asian countries have spearheaded the global adoption of voice. In 2018, iProspect found that 62% of smartphone users in China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Singapore have used voice-activated technology in the last six months. Usage has primarily been driven by the prevalence of inexpensive smartphones in the region, making capabilities like voice search and in-app voice features more accessible to consumers. Specifically, China has emerged as a global voice leader with its major tech companies building out robust smart home device and smartphone lines. Baidu, Alibaba, Xiaomi, and Huawei have launched advanced voice-enabled devices from speakers and phones to even scooters and robotic dogs. As brands plan for growth in markets outside of North America and Europe, Asian countries harbor underexplored opportunities.


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