When iOS 8 came out the software geniuses at Apple (who were unable to write code to adjust for daylight saving), thought it would be cool to switch everything on if you said “Hey Siri.”  

However, over the years, this has resulted in Siri being mistakenly triggered when the command is spoken anywhere from a TV ad to a conversation. 

Apple never did anything about the problem because not enough fanboys made a fuss about it so ten years later it has been a “feature” of every iPhone.

Now, it seems that Apple is finally getting around to fixing it, but it is trying to do it on the QT. The latest beta of tvOS 18.2 released this week introduced a new framework called “AdBlocker.” You would think that this is an online ad blocker, but it is linked to ShazamKit, the API for apps to use Shazam – the song identification platform acquired by Apple in 2018.

At the same time, the framework also links to the process responsible for managing the “Siri” and “Hey Siri” voice commands on Apple devices.

Code suggests that “AdBlocker” will download audio fingerprints from Apple’s servers and then use the Shazam API to match them against audio captured by the device’s microphones using the Hey Siri API. The new framework will temporarily disable Siri’s trigger commands when certain audios match.

Presumably, Apple will use audio fingerprints from its TV ads and keynotes to prevent any mentions of Siri from triggering the virtual assistant on users’ devices.

AdBlocker has only been found on tvOS 18.2, which suggests that Apple wants to implement it on HomePod first. In 2019, many HomePod owners complained after Apple aired an AirPods ad featuring a person asking Siri to play a song. As a result, people’s HomePods responded to the request as well.

Apple is expected to release tvOS 18.2 in December.