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Apple’s Siri Credited With Saving Baby’s Life

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
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By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 7, 2016, 12:32 PM ET
Apple Poised to Sell 10 Million IPhones in Record Debut
A customer tries the Siri voice assistant function on an Apple Inc. iPhone 5 at a Telstra Corp. store on George Street in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. Apple Inc. is poised for a record iPhone 5 debut and may not be able to keep up with demand as customers line up from Sydney to New York to pick up the latest model of its top-selling product. The device hits stores in eight countries today at 8 a.m. local time, giving customers in Australia the first chance to buy the device. Photographer: Ian Waldie/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Ian Waldie—Bloomberg via Getty Images

If you never thought about turning on Siri’s voice activation, think again.

Apple’s virtual personal assistant is being credited with saving a baby girl’s life after her mother used the iPhone’s built-in voice activation to dial local emergency officials, according to a report out of Australia’s 7 News.

According to the report, Stacey Gleeson was looking at her one-year-old daughter Giana on a baby monitor and noticed that she had turned blue. Realizing something was wrong, Gleeson told the news outlet that she dropped her phone in panic. Remembering that her device could respond to the “Hey, Siri” command, the mother yelled out to Apple’s (AAPL) service to call for an ambulance. It did so and after arriving and performing an evaluation, medical professionals who were called through Siri determined the baby was just fine.

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“Kids…everybody, everybody should be aware of the abilities of their phone,” the mother said to 7 News. “It’s helped save our daughter’s life and I never thought I’d have to go through something like that.”

Apple’s Siri is a virtual personal assistant capable of creating new events in calendars, setting reminders, and more. The app also allows users to place calls. When users set up their new iPhones, they’re able to decide for themselves whether Siri can be activated via voice. Upon doing so, the app will allow users to simply say “Hey, Siri,” and the app will be activated and ready to listen to commands.

The feature is similar to voice recognition built into other personal assistants, including OK Google and Amazon’s (AMZN) Alexa. However, in order for any of the apps to actually call for emergency help, they need to be attached to a phone.

For more on Siri, watch:

The issue, though, is that some people—especially iPhone owners—aren’t so willing to talk to Siri. In fact, a study published earlier this month by research firm Creative Strategies found that while 98% of iPhone owners had used Siri, just 3% of people felt comfortable talking to the virtual assistant in public. What’s more, it’s rarely used at home.

For Gleeson, however, Siri was apparently a life-saver.

The incident actually occurred in March, Gleeson told the BBC. She then contacted Apple to thank the company for creating the feature that she says saved her baby’s life.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
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