Siri Daily News Podcast Feature Rolling Out To US, UK, Australia

When you as Siri very early in the morning about the news, perhaps the last thing your still sleepy head wants to hear is an impersonal voice rattling off headlines. Perhaps you'd like to start your day with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and the voices of your favorite news reporters. If you're that kind of person and you live in the US, the UK, or Australia, then you might be in luck. Tell Siri to "give me the news" and she'll get out of the way and start playing a podcast instead.

This feature was first spotted two weeks ago on a beta version of iOS 11.2.5. When talking to Siri through the iPhone, the assistant would start playing a podcast from a select number of sources when asking for the news. Previously, it would simply give you news search results.

That feature is now out of beta and is rolling out in waves to iOS users in those countries. There were, however, some changes since the beta. By default, Siri now plays podcasts from NPR when you ask it for the news. Previously it defaulted to the Washington Post. In the UK, the default is BBC. Users, however, are always free to ask Siri to switch another source, with choices depending on the market:

• US: NPR, Washington Post, Fox News, CNN

• UK: BBC, Sky News, LBC

• Australia: ABC, SBS, Seven Network

It's really no secret that this feature is being prepped for the arrival of the delayed Apple HomePod speaker. As if to reinforce that theory, these news podcasts can't be found anywhere else, either on Apple Podcasts or Apple Music Radio.

VIA: 9to5Mac