back to article Hey, Apple! 1999 just called and it wants its voicemail avatar back

Siri will soon answer your phone calls, adding a functionality that Orange killed in 2005 when it shut down the still-lamented Wildfire service. It’s rumoured that Apple employees are testing a system which can transcribe voicemails. Believed to be called iCloud Voicemail, the service seems to be a mix of Wildfire and that …

  1. Little Mouse

    But what'll happen if Siri picks up the phone to an automated PPI-scam bot?

    They could end up talking to each other for hours...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      If that then ends up costing the PPI-scum money in phone charges, and ties up their resources so they can't pester as many people... surely that's a good thing??

      1. O RLY

        "If that then ends up costing the PPI-scum money in phone charges, and ties up their resources so they can't pester as many people... surely that's a good thing??"

        Except in the States where punters pay for incoming calls as well.

        1. Captain Scarlet Silver badge
          Paris Hilton

          O_O American's have to pay to be cold called!

          I see no reason for this, its an outrage!

          1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

            Nah

            The US is getting closer to becoming a 3rd world country every week.

            Advertising Companies and Lawyers rule the roost ok!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          You might be a tad out of date. And or out of touch.

          I don't pay for incoming calls – I have an unlimited plan – as, I suspect many of us do.

          I also don't answer calls that I don't recognize the phone number and/or that block Caller-ID.

          1. O RLY

            "You might be a tad out of date. And or out of touch.

            I don't pay for incoming calls – I have an unlimited plan – as, I suspect many of us do."

            No, not out of date or out of touch. US mobile carriers charge for incoming calls. That you pay a flat rate for your voice service doesn't change that fact; it's merely obfuscated in your bill.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              talking to a brick wall there mate

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      But what'll happen if Siri picks up the phone to an automated PPI-scam bot?

      They could end up talking to each other for hours...

      If Apple managed to automate something that takes care of double glazing salesmen and PPI calls I suspect they won't be able to ship it fast enough. Maybe that's an idea for Google to encourage Android penetration? The very idea of having the ability to intercept you calls as well ought to make them salivating..

  2. Busby

    Still fondly miss Wildfire had it for a few years and as unreliable it could be was brilliant when it worked. Was a bugger to support though.

    1. Blank Reg

      The technology is much improved. My carrier offers this and it is remarkably accurate, even correctly spelling the names of people, places and streets

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Hello.

    "Dave can't take your call right now, he's holding me wrong."

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: Hello.

      "The divorce lawyer will be in touch!"

      When AIs collide.

  4. Joe Harrison

    Wildfire was a saucy one

    She used to invite me to listen to her collection of William Shatner LPs

    1. P. Lee
      Coat

      Re: Wildfire was a saucy one

      Apparently, you are the Special.

  5. Mutton Jeff

    I've been using HulloMail

    For transcription, works reasonably well.

  6. Richard Taylor 2

    I still fondly remember visual voice mail. A useful if not essential feature of my 3G iPhone - although I think it was tied to a specific (long abandoned - obviously not essential) carrier - Vodaphone?

    1. Frank Bough

      Nope, O2. Still works, still excellent. One of the reasons I switched back to O2. Vodafone never got their shit together on this - and so many other - issues.

  7. Trollslayer
    Joke

    Patents!

    So Orange can sue Apple!

    It's all gone Pear shaped!

    1. Ben Boyle

      Re: Patents!

      That's a very Wednesday joke for it to still be Monday. Well done that man!

  8. Gannettt

    Wildfire?

    Not too popular here in California at the moment!

  9. Lost in Cyberspace

    HulloMail

    I enjoy diverting my phone to HulloMail on my day off for individualised messages.

    Out of hours, it tells my customers I will ring them back when I'm next working, and it tells my mum / wife / kids / school receptionist the best number to reach me on.

    And I get a text equivalent of the voicemail right in the app, so I can continue enjoying my day off without listening to someone describe the error message on their screen - for four bloody minutes (until the VM cuts them off).

    I would love this functionality in the Apple VM app though. If it supports out-of-hours voicemail greetings.

  10. Oh Matron!

    Libon!

    Orange SA (France) have an app called Libon which does exactly this. It's excellent although the transcribing has tailed off of late.

    It also emails you the recording, and you can have three separate greetings for groups of people (work contacts get the "his nibs is away from the phone", Family get the "what do you want?" messages)

    Try it. Very good and free :-)

  11. Tim99 Silver badge
    Gimp

    Answering machine

    I liked the functionality of an old B&O answering machine. It had 3 answering options: a formal "business" message; a different message for your friends; and my favorite, for people that you did not like, it did not pick up so they would have to keep dialing you, and were not able to leave a message.

    Presumably Apple could implement something similar?

  12. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

    Wildfire was lost?

    Was there a killing frost?

    "She ran calling [and was answered by] Wildfire..."

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