Prank Forces Siri to Swear at a 12-year-old Boy

Apple's voice activated assistant Siri is a lot of things, but foul-mouthed is not one of them. However, it seems one prankster in the United Kingdom discovered a way to force Siri swear. And swear he did, at a 12-year-old boy.*

According to the Telegraph, 12-year-old Charlie Le Quesne was at the Tesco branch in Coventry when the incident occurred. The boy was playing with a display unit iPhone 4S and asked Siri the world's population. His parents were horrified when the answer the phone gave included 'shut the f*ck up you ugly tw*t.'

The mystery was quickly solved when the boy's mother, Kim, complained to Tesco staff. As any Siri user will know, the Apple assistant refers to the user by name according to what's entered in the set-up instructions. Staff say someone had tampered with this feature, entering in the phrase as the username on the phone. However, in a statement, Tesco said that it would be sending the phone back to Apple, anyway.

"We have launched an investigation. The handset will be going back to Apple for diagnostic tests," the Telegraph cites the retailer as saying.

*For those unaware, Siri has a male voice in the United Kingdom.

  • sseyler
    This is some pretty strange news.
    Reply
  • That is AWESOME! I almost died laughing. I cannot believe it took this long for someone to pull it off. =)
    Reply
  • Goldengoose
    Thats hilarious - imagine the kids face!
    Reply
  • stingstang
    I'm pretty sure you guys are missing part of this story. The kid changed his name on the phone, and the phone said his name. Is it so hard to figure this out?
    Reply
  • neon871
    so, who cares? 12 years old he probably heard worse in school!
    Reply
  • joytech22
    Tesco said that it would be sending the phone back to Apple

    LOL.. That is the STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard..
    ESPECIALLY when the fix is to just change the username..

    Honestly.. It really surprises me how STUPID people are, especially when a device aimed at simplicity needs to be sent back to reset a username.

    "We have launched an investigation. The handset will be going back to Apple for diagnostic tests"
    To diagnose what? That the name change worked?
    Simple fix:

    1. Factory Reset Phone (Or reset to Display model feature reset)
    2. Set name

    Wow.. -.-
    Reply
  • monsta
    This makes news?



    Reply
  • de5_Roy
    12 yr old: siri cussed at me when i asked a question. :(
    apple: You're asking the question wrong!!
    Reply
  • mdbrotha03
    monstaThis makes news?

    Not only did it make the news but its old news as well
    Reply
  • DSpider
    monstaThis makes news?Now you are aware of the fact that you can actually make Siri swear. Consider yourself informed.
    Reply