Netflix and Apple are two of the biggest brands of the modern world at the moment. In the case of the former, its recent adaptation of The Witcher book series has become one of its biggest hits of 2019. In the case of the latter, many of their devices feature the voice-activated assistant, Siri, which response to whatever the user requests of it. The similarly named Ciri is also a character on The Witcher, and the lack of difference in how their names are pronounced has caused some issues with Apple users trying to watch the show. Believe it or not, it's actually not the first time that this issue has plagued the franchise.
HEY, CIRI
As reported by audiences on Twitter, Siri is apparently prone to activate upon hearing the name Ciri from The Witcher. This makes actually watching the series a potential nightmare, for both viewers and the confused software. Given how many times the co-protagonist's name is said in every episode, there's no telling when a person's iPhone might believe that someone is asking it a question. Other users of the site have stated there merely mentioning the character in conversation can cause the issue to arise. Some have simply pointed out the similarity of the character and the app's names, illustrating how much mainstream attention the show has given Ciri and Geralt.
Tons of television consumers have encountered this occurrence via Netflix, but just as many people play video games. It's this medium that both gave The Witcher its first mainstream push before the show, and gave Siri its first round of the name game.
THE WITCHER 3
It might be a bigger problem now, but this isn't the first time that the Apple software has confused itself for Ciri. The issue was pointed out two years ago by a Reddit user. In this case, Siri was activated while the user was playing The Witcher 3, the most recent video game adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels.
In this case, the scene in the game had Geralt asking Ciri to examine bodies, which the app had a bit of trouble in complying with. The Witcher 3 was released for Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and just a few months before the show's release, Nintendo Switch. Thus, the issue could become a problem no matter what console players own.
Another Reddit user pointed out how recently that Ciri's name is not exactly pronounced this way. The language intricacies of Sapkowski, who is Polish, are lost in translation when spoken in English. Her name should be started with a "ts" or "tz", not the "s" sound used for the Apple app. Unfortunately, this language mistake is more than common, leading to a series of bewildered Netflix binge-watchers. Perhaps the best way to enjoy the show is in Airplane Mode.
The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as Jaskier. Season 1 is now available on Netflix.