Hey Cortana... multiple devices... what were they thinking?

[bsayegh]

I have an Xbox One, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 laptop. I have Hey Cortana enabled on all of them. I use it all the time on Xbox to control my tv volume and channel. I use it while I'm driving on my phone. I don't use it that often on my laptop, but sometimes I will use it to change songs or something while I am working. The point is, I have fairly justifiable reasons to have it enabled on 3 devices.

So lets say I'm watching football. I have my fantasy stuff up on my laptop, and my phone is near bye because its always there. I decide I want to mute the TV, so I say "Hey Cortana, Mute". The result? My Tv mutes, my phone and my laptop both tell me that they cant perform that function. I do that same with volume up? Same result.

Later, I say "Hey Cortana, call Wife". The result? My Xbox and TV either try to open Skype or give me an error while my phone calls my wife.

So year, having the same "Hey Cortana" voice commands for 3 devices was a poor idea. "Xbox, Mute" worked fine. I mean, I do feel like Cortana does a better job of understanding what I am telling it to do, but couldn't it have stayed as Xbox commands rather than Hey Cortana? I could just turn it off on my laptop and be happy with it, but I actually use it for my phone and my xbox.

Imagine when people actually start buying Surface Phones (if that ever happens). What were they thinking?

 

[Bobvfr]

Lucky sod, we have three Xbox Ones, two PC's two Surfaces and three Cortana enabled Windows phones in our flat, we have discovered the meaning behind the phrase "She who's name must not be spoken" :smile:

 

[Maurizio Troso]

I have an Xbox One, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 laptop. I have Hey Cortana enabled on all of them. I use it all the time on Xbox to control my tv volume and channel. I use it while I'm driving on my phone. I don't use it that often on my laptop, but sometimes I will use it to change songs or something while I am working. The point is, I have fairly justifiable reasons to have it enabled on 3 devices.

So lets say I'm watching football. I have my fantasy stuff up on my laptop, and my phone is near bye because its always there. I decide I want to mute the TV, so I say "Hey Cortana, Mute". The result? My Tv mutes, my phone and my laptop both tell me that they cant perform that function. I do that same with volume up? Same result.

Later, I say "Hey Cortana, call Wife". The result? My Xbox and TV either try to open Skype or give me an error while my phone calls my wife.

So year, having the same "Hey Cortana" voice commands for 3 devices was a poor idea. "Xbox, Mute" worked fine. I mean, I do feel like Cortana does a better job of understanding what I am telling it to do, but couldn't it have stayed as Xbox commands rather than Hey Cortana? I could just turn it off on my laptop and be happy with it, but I actually use it for my phone and my xbox.

Imagine when people actually start buying Surface Phones (if that ever happens). What were they thinking?

Never tried going on Metro or a bus, and shouting loud "Ok Google call MUM" ?? Try that , there are many funny reports online LOL

 

[Maurizio Troso]

Lucky sod, we have three Xbox Ones, two PC's two Surfaces and three Cortana enabled Windows phones in our flat, we have discovered the meaning behind the phrase "She who's name must not be spoken" :smile:

Dead :grincry:

 

[PGrey]

I run it on Android, and it will concurrently pop up my texts (if I enable message sync) on my Notification Center, pretty cool feature, if you ask me...
I can respond there too, if I'm quick enough (after awhile it seems to "age" them out, and I have to go to the phone to reply).

 

[bsayegh]

I run it on Android, and it will concurrently pop up my texts (if I enable message sync) on my Notification Center, pretty cool feature, if you ask me...
I can respond there too, if I'm quick enough (after awhile it seems to "age" them out, and I have to go to the phone to reply).

dont get me wrong, there are some great things about Windows 10 on multiple apps. I like the text popping up on my laptop, too (though it doesnt seem like my texts actually get sent when i try to respond through Windows 10). But they should have thought of the voice command issue a little deeper. Xbox commands should have stayed as Xbox commands. It would just require Xbox to run a slightly modified version of W10 Cortana software. Laptops, in my opinion, only benefit from Hey Cortana in very specific situations, so its generally fine to turn it off completely, but then its kind of a waste for them to put the effort in to coding it in the first place.

 

[Bobvfr]

You do know you can go back to Xbox commands!

 

[PGrey]

Mine send, but only if I respond fairly expediently, otherwise the opportunity goes away, that part needs some "tuning".
I just got a text, while I was typing this, and replied, quickly, and it worked fine.

Like you mention, some platform-specific settings are really what they need to do, eventually, or it'll get too cumbersome to use anywhere...

Per what bobvfr says, that's probably what I'd do, although admittedly I don't use vocals on our XBox much. I don't even use it outside of my phone, except very rarely.
I wondered about that though, in another discussion, and when I mentioned the laptop/PC thing being "odd", for me, several others chimed in, saying they used it quite a bit, so I guess people do "talk to their PC/laptop" ;-]

 

[trippinnik]

My Win10 devices keep saying I need another app downloaded from the store, point me to Facebook and won't let me open the messages. I can see them in notification center but not in any app to do anything with. What app do they open with on your PC? What is your SMS app on android?

 

[TechFreak1]

never tried going on metro or a bus, and shouting loud "ok google call mum" ?? :d try that , there are many funny reports online lol

lmao!

@bsayegh, that is a tricky one to over come... as some will complain why it's "xbox" this that and why it's not the same...

All we need is another Aaron Paul advert however this time more than everyone's xbox's will be responding lol! :grincry:

 

[PGrey]

My Win10 devices keep saying I need another app downloaded from the store, point me to Facebook and won't let me open the messages. I can see them in notification center but not in any app to do anything with. What app do they open with on your PC? What is your SMS app on android?

Weird. Do you have "Skype Beta" installed, and Cortana active?
I don't think it needs Skype, but it may have a connection it's trying to use, and Cortana definitely needs to be fully enabled, on both devices.

Google Messaging, plain and simple (it's a Nexus device).

You pretty much have to reply right in the Notification Center, at least I have to, if I try to go elsewhere, such as Cortana itself, or Skype Beta, it fails to locate the message, and it all falls apart. I don't think it's very robust at this point, but functional, sort of.

 

[badelhas]

I've wanted to use Cortana...a lot. But it?s not even available in my language (Portuguese from Portugal)

 

[trippinnik]

I have the reply option sometimes in message center. Also installed skype preview, Message + skype but never able to open them in those apps. I'm using Facebook messenger on Android for TXT so maybe that is the difference.

 

[Skamath]

I have a solution for this little issue only if it is implemented. The User needs to be given the option to name their assistant, that way xbox can be named something miner (read minor) and laptop can be called major and the phone in between.

 

[Chintan Gohel]

I've wanted to use Cortana...a lot. But it?s not even available in my language (Portuguese from Portugal)

wait in line with the other 180 plus countries :grincry:

 

[Chintan Gohel]

There was something about Cortana development where MS was finding a way of minimising this kind of confusion - some way of Cortana understanding which device needs to respond- don't know what came of it

Microsoft patent is for those times when all of your devices answer to "Hey Cortana" at once

 

[themad95]

This post made my day.

 

[EspHack]

I tried to fix that by making them all only "respond to my voice" and used a mad loud voice for the pc and a whispering voice for phone