iSaying — How Apple is saving relationships
The most important feature ever added to iOS has not been discussed at Apple launch events, nor has it received any media coverage. Yet, its impact is visible in relationships across the world.
It started as QuickType, launched with iOS 8 in 2014. In the iPhone’s text messaging app, three new buttons appeared above the keyboard. At that time, these buttons provided a simple autocorrect — if you typed “Babe, I’m so drunj right now”, it would wisely suggest you spell it “drunk”, saving you the embarrassment of a typo.
But with iOS 10, this feature is no longer just correcting your spelling. Apple’s team of data scientists and engineers internally refer to the upgraded feature as iSaying, and its functionality is truly amazing.
Simple to use
Like so many of Apple’s features, iSaying’s power lies in its simplicity. When writing a text to someone, you no longer need to think about what to type. Simply start pressing one of the three grey QuickType buttons repeatedly, and the iPhone figures out the best thing for you to say — it’s that easy.
Observe:
That is pretty amazing — the iPhone determined what was the best way to answer the question, and I didn’t have to think about it at all. Magical!
The science of iSaying
Apple’s iSaying team, reportedly now 50 software engineers and data scientists, has been working on this technology for over two years. Using machine learning and big data analytics, the software does three things:
- Communication replication: it analyzes your texting history, so that it can mimic your word choices and speech patterns.
- Recipient sentiment analysis: for whomever you are texting, it has evaluated how that person has historically responded to things you have said, and chooses your words to optimize their ‘sentiment’.
- Community comparison: it compares the current conversation to other similar conversations across Apple’s user base, and selects conversational paths that have been shown to yield positive results.
That last point is significant. Just like Cyrano de Bergerac gave Christian the words he needed to woo his love, Apple is using the collective wisdom of the iPhone community to improve how you talk to your relations. Apple is crowdsourcing charisma!
A few personal examples
Consider these two similar threads — on the left, an exchange from mid 2015, and on the right from last month:
The one on the right is using only the iSaying buttons. Instead of trying to figure out what to say by myself, I relied on the iSaying feature, and the multitudes of conversations that empower it. And it is very clear that the outcome is much better. Thanks Apple!
Here’s another two similar conversations — the left from 2014, and the right from this past week:
For years our phones have helped us navigate complicated driving directions — but now, they can help us navigate complex relationships!
The psychology of iSaying
In their landmark 2007 research study, published in the European Journal of Relational Psychology, researchers David Warrick and Diane Fischer exhaustively studied relationship conflicts and their causes. With over 300 couples (and former couples) spanning 18 countries, they analyzed strife in these relationships. Their findings are particularly compelling.
At a high level, they scientifically proved the adage that communication is key in a relationship. But as they dove deeper, they found something really interesting: when speaking to a loved one, even the slightest adjustment in word choice can have a significant impact on how the listener reacts. Two words that are entirely synonymous can have wildly different effects. Even seemingly innocuous replacements (“house” and “home”, “special” and “unique”, etc) could run the risk of miscommunication, negative reactions, or worse. In fact, the researchers found that once they isolated the root causes of these relationship conflicts, at their core were simple errors in word choice.
Apple to the rescue
With all this at stake, it is no wonder that so many people have come to rely on iSaying to help guide how they communicate. Apple’s own statistics show that 13% of users employ iSaying at least once a week. The software is getting so good that it now will alert you when you should use iSaying, versus trying to respond yourself. It is like having a digital relationship assistant, always on call!
Apple’s recent acquisitions of several VR (voice recognition) and DS (dialogue synthesis) companies demonstrate the company’s commitment to expanding iSaying’s presence. Soon, you will be able to utilize these features in phone calls, and within a few years you will be able to use it for in-person conversations as well. Think of how amazing it will be — you sense a fight is brewing, so you simply hold up your iPhone, start tapping the QuickType buttons, and your phone is expertly talking with your partner, using your own voice!
How to use iSaying, and some protips
Next time you are faced with a difficult conversation or a question you don’t know how to answer, simply tap the grey buttons until your response is perfect.
You can try different patterns of tapping across the three buttons to steer the conversation in different directions. Here are some of the iSaying team’s official suggestions:
- Old Faithful — Button 2, the middle one, typically gives the most reliable responses — safe, comfortable, calming. Use it in stressful times to bring the temperature back down.
- The Wildcard — Button 3, on the right, will spice up your day with unexpected words, amusing phrases, and emoji. Great for weekends!
- Ponzi Scheme — bounce back and forth across the buttons: 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, etc. This generates phrases that think towards the future, full of hope, planning a better tomorrow.
- The Doogie Howser — like you were playing the theme song’s opening riff: 3, 3, 1, 1, 3, 1, repeat. For when you want to sound intellectual, wistful, and solid in your convictions.
- Swirly — bounce around the three buttons in circles, like 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, 3, etc. You’ll create a stream of consciousness reflection on your life. You may find it unlocks hidden memories and subconscious emotions!
Next time you are in a tough conversation, use one of these patterns, or feel free to create your own. Let Apple (@tim_cook) know which ones work best for you!
