TIP
A tip from a concerned citizen helped authorities track down Devaunte Lewis Hill and arrest him in his apartment. (Photo: freestocks/Unsplash (BY CC 2.0))

Apple's new iOS 14.2 update has transformed its virtual assistant Siri from a service that assists you with your queries into a digital aide that can provide you with daily briefings.

Siri is one of the prized possessions of Apple. Launched as an app in February of 2010, Siri soon became popular with Apple device owners. Over the years, Apple continuously updated Siri along with its regular iOS updates, with the new iOS 14.2 being the latest update. Today, Siri has become more than just an app or service that helps with your queries but has transformed into a digital aide that can perform dozens of functions, including providing you with personalized daily briefings.

Many users in the past would make fun of Siri as the service tries to go through routine growing pains. As time goes by, Apple kept on making improvements to Siri with every iOS update it rolls out. With the new iOS 14.2 update, the Cupertino-based tech giant managed to transform Siri into more than just a virtual assistant by giving it the power to provide you with a personalized daily briefing. With this improvement, Siri is now closer to becoming a digital aide that could come really handy at any time of the day.

Apple's new iOS 14.2 update included the Personal Update, which now allowed Siri to give users personalized daily briefings. The improvement is similar to Amazon Echo's daily briefing feature, which now brings the Cupertino company in a head-to-head confrontation with Amazon's own digital assistant Alexa, which can be summoned using Echo, the smart speakers developed by the online retail giant. Fans have been requesting Apple for a long time to include similar functions in Siri.

Today, thanks to the new iOS 14.2 update, you can now get Siri to provide you with daily personalized briefings, which include reading out any updates on your HomePod, iPhone, and HomePod mini. Asking Siri the question "What's my update?" would immediately launch the personalized briefing function, with Apple's virtual assistant telling you out loud what these updates are.

Siri bases its personalized daily briefing response on what the virtual assistant thinks is relevant to you at a given moment. Apple's new iOS 14.2 update also now allowed Siri, through its Personal Update feature, to tell you information about upcoming events, weather conditions, and the time needed to travel to the place you scheduled to visit for that day. Siri can also update you on scheduled meetings or appointments, as well as regional news updates.

Apple first announced the personalized daily briefing feature of Siri during its October 13 "Hi, Speed" event when the Cupertino tech giant unveiled the HomePod mini. The new iOS 14.2 update also included the highly-anticipated Intercom function, which transforms your HomePod and HomePod mini into Intercom units.